Zoo Keeper

Puzzle games. It seems that with every new system released there is always another puzzle game being mustered out. With the introduction of the Nintendo DS there wasn’t a question on anyone’s mind as to “if” a puzzle game was going to be released. The answer (as everyone should have known) was “when” and “how many?” The touch screen on the Nintendo DS opens up a wide assortment of possibilities when in comes to interacting with a game. For puzzle fans the issue with the DS is how the touch screen will change the way you play a puzzle game. Would it allow a new control scheme never imagined before or would the DS give us just another standard puzzle game with a few extra gimmicks? Well Zoo Keeper is the later, an entertaining puzzle game with a few extra gimmicks thrown in.

The premise behind Zoo Keeper is rather simple and at the same time sort of pointless to the actual game. You play a zookeeper that has started working for a zoo where the animals were fed up with the head zookeeper. The animals were so frustrated that they started a riot, which results in the animals getting out of control. It’s up to you as the regular zookeeper to get the animals back under control and to please the head zookeeper. Essentially what this means to you, the gamer, is that you have to capture the different animals in order to restore order at the zoo.

The animals in the game are laid out on the board as simple pieces/blocks. There are several different blocks for the animals: giraffe = yellow, elephant = blue, hippo = purple, alligator = green, lion = gold, panda = black/white, monkey = red and a rabbit = pink. As in other puzzles games the object is to line up at least animals/colors in a row (either horizontally or vertically). Unfortunately you cannot capture the animals by having in a diagonal pattern, only vertical or horizontal. But when you capture the animals you also earn more time to play the round/game. The game has a time limit, but only if you run out of animals to capture. As long as you continue to capture animals you will never run out of time. You also never need to worry about running out of room on the screen. The game is always full of animals to capture since the objective is to capture as many animals as possible.

The controls in Zoo Keeper are very simple and easy to learn for anyone. The game allows you to play with the standard controller layout or you can use the touch screen to capture the animals. To move the animals around you simple highlight an animal and then select another animal next to it. If the animal you are moving is in a row with two other animals of the same color/species the captured animals will disappear. If the animal is not in a row then the game will not allow the move. In essence the game forces you to always match up the animals so you can keep playing. It might sound a little strange but it is very simple to understand after a couple minutes. The controller layout allows you to select the two creatures and then hit the “A” button to move them. The touch screen allows you to use the stylus to select the animals to move. I found the stylus controls much easier and more responsive then the D pad layout.

The puzzle designs are very simple and easy to understand but will have you searching all over the board for a matching animal. A low timer will have you searching frantically for a match only to have you scream in agony when the game shows you the obvious match right in front of you after time runs out. As a good puzzle game should Zoo Keeper made me want to keep playing over and over again. I kept saying “just one more game, just one more game.” The game includes several different gameplay modes. The Normal mode has you completing a level by meeting the quota for the stage. The Tokoton mode makes you collect just a specific type of animal in order to move on to the next stage. The Quest mode has you competing to clear 10 different stages with a different goal for each stage. The Time Attack mode has you competing against the clock to see how many animals you can collect. Finally the 2P mode allows you to play against another Nintendo DS owner (without the need for another Zoo Keeper cartridge).

Even though the gameplay is addictive in Zoo Keeper, the game is still not perfect. The implementation of the touch screen could be have handled better. The entire game is played out on the touch screen with the top screen being relegated to showing your score and a large graphic of an animal. It would have been nice if the game was played out on both screens at the same time, instead of being cramped in on the touch screen. The graphics are very simple block graphics for the puzzle. The pieces do animate and show expressions during the game but nothing that will blow you away. All of the colors of the animals are clear to see and tell apart. However, this isn’t the game to show off the graphics for the Nintendo DS. One last issue with the game was the ranking system. It seemed no matter how many animals I captured and how many stages I cleared, I never earned enough points to have my name on the ranking board. Puzzle games are supposed to be challenging and fun, but it became a joke after a while that I was never going to get my name on the ranking board. Everyone else that played the game said the same thing.

Zoo Keeper is one of those games that you buy to keep you entertained for a while you’re waiting for a flight or just taking a break from another game. It’s a fast-paced puzzle game with some great controls that will have you playing for a while. But the gameplay is limited to just one screen and the graphics are rather antiquated for a new system. Luckily puzzle games are supposed to keep you guessing and offer a challenge for anyone to get into. Zoo Keeper is that game but it could have been more (especially for the retail price of $39.99).

Gameplay 7.5
Zoo Keeper does what a puzzle game should and that’s keep the player entertained while challenged at the same time. The puzzles are simple to solve but complicated to master just because of the number of animals on the stage at one time. It’s hard to see every possible option available on the screen at the same time but you will find yourself looking frantically for the next move. The controls are tight and responsive, especially with the stylus. It would have been nice if the game allowed you to play on both screens instead of just one screen.

Graphics 7.3
Simple block graphics represent all of the animals on the touch screen. The graphics for the animals on the top screen looked good but still retained a unique (and interesting) blocky appeal. The animal blocks on the playing field would animate by showing facial expressions during parts of the game. Each animal has it’s own color and all of the colors were vibrate and clear during the game. 

Sound 7.3
The sound effects in the game are unspectacular, but nothing that will take away from the game. The music is rather catchy, but nothing that will stick in your head forever (like the Tetris theme). The game does include some voices in parts of the game that are very clear. In fact, I was impressed with the voices in the game and would have liked to heard more of them during the rest of the game. 

Difficulty Easy/Med.
As I mentioned earlier, I never scored enough points to have my named registered on the ranking board. I’m sure I will receive some flattering emails about that statement but it’s the truth. But this isn’t to say that the game is hard when playing it. In fact, it’s very simple to pick up and play, but I think the ranking scores are way too high.

Concept 7.2
Lining up a row of color blocks isn’t new and is almost a broken record when in comes to puzzle games. In fact almost everyone that played Zoo Keeper were comparing it to other puzzles games. This is a curse that affects a ton of puzzle games available today. The touch screen controls were nice, but not giving us more space for the playing area is almost a sin for a dual-screen system.

Multiplayer 7.5
I love the multiplayer for Zoo Keeper just because of the built-in features of the Nintendo DS: one cartridge for two systems and wireless connectivity. The multiplayer experience for Zoo Keeper is limited to just two players, but I still had fun playing it. The purpose of the two-player mode has you competing against the other player to see who can get the other player’s time reduced to zero. Once the player’s time is reduced to zero that player loses the match. The game played flawlessly through the Nintendo DS’ wireless connection but some additional multiplayer options would have been nice.

Overall 7.4
I’ve said it before in other reviews, but games are supposed to be fun. I had fun with Zoo Keeper for the Nintendo DS. It’s not the greatest game in the world, but it will keep Nintendo DS owners entertained for a while. It’s just not a revolutionary title that will impress you with incredible graphics and fancy features and controls. But how many puzzle games really do that? Zoo Keeper will keep you challenged for a long time to come.