Review: Cocoto Magic Circus

By Bill Tangeman | May 5, 2008

Let’s be honest. Mini-game collections on the Nintendo Wii tend to trigger the gag reflex in most traditional or hardcore gamers. But in case you hadn’t noticed, there’s a casual market out there and it is MASSIVE. Enter Cocoto Magic Circus from Conspiracy Entertainment. An unapologetically casual, budget priced, mini-game collection that is absolutely not intended for the Call of Duty 4 player who stays up until 2:00 A.M. every night trying to max out his rank. If you are said COD 4 player, stop reading now. If, however, you have kids in the age 6 to 11 range that surf the Wii, read on.

What is it?

The Cocoto Magic Circus box claims the game features 40 mini-games. While technically true, the game could more accurately be described as shooting gallery game. There may be 40 variations, but every game has the player pointing the Wii’s infrared pointer at the screen blasting darts at a variety of targets and enemies. Eventually you reach a boss, usually some kind of giant creature, and you blast away at him with more darts. Most of these gallery sessions are timed, lasting under thrity seconds each. There is a story, albeit very minimal. Basically some very creepy clown steals your fairy friend and you’re trying to get her back, but every time you do, he steals her again. It’s not exactly “The Great Gatsby”, but a similar plot seemed to work out fine in the Mario games.

How does it play?

The controls are about as simple as they come, which is great for a kid. You use the “B” trigger on the Wii-mote to shoot, and the infrared pointer to aim. On most gallery sessions, ammunition is unlimited, so there’s no need to worry about running out of darts. You just point and blast, and you either hit enough to move on to the next level or you don’t. The aiming is accurate and the shooting is satisfying. The controls are in no way broken, as there is no waggle getting in the way. You point, you shoot, end of story.

To spice up the simple concept, there are “bonuses” and “maluses” that occasionally fly around the screen. The bonuses help you in ways like giving you more time on the clock to hit your targets. The maluses (apparently the opposite of a bonus), do things like flipping the screen to mess you up. I found myself avoiding all of them because I was never sure which were good or which were bad.

There are three difficulty levels to choose from. I found the “normal” level challenging enough that it sometimes took several attempts to beat a level. If you’re setting this up for a kid, do them a favor by starting them out on “easy”. I didn’t attempt “hard”. There are a variety of local-only multiplayer modes available. Most appealing is the two player arcade mode which would allow for an adult player to play in cooperation with a child.

How does it look and sound?

The graphics aren’t bad for a Wii game. The look is very stylized in a dark, watercolor way. My only complaint was that I occasionally had trouble telling which creatures were my friends and which were my enemies. The sound is fine, and the music is acceptable, if repetitive.

Is it worth it?

Fortunately, this game is budget priced at nineteen dollars. I have no problem recommending it to anyone who has a particular affinity for shooting gallery games, or for anyone looking for a new Wii game to occupy young children. The game really only does one thing, but it does that one thing well. If shooting gallery is you or your kid’s thing, happy blasting. Hardcore gamers, steer clear.