We live in a world plagued by serious problems.

Global temperatures are rising, our polar ice caps are melting, rainforests are being cleared ... and every day, countless thousands of pinatas are beaten to death.

I was like you once. I didn’t know enough about them to care. After spending a few days in a  pinata garden, however, things have changed. We’ve been through too much, the  pinatas and I, and we’ve developed a bond. Raising dozens from tiny newborns to colorful adults ready to put their lives on the line to entertain you at parties - they are alive, and they are fooling you - has forever changed my attitude toward  pinatas.

Play Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise for just an hour, and you’ll feel compelled to join the fight against the senseless slaughter of pinatas worldwide, too.

The product of legendary British developer Rare Ltd., Pocket Paradise is a repackaging of the 2006 Xbox 360 game Viva  Pinata. It is essentially the same game as the original, but the surprising benefits provided by the move to the Nintendo DS make it feel unique enough to warrant the interest of Viva  Pinata veterans and newcomers alike.

It’s one of those great games that would be cheapened by the application of the term “port,” as Rare has actually enhanced the game for Nintendo’s handheld hardware.

The premise behind Viva  Pinata was simple, and Pocket Paradise doesn’t change its proven formula. Essentially a  pinata overlord, you’re in charge of maintaining a garden and attracting wild  pinatas to migrate to your property and breed. You’re given a barren, unsightly plot of land to start with, so your garden is a bit of an eye sore at first. Aside from clearing rubble and planting grass, you won’t be able to do much about it early on. Beautifying your garden is a process, however, and you’ll eventually be able to create a bustling, vibrant utopia brimming with thick trees, exotic flowers and colorful  pinatas.

This type of gameplay isn’t exactly new, and drawing heavily from games like Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon and The Sims, Viva  Pinata certainly hasn’t reinvented any wheels. Pocket Paradise is a very unique product, but ultimately, if you’re not a fan of management and simulation, you might not get what is so special about the series. 

However, gamers with a penchant for creating and sustaining life in simulation games will not only immediately see the appeal of Pocket Paradise, but they’ll also find Rare has created a spectacular title that manages to feel distinguished among its peers.

Pocket Paradise utilizes a top-down camera angle similar to that of Nintendo’s Phantom Hourglass, allowing for a beautiful overhead view of your garden on the touch screen. The top screen shows statistics, garden alerts, a terrain profile and a clock that tracks the passing of time in your garden. Because players interact with the game using the stylus entirely, the majority of the game’s action takes place on the bottom screen.

Everything from clearing debris with your shovel to planting the games’ countless seed varieties is handled with touch controls, and it is done beautifully. Simply tap various icons to perform virtually any gardening function you’d need to, from digging to watering to purchasing new seeds. Once you delve deeper into the game and unlock more abilities, you’ll never feel restricted; the game lets you interface with your garden in about every way you’d need to. Best of all, the icon system collapses when you’re finished using it to free as much space as possible on the tiny DS touch screen.

Interacting with the game through touch adds a level of immersion that simply cannot be matched by the 360 version. You’ll feel like you’re tending to your plants and you’ll care more about your  pinatas because you’re physically interacting with these things, as opposed to being relegated to the outside view provided by a console controller.

As much fun as it is to play Pocket Paradise, it is just as enjoyable to look at. Rare broke ground 14 years ago with the gorgeous and innovative visuals of the Super NES classic Donkey Kong Country, and it has employed a very similar 2D/3D hybrid art style in Viva  Pinata. It looks absolutely gorgeous on the DS, and it happens to be more colorful than a box of crayons. From the  pinatas to the plant life, everything in the game has bright colors that are always appealing and never overwhelming.

Rare spared no expense for visual details, either. Pond water ripples in the rain, thick morning mist blankets the garden at dawn...even the grass looks pretty. It is great to see a developer exert such effort to create a beautiful game on underpowered hardware. Viva  Pinata may have lost HD in the move to the DS, but as proof that a terrific art style can transcend technology, it has lost very little of its beauty.

Touch-based gameplay and beautiful graphics play a large role in Pocket Paradise’s immersive nature, but the sound is really the icing on this delicious cake. Viva  Pinata veterans should recognize some of the game’s typically upbeat music, as much of it has come directly from the 360 original, but the game’s sound shines in terms of its effects. Crickets chirping at night may seem a minute detail, but factor in countless other details, and Pocket Paradise becomes an even more immersive and engaging experience.

Rare was a household name a decade ago because it created fun games that oozed personality and polish. Although Rare has faltered in recent years, Viva  Pinata continues that tradition, and it is great to see the studio back in such ferocious form.

Pocket Paradise is the best game Rare has made since splitting from Nintendo in 2002.

I simply cannot say enough good things about the DS version of Viva  Pinata. It has been polished to a gleam, with higher production values than many Wii games of nearly twice the cost. For that alone, Rare deserves commendation. Perhaps the highest praise due to Viva  Pinata, however, is also the simplest; there’s something to be said for a game that can keep you glued to your tiny DS screens for hours on end without so much as taking a bathroom break. Pocket Paradise is one of those games.

Make sure you go before you start playing. Viva  Pinata!

Gameplay: 8.0
Touch-based controls will make you wonder how you ever played Viva  Pinata without them. Interacting with your  pinatas is an immersive and enjoyable breeze.

Graphics: 9.0
Remember when Rare floored you with the graphics in Donkey Kong Country? You get a similar 2D/3D visual hybrid in Viva  Pinata, and it looks beautiful on the DS.

Sound: 8.0
Great immersive sound effects and a fitting musical score. Viva  Pinata fans should recognize some of the music, as much of it comes from its 360 predecessor.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Bright colors and friendly characters may give the impression Viva  Pinata was designed for children, but this game can become challenging in a hurry.

Concept: 8.5
When the industry produces charming, original IP, gamers have cause for celebration. Raising  pinatas in the wild before shipping them to parties is a priceless and endearing concept, the type of idea that made Rare a household name a decade ago.

Overall: 8.5
There’s something to be said for a game that can keep you glued to your tiny DS screens for hours on end without so much as taking a bathroom break. Incredibly addictive and fun to play, Viva  Pinata: Pocket Paradise is one of those games.