SimAnimals Africa

The Wii is not a console that will ever boast graphical prowess over its rivals, something that EA didn’t seem to realise with their SimAnimals game launched at the start of 2009. The animations and characters felt clunky, and the gameplay wasn’t exactly anything to write home about. However, rather than letting a failed venture die gracefully, EA have re-visited the concept with the all new SimAnimals Africa. Have they learnt any lessons from the previous game? Let’s find out.

Perhaps the most obvious difference comes in the form of the graphics. The developers have scrapped the previous style in favour of generating a more cartoony feel to things. From a purely aesthetic point of view this is a great improvement, with your animal characters looking adorable. The African setting also provides some excellent, if simple, backdrops that also heighten your viewing pleasure.

Unfortunately that seems to be the best use of the continent in terms of inspiration, with a measly 8 different species to play with throughout the course of the game. Even the DS version has more variety than that with 13 separate species. With so much life in Africa it seems a shame that the developers have chosen to limit the breadth so dramatically. You’ll undoubtedly enjoy seeing the lions, rhinos and hippos, amongst other well known animals, but little else is available.

Is the lack of depth in the different species made up by excellent gameplay? Unfortunately not. While certain gameplay elements have been enhanced and added in comparison to the original SimAnimals, you are still likely to be left unfulfilled by the different tasks to complete. Essentially you are responsible for befriending the different animals of the African savannah by attracting their attention through shaking the Wii Remote, and then playing a selection of mini-games. The animals will carry on their merry way if you do nothing to intervene with them, but to increase their level you will need to increase your contact with them.

There are two separate modes when it comes to SimAnimals Africa. We’ve mentioned the ‘virtual pet’ style mode that involves feeding, playing mini-games and a tedious amount of petting. But there is also a bird’s eye view of the land that grants you the ability to survey the whole of the area and to select specific animals. The two modes do complement each other nicely but you will find the majority of your time will be spent in close company with the animals. Partly because once an animal is befriended you will have the ability to control it, utilising special moves such as the rhino’s boulder smashing or the elephant’s ability to water plants.

The new gameplay elements inserted into SimAnimals Africa do help to create a game that is more playable than its predecessor. Unfortunately however, that isn’t saying much, and this new title is still unlikely to hold the attention of anyone for long. A younger audience may appreciate the game for a while, but even they will soon catch on to the fact that there really is not a lot for them to do.