Review - NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits

 
A stunning journey through mythological Greece, NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits fully showcases the Wii’s graphical and motion-control capabilities.
 
What is it about certain title screens that reassure you of a game’s quality before you’ve even pressed Start (or the equivalent)? As soon as NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits loads up, we are greeted by a majestic image of winged avatar Nyx atop ancient ruins, silhouetted against a scarlet sky while a haunting score echoes in the background. If there’s one thing the Wii is short of, it’s “classy” games; beautiful and finely crafted experiences that are as much about the art of videogame design as anything else. Seemingly coming out of nowhere, Spanish developer Over the Top Games’ first effort joins this venerated minority, sitting comfortably beside Okami and Lost Winds as the sort of hidden gems that slowly become the initiated gamer’s smug little secret
 
Much like the comparable Lost Winds, NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits plays on a two-dimensional plane, allowing for some sophisticated use of the 3D engine’s backdrops, and the game also offers one of the most creative uses of the wiimote so far. While the Wii’s motion-controls have frequently been used to resemble a virtual tennis racket, golf club or sword, act as a light gun or enable a vicious flurry attack, NyxQuest actually bestows you the Hand of God. Several gods, in fact; big Grecian folk with wispy beards and a penchant for meddling in the affairs of their favourite mortals.
 
The plot takes numerous liberties with the myth of Icarus: instead of plummeting into the sea after the wax wings created by his father Daedalus melted, Icarus flies to a heavenly realm in the sky. Here he meets and falls in love with the winged girl Nyx. When Icarus disappears one day, Nyx descends to the mortal realm to search for him, and is shocked to find that Earth is a barren landscape comprised of scorching sands and desolate ruins, with ravenous harpies and charging satyrs the only signs of life. Fortunately, Nyx’s search soon has the blessing of Zeus himself, and though he and his fellow deities are unable to directly intervene, they may occasionally assist.
 
And that’s here you – yes, you! – come into play. With the Wii Remote-directed reticule, players can move solid objects, harness the power of fire, change the direction of the wind and strike enemies down with lightening bolts… all while navigating Nyx with the Nunchuck’s analogue stick. These simultaneous duties are initially fairly testing, but the game gradually eases you into its mechanics. Once you get used to handling both Nyx and her divine aid at once, NyxQuest becomes regularly challenging but never impossible. Nyx herself is a nimble creature who cannot attack but has the ability to glide and flap her wings up to five times for additional air; despite the level of multitasking that later stages demand of you, the controls are so finely tuned that you have only yourself to blame if you fail.
 
Sound a little tricky? It is, and naturally there are those who might struggle with this ambidextrous scheme – at first I often killed Nyx by accidentally dropping a large rock on her head. To remedy this, a second player may join in and assume the manipulative powers of Zeus and associates, while