Friday, September 20, 2013


Coffee Beans


Even Rabbids can appreciate the Jolly Roger!

The Brew
Rabbids Land was a Wii U launch title, and is a bit of a departure from other Rabbids games ye may be familiar with from the Wii. While Rabbids Land is multiplayer like other Rabbids based games, instead of allowing up to four players participate in simultaneous multiplayer mayhem, the Rabbids Land mini-games only allow 2 players to play simultaneously.

The original Rayman Raving Rabbids had Rayman in an arena playing through different mini-games in a story type mode, unlocking them as ye played them. In Rabbids Land though, ye must play a Board Game Trophy Race mode to unlock all the mini-games. It consists of 4 players (human or computer controlled) playing a board game that consists of rolling a die, moving to different squares around the board, and trying to win different mini-games and collecting trophies doing so. The first Rabbid to collect either 10 or 20 trophies (you pick how many at the beginning of the match), and get to the middle of the board wins the game.

Yar never sure which mini-games will happen while playing a board game match though, so ye will have to play several board game matches to unlock all the mini-games for the Treasure Hunt and Free Play modes. Anytime a new mini-game is played during a Board Game, it will be unlocked for the other modes. Took me more than 10 hours of playing it did, before me finally unlocked what me thinks is all the mini-games in Rabbids Land!

The game does have mini-games that make use of the Wii U's GamePad for some asymmetric gameplay in multiplayer though, and I think one mini-game in Rabbids Land that does the asymmetric gameplay very well is called The Pirate's Precious Jewels.

Here's a video that shows ye what a game of The Pirate's Precious Jewels is like:

If the video wasn't clear enough for ye after watching the first time, this explanation may help ye understand more. If yar playing with two players, the player using the Wii U GamePad (Rabbid 1) has to plunder jewels while being chased by Rabbid 2. The person playing as Rabbid 2 on the TV (with a Wii Remote and Nunchuk), as a pirate ghost, is tasked with chasing down Rabbid 1 before they can plunder a certain number of jewels.

Rabbid 1 is invisible to Rabbid 2 though, but Rabbid 2 (the Pirate Rabbid) has a lantern they can use to help show them where Rabbid 1 is, if they get the lantern over Rabbid 1. Rabbid 2 cannot move while using the lantern to try and spot Rabbid 1, but Rabbid 2 does move more handsomely than Rabbid 1. So, even though the player with the GamePad can see Rabbid 2 at all times, Rabbid 1 constantly need be aware of where they be headed and how smartly the other Rabbid can move in on them!

If Rabbid 1 collects 15 jewels before time expires, they win! If Rabbid 2 catches Rabbid 1, or time expires in a round before 15 jewels have been plundered though, Rabbid 2 wins! This is a best 2 out of 3 mini-game, so ye have more than one chance to do it right!

Me hopes that was clearer than the mud of Davy Jones' Locker!

Caffeinated Thoughts
The Pirate's Precious Jewels is one of me favorite, if not me favorite, mini-games in Rabbids Land. Mixing concepts from what ye get from Luigi's Ghost Mansion and the Mario Chase mini-games in Nintendo Land, it really does provide for a frantic game of chase!

Maybe ye haven't played Rabbids Land, but ye are planning to start sailing on the Great Sea this very day on the Wii U with that scallywag Link? If so, and ye have purchased the new Wii U Wind Waker HD bundle and ye enjoy board game type video games, and ye have enjoyed the Rabbids in years past, ye may want to give Rabbids Land a look. Me do think that this would be an excellent title for the sutlers at Ubisoft to get a demo of up on the Wii U eShop, especially with the new Wii U bundle just releasing.

Yer mileage will vary with the game though, depending on if ye have others to play with and how much ye enjoy board game type games, and the Rabbids in general. Me played the majority of me time with the game, more than 13 hours so far, just by meself using the game's GamePad Off-TV Play feature.

Have any of ye played Rabbids Land, and if so, what is yer favorite mini-game? If ye haven't played it, was the video above of The Pirate's Precious Jewels helpful in showing the asymmetric gameplay any?

Did any of ye talk like a pirate yesterday, if not, what be wrong with ye!?

Ye can find Rabbids Land for the Wii U, and some other Wii U games from the sutlers at Ubisoft below:

*Disclaimer: If ye didn't understand me pirate talk above, I received my copy of Rabbids Land from Ubisoft for coverage purposes.





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