This could be good could be bad but if it's a puzzle Europe will probably get it first we always seem to get puzzles first.

Maybe as i like puzzle games but then again, maybe not

It was originally called "Circles, Sticks, and Squares" Sounds promising...lol =D

yeah kinda crazy, hopefully the review will has positive things to say.

This game looks confusing...it looks interesting...but im not getting it though

Sounds interesting....I'll wait for the review, but I think I'll probably end up downloading this.

Eh...I think I'll wait for a review on this one. Even then...I'll have to be truly impressed to consider downloading this one. :S Right now, I'm kind of "meh."

Ever since the SPOGs debacle, I've decided to wait for the reviews, and since then, the only Wiiware game I bought was Midnight Pool. this looks interesting, but it could be a flop like Critter Roundup.

Not the worst game in the world, but you need to give it a good five minutes or so to get used to it. (ie, if you say to folk "Here, try this!" they'll probably hate it!!)

The games, in order of that topmost screenshot..

Bar sucks! Or, at least, I can't get to grips with it.
The bar spins around a dot. You hold A button to use the swinging momentum to move the dot.
In essence, that should be good, but the fact that the swinging bar then loses it's momentum, and you need to wait for it to build up again, kinda kills the entire point of the game for me.
Imagine Kurukuru Kururin if the little helecopter kept changing it's speed every time you moved... It's that annoying!
Bare (bear!) in mind that you also have to hit enemies with the bar, and that it usually slows to a halt just as the enemy's about to get you... It's frustrating.
Very very frustrating!

BUT..

Square is snake WITH FIRE!!!
It's "Move as you like" snake, as opposed to constant momentum... As in, you tap a direction to move 1 space. (d-pad to move)
The last block of your tail is fire. If it sits aside any other block, that block catches fire, (and the fire spreads) and there's about 5 moves before the block's then destroyed. Note, that counts for the green blocks, but ALSO your own tail, too.. You can set fire to yourself!
It's not destructive, as you constantly grow, and you can get yourself out of little nooks and crannys by burning off your tail.
The playfield scrolls up about 1/4 of a block for every move you make, or 1 whole block if you're right up at the top... You also score bonus points by doing that.. But if any blocks (be they still aflame, or whole, it doesn't matter) hit the bottom of the playfield, you lose.
Cracking game, quite tricky, and keeps you thinking as you plan your moves so the flames don't reach the bottom.

Circle's initially baffling, but basically, the circle spins either Clockwise or Anticlockwise. (A Button to switch)
It uses it's momentum to spin around the outside of the circular level, and you switch to "fall" off the edge. Do it at the top, it falls down, and you bash any little creatures in the arena.
You have to kill 'em all before they can leave the arena, or it's game over.
Nice and simple once you get the hang of it.

Out of the three, Square's probably my favourite, if only because it's one of the best Snake clones in YEARS! Then Circle.. Then avoid Bar completely!

The "3 in 1" thing works like so. Each game plays independently of the other 2. You pick up a mii, stick it in the window, pick a game, play.
In the Squares game, any flames at the edge of the screen will flicker over onto the adjacent playfield, killing enemy, destroying blocks, or what have you. Similarly, bashed enemy in Circle and Bar will fling over to the adjacent windows, too.
So, although your game is your own, the other two windows interact on a very basic level.
It keeps things a little more fun, and seeing as there's AI players that kick in should the other games be empty, it keeps things going.

Additionally, you can pop the game on the DS, too! It looks a little worse for ware on the DS, but the gameplay's the same, albeit all on your own!

Jay says : If you like Snake, go for it! And who doesn't like Snake!!

@Mr Game & Watch (first comment): That was a freaky prediction. Care to tell me how I'm going to die as well?

As for the game: funky.

@Jayenkai: Square isn't really similar to snake at all, with the only link between the two games being the fact that you play as a block that gains extra blocks that attach to it. Plus, bar is very good fun once you get used to the controls, so I can't see why you didn't enjoy it.

Hmm...I gave in and decided to download it before the review, and I'm a little dissapointed. It's very simlplistic and mostly shallow, but I guess you do get what you pay for at only 800 wii points

Circle is very basic but quite fun once you get used to it. Basically you control the direction of rotation of a ball inside a big circle, and you have to manipulate this rotation to make this ball make contact with the enemies in the circle, before they can exit it. For me it was actually surprisingly intuitive, but its shallowness and the fact that it is quite unforgiving (some enemies really make a dash for freedom, give you very little time to kill them) let it down.
Bar takes a while to get used to, and once you do get used to it you realise how shallow it is. Basically, all you do is press the A button at the right time to make your stick move forward. Once you get this timing down the game just becomes a repetive tap of the A button every couple of seconds.
Square is the deepest game in the package, and a pretty decent snake clone . Although slower paced then snake, it makes you think alot more, and can actually get fairly tactically deep in the later stages.

I would give it a (tentantive) 6 out of 10.

The game structure (3 of them, one clearly superior) reminds me alot of No No No Puzzle Chai-Rian (aka, No No No Puzzle Chailien) on the GBA.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/reviewArt.cfm?artid=4384

I'm enjoying this alot more now...it's definitely one of those 'just one more go' games, and the fact that it's a high score game with a genuine goal means it won't just appeal to high score fanatics. And if you get other people involved in the race to one million, it also becomes a lot more fun. Definitely worth the download.

The interfaces of this game look really intuitive. I'm a big puzzler fan, but the genre has become a bit stale since the 16 bit days; this is the first game I've seen of late that really pushes aside the staples of "fitting blocks together" or "blocks falling from top of screen to bottom." 800 is a little bit steep for what it is, but if the replay value is there, who can complain? Definatly waiting to read the review and any first impressions.

This is my review

MaBoShi: The Three Shape Arcade

MaBoShi: The Three Shape Arcade is a puzzle/arcade game for WiiWare. The game features three modes, Circle Mode, Bar Mode, and Square Mode. Each mode in unique and different from the other modes.

This review will be done in four different sections, one for each mode, and then one section for the game in whole, so really, this will be four reviews in one.

Circle Mode Review

Circle Mode is an arcade-style game. The aim of the game, is to defeat all the Enemy's before they escape the arena. The arena is a circle (hence the name) and in the middle of the circle, there is some kind of object that makes it harder to defeat the enemy's (e.g. A pendulum, which gets in your way). You play as a round ball, which is controlled by pressing the A button. The ball will roll around the arena, and you can press A to change the balls direction. The ball can simply defeat enemy's by rolling into them. If an enemy escapes, then it's game over.

This is a good arcade-style game, and if you like to play games for fun, and to try and beat your high-scores, you will probably like this mode. The controls take a while to get used to, but one you get the hang of it, then they become very simple.

Now onto the bad things about this game. This game is good simple fun, but it feels a bit TOO simple, and you can get bored of it quickly if you keep playing it over and over again.

7/10

Bar Mode Review

Bar Mode is my favorite mode. Once again, you play as a round ball, but this time, there is a twist. There is a bar that swings around the ball, that can be used to defeat enemy's/break bricks that get in your way. However, if a brick or enemy touches the ball, then its game over.

Once again, this game is controlled just by using the A button. When the bar is pointing in the direction that you want to go, then you can press A, and that will make your ball move in that direction. The aim of the game is to make it go the goal in the fastest time possible. The quicker you get to the goal, the more points you get. Once again, this is also a point-based game, so fans of beating their own high-scores will like this mode as well.

Onto the bad things about this mode. The controls are very difficult, and take a long time to get used to. Also, if your ball is touched by an enemy or brick just once, then it is an instant game over and you have to start all over again, which I found a bit harsh.

7.5/10

Square Mode Review

This is probably my least favorite mode, but thats just because I'm so terrible at it. This time you play as a square, and you have a tail of fire following you. The fire will not hurt you, and you have to use it to your advantage. If a block reaches the bottom of the screen, then it's game over. To prevent blocks from reaching the bottom of the screen, you can use your tail to burn the blocks. Each time you move, the blocks fall down a little more, the blocks take a while to burn, so the trick is to light them on fire ASAP, so they don't reach the bottom while still being burnt. This is a puzzle game, and requires lots of thinking to get a high-score on.

This is the deepest, and hardest game in MaBoShi. however, the learning curve is pretty steep, and it took me about quarter of an hour just to complete the practice level. Due to that, this game can become pretty frustrating.

This is another score-based game, so you just want to keep going for as long as you can, without getting the game-over screen.

7/10

MaBoShi Review

One of my favorite things about this game is the 8-bit version of the game, which you can download onto your DS using DS Download Play. This gives the game a true arcade feel, and that also means that you can take the game with you on car trips, and stuff. This is a very unique game, and I hope that it is used in later WiiWare games. This is a game that you can play every now and then when you are bored, but it's not a game that you will play for long periods of time. I would consider this a casual game, but it is a unique casual game to say at the least.

One of my major gripes about the game is the price. I feel that 800 Wii Points was a little too steep for this kind of game, and that it should of been sold for at least 700 Wii Points.

Overall this game gets a 7/10

I went ahead ad downloaded it before the review because it looked really original. I wasn't disappointed. All three games are enjoyable and challenging, and very addictive...

I think to say that the square game is a snake clone is a bit too much. Just the fact that the game is turn based and it's puzzle nature makes it a totally different experience from snake... More a puzzle than an arcade...

@Pocketim
Good review but what difference does 800 points instead of 700 make? If you're gonna complain about the price, make a realistic alternative. For instance, I'd be more willing to get MaBoShi if it was only 500 points.

This game looks cool and fun for me, cause i like these type of games and you cant stop playing them either, you can play them for hours if your into these... well, tomorrow is Labor Day monday and hopefully we get this wiiware game and with some other cool games like Super Mario RPG. "prays and hits the bed for the night"

Here's a review I wrote for the game. If there's anything wrong with it blame my Safari browser, since I ran spelling a grammar check beforehand.

MaBoShi The Three Shape Arcade

Arcade games are a lot rarer than they used to be nowadays, with the odd pinball game and pac-man compilation being some of the only additions to the genre. When it comes to online downloads though, they're as popular as ever, with Wild West Guns, Critter Round Up, Bomberman, Tetris and several others out this year on WiiWare.

MaBoShi is also an addition to the arcade selection, with three different mini games to make up for its shallow depth. These games are based around the three different shapes: circle, bar and square. None of the mini games require much thought or skill to get to grips with, and this only adds to the fun you can get from the experience.

The first game, ball, is very simple. You play inside a circular space where you must roll into enemies before they manage to squeeze through the outer wall. To control the ball, you simply press the A button to change the direction you are rolling (left or right), and that's all there is to it. It is very addictive, and further stages bring extra "fun" with the addition of obstacles littering the playing area.

Bar comes next, and in this mini game you control a small circle in a vertically scrolling area. Along the way you must destroy enemies and blocks with the spinning bar that is attached to you, thus defending the glowing ball in the middle. To control this one, you simply press A to shoot off in the direction the bar is facing. This can take a bit of getting used to, but when you get the hang of it, this is also an addictive gem.

Finally comes the more puzzle-based game square. In this game, you control a square that you move with the D-Pad. When you move the square, a trail of blocks are left behind yourself which eventually turn into flames, burning away other blocks scattered throughout each stage. The blocks trailing behind you act the same as the blocks you must destroy, and so if you get stuck between them you can't jump over them, and so the game ends. This game only moves when you press the buttons on your control pad, making the game as fast or slow as you wish, which also gives you a chance to puzzle out certain stages before advancing as quickly as possible. This game is probably the one you'll come back to least, but once again it is a nice addition to the collection.

Overall then, the three mini games are all very simple and fun. Although the shallow depth means that only high-score veterans may play each one for over an hour, they are easy for just about anyone to pick up and play. The short-nature of some of these puzzlers will put some people off from purchasing this game, but before they move on to something else, we suggest they look into the extra features as well.

First of all, there is the option to have three games running at once. The screen is always split into three boxes which means you can play along with the CPU or invite two friends to play mini games of their choice at the same time as you. To add depth to the mini games, this option also lets different screens interact with each other. For example, if you were to kill an enemy in ball, their shadow will shoot off to another part of the screen, possibly bumping into (and killing) some enemies on another players screen. This also works when the CPU are running alongside you, and helps you to build up your high score.

As well as these features, there is also the chance to save video and high score records for ten different Mii's (with a maximum of one video per mini game per Mii). These replays can be sent to Wii friends who also own the game, and they even interact with live games if you set it to play in a separate window. Plus, at random points during gameplay, you may find the AI character Mr Maboshi pop up in a separate window. He'll ask you to knock enemies or other items into his screen to defeat the random selection of balls that keep appearing, and hopefully gain him a million points (which is a very tasking objective indeed).

Along with the selection of background designs and music, there is one other thing that sets this WiiWare game apart from the rest: DS connectivity. After playing through each of the three games once, you will be given the chance to download each of the full games onto your DS at once. As a temporary download (you lose the game when you switch your system off), this means that high scores and replays aren't saved, and since the screen is too small it also means that you can only have one game running at once, but it is still a great way to practice your skills on the move.

To play each of the DS renditions of the games, you hold the DS on its side, Brain Training style, and rather than pressing A on the Wii remote, you press the right button on the D-Pad. Although it may seem strange that you can't simply tap the screen, it doesn't take long to get used to and soon enough you'll adjust to the controls.

All in all, MaBoShi's collection of three arcade style mini games are really enjoyable, with the high scores, DS version and interlinking play all adding to the value. The only real issues we have here are with the short lived nature of the games and the fact that every time you play one of the games, you always complete the same levels in the same order, but with the addictive fun of ball and bar, you'll hardly notice.

Gameplay 8/10 Presentation 7/10 Enjoyment 4/5 Other 4/5

Sorry if that was a bit long
Edit: I made a mistake when I said that you can't view replays and play as the same Mii at once - you can. Error corrected now.

Hopefully we get this game next week... i watched the video a couple of times and makes me want to download it and play it now, haha.. the cool part u can download this game to the DS and play it there too as well!

@Dazza: tell me how good the pay is - then I'll decide...

Nah, I'm kidding. If you want more where that came from, e-mail me

I am a bit confuzzled on the gameplay but It should keep me fairly entertained for a while once it gets to the states.

MaBoShi is coming to Japan October 7th!
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/wiiware/wmbj/index.html

Bought this with SMRPG and My Aquarium (Next up, Dr Mario, Toki Tori or Lostwinds). I am Loving it, quite simple to learn but difficult to master, something a lot of great games are like. While i agree that it won't keep me hooked for hours, i can see myself coming back to this regularly.

I Quite enjoy this game and would recommend it to anyone else who enjoys puzzle games. I have a brother and sister as well, so we can all play the different games at the same time. When it comes to multiplayer focused games, I'm never alone in Multiplayer games as they are gamers too.

I have a theory that the DS version of the Game might become a Download for DSWare, although it would most likely be a 200 point game if they charge us, seeing as the WiiWare version lets you download it for free, so charging it higher would be unlikely as i imagine a fair number of DS owners may have a Wii As Well. I Know several.

@WiiLoveitonline
Nice review.

anybody have an idea when its coming to NA?

@Breaderer: When you least expect it...

ARG!!!! I want to download this, i get addictid to high score games. Please, come to north america

i predict it will come to america today.

And you predicted wrong. I want meh MaBoShi!!!

Its just been ESRB rated and its called...
MaBoShi's Arcade
I guess the NOA marketing department are trying to be like Tekeshi's Castle in naming...that marketing department needs to learn their names don't work (I'm convinced the reason Brain Training does worse in America than Europe is because it is called Brain Age) though I'll let the sales chart be the final judge of that...

WHEN ARE WE GONNA MABOSHI: THE THREE SHAPE ARCADE!?!
(I mean the worse named Maboshi's Arcade)

We want MaBoShi!!!!! Let's just hope it comes out this monday, or at least get a release date!

I hope MaBoShi will be coming before the end of 2008 at the latest.

Yeah i hope it really does come out next week on the 29th of Dec since it will be the end of 2008 as well.... i been waiting on this game for long and i want to play it too!!

I can't wait to buy this!

Meh, just not for me.

i downloaded it, and it's extremely addictive!

stick mode: easy to die BUT easy to get points AND shoot circles into other game windows using your own replays
circle mode: harder to die than in stick mode, but those pesky enemies can crawl away pretty fast
square mode: my favorite ^. can't die unless you trap yourself or leave blocks on the bottom (or blowing up, but...) , nothing happens until you move AND everything catches on fire! who doesn't love fire spreading games

instant download, 6 stars (goes back to square mode on his ds while family hogs the tv)

@Marioman64

I agree with you in full...except your favorite game. My favorite is definitely the circle game, but the reason is that it's the only one I am good at.

We had to wait a lot for this, but it worth it, I love this game, something simple to pick and play while waiting for Mom to call you for dinner; and the DS download feature is pure awesomeness, on the DS the game gets more addictive, a 5/5 for me.

I just got this game yesturday. The verdict is that this is a fun game. I love the DS download version. It is perfect for on the go.

I finally downloaded this game on Sunday, January 18. It is wonderful. It is extremely addictive! I do love all three modes. I would have to say that my favorite mode so far is Circle Mode, but my opinion might change as I progress. There is one problem with the DS version: I haven't tried it yet, and therefore I have not been able to form an opinion on it. I think anybody that is looking for a unique WiiWare game should look no further than Maboshi's Arcade.