Feel the Magic aka Project Rub – Review

As soon as I heard about this game I knew I had to have it. Describing it as quirky doesn’t even scratch the surface. Feel The Magic is a title which is completely reliant on the brilliant touch screen capabilities of the Nintendo DS. This game doesn’t really fit into any existing genre. It’s a game completely original and unusual and the integral aspect is that you play a guy trying to impress a girl. Yup, I did say that. This game isn’t about platforming, beating people up, driving, racing, flying or anything else. It’s about completing tasks which impress the girl you’re hot for. Sounds a little lame really doesn’t it? Trust me, it’s not.

One of the oddest things you’re likely to notice first with this game is that the graphics aren’t really that ground breaking. They look like a comic book and the stop start motion of the scenes are set up like an old action adventure series you might find on TV. Imagine the ‘bop!’, ‘whack!’ and ‘bams!’ from Batman and you’ve got an idea of what this game looks like. The colours are fairly muted and the odd choice of silhouettes throughout make the game seem a little amatuerish but none of this matters with the gameplay. It is addictive crazy fun.

Your tasks on this game range from rubbing the screen as fast and hard as you can, to blowing at the screen to ignite fires. Yes, you really do blow at the screen and yes it really does control the game. This kind of originality is what keeps Feel The Magic fresh and exciting as you travel through the various tasks before you as you try to win the girls heart. You will at times have to shout loudly at your DS as well as use all your skills at keeping your hands steady whilst you guide your character around the screen avoiding oncoming objects. Each of these little scenarios are different and so wildly out there they will most likely have you laughing out loud. You’ll find yourself becoming extremely devoted to proceeding onto the next level and some of my favorite levels (such as the unicycle, the bug brushing and the plant avoidance) can prove to be fairly tricky at times. This just adds to the game though and you’ll learn to love the progressively difficult aspects of the !
tasks.

The sound on this game is ok. It’s not great but then it’s not really overly important either. What matters is the gameplay and the interesting original graphics and concepts. It would have been nice to have outstanding sound but it is adequate for the job at hand and if it becomes too irritating for you simply turn the sound down.

The game is clearly aimed at males because you only get the option of playing a man trying to win a females heart. This sucks a little and it would have been nice to choose a female player but it doesn’t really take anything away from the game overall. It is likely to impress females as well as males because the integration of the touch screen is just so spot on that it never ceases to amaze.

Deaf gamers will enjoy this game also because it is very much a tactile and visual game. There is no real disadvantage of not being able to hear this game and the instructions are clearly shown on screen via subtitles as well as graphics. Nice.

Overall this game really is a must have for anyone who owns a DS. It’s so original that you really are doing yourself an injustice by not owning it. You’ll constantly be amused at its new and inventive ways of progressing through the levels and you do get emotionally attached to your characters quest. If there are any down sides to this game at all it is that you may tire a little of it’s controls and the initial excitement will perhaps wear off however think about what this game is and you’ll soon see it’s just a brilliant concept. Enjoy it and relax with it. Don’t get all uptight at feeling stupid. Realize what you’re playing is truly a joy to behold and you’ll love this game over and over again.

Review by Tracy