Game Info
GAME NAME: GetClose: A Game for RIVALS
DEVELOPER(S): Wombat Source
PUBLISHER(S): JH Specialty, Inc.
PLATFORM(S): Nintendo Wii U
GENRE(S): Party
RELEASE DATE(S): November 27th, 2014
Nintendo has always been a platform that hosts party games that are fun and bring out the competitive nature in everyone. With games such as Smash Bros., Mario Party and more recent indie titles such as Spin the Bottle and Sportsball, there are enough games that you can find something to play for multiplayer sessions. The appropriately titled GetClose brings the eShop yet another fun multiplayer experience that can be played in short but really fun bursts.
The story, which really holds no bearing to the game, place you as one of ten children from a king of the cosmos of sort. You are basically pitted against your siblings in a barbaric, gladiator style battle where it’s all about capturing the crown to the appeasement of your father, the king. Each of the ten characters have goofy faces and names which adds a nice comedic face to the player avatars you will get to choose from.
GetClose gets it’s name from having to get close to the person you are playing against. Players will share either a GamePad or Pro controller with player 1 using the left stick and L buttons and player 2 using the right analog and the R buttons. This play style works well no matter which side of the controller you are on, as I made sure to test both so that there wasn’t a disadvantage to one or the other. Players can collect many different power-up types such as turrets, shields and rockets to help them defeat their sibling opponents. You can also collect pizza slices, diamonds and other random objects to earn points to unlock MiiVerse stamps. It’s always nice seeing indie studios taking advantage of Nintendo systems capabilities and functions.
There are two game modes available in GetClose: Capture the Crown or King of the Crown. Both modes can be played 2 player or 4 player, I always recommend 4, as it is more challenging and exciting with free for alls or teams. In Capture the Crown the goal is to get the crown and return it to your base a la Capture the Flag. In King of the Crown you have to grab the crown and hold on to it to earn points. Both modes are extremely fun but unfortunately these are the only two modes available and you can only play the game multiplayer locally, so if you have the lack of friends in your area it puts a damper on this title.
Graphically, the game goes for a strict simplistic arcade approach and opting to use simple colors of mostly pink and black. I like the feel and it reminds me of what an old school Atari game may look like circa 2014 and is one of the better looking Nintendo Web Framework titles that I’ve seen. The soundtrack has some super catchy loops that will make you feel like dancing while laying some smackdown.
The Recommendation
If you have multiplayer parties or have the ability to play with two to four players on a regular basis, then by all means grab this title now. There is some great classic arcade multiplayer fun to be had here. With Wombat Source promising more modes possibly to be added in the future after launch, this should fix the issue with only having two modes. Only being able to play in multiplayer may turn some people off, but I stress again, if you have the ability to play multiplayer, GetClose ranks up there with some of the Wii U’s best part games on the market.
