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When the DS first launched, there were slim pickings on the software front. With few games of any note, one name that kept popping up with decent reviews was Project Rub, otherwise known as Feel the Magic XY/XX. But with Nintendos ambitious handheld now snowed under by a deluge of quality titles, does Segas effort still stack up? Read on to find out.

Mystical Sega Stick of Weirdness +12
The first thing you have to know about Project Rub is that it is weird with a capital weird. To enjoy this game, it is first necessary to throw any notion of logical thought processes or common sense out the window. The Japanese have a reputation for wacky game design, but Sega have really pushed the envelope even by their standards.

At its heart, Project Rub is a love story. The strangest love story ever envisaged, but a love story nonetheless. Our nameless hero is just walking down the street when he spots the girl and is instantly besotted. Wanting to win her heart, he naturally opts for the rational route and joins a travelling troupe of insane stunt performers in bunny ears known as the Rub Rabbits. As one does.

It is at about this point that anything even vaguely resembling reality disappears without a trace. To progress the story, our hero must engage in a long string of mini-games, which the player must complete using the touch screen and microphone.

If youre wondering what you have to do in these games, the answer is everything and anything. Youll be escaping from giant, man-eating ant-lions. Youll be inputting numbers on a calculator to open skydivers parachutes. Youll be in a car catapulting pedestrians at an evil robot, and unicycling along narrow paths to chase a helicopter while avoiding leaping sharks.

Yes, youll be doing all these crazy things and many more to rescue the girl from insidious villains and hopefully get a date at the end of it. And should any of this madness begin to make sense, you should seek medical attention immediately!
If youve ever played a WarioWare game, and specifically Project Rubs fellow DS launch title, WarioWare: Touched!, then you will have a good idea what to expect. If you havent, then I pity you for missing out on such a charming series. But more to the point, I pity myself as I may have to put some actual effort into describing the game.

While very similar in style to WarioWare: Touched!, the games are typically much longer and more complicated. A standard game in Project Rub is roughly equivalent to a boss level in WarioWare. There are also boss levels in Project Rub. These have a number of phases which are like separate minigames. They can be very tough and have little margin for error.

The mini-games are a varied bunch, and make good use of the unique control features of the DS. Some will have you literally rubbing the screen with the stylus, while others require precision control. There are also microphone games which require you to blow on the DS not recommended in public.

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It is impossible to be anymore specific about the controls as the games are all so individual, though they are generally well designed and enjoyable in short bursts. Most have several levels to be completed. The first level or two are easy to let you learn the controls. After that, they can range from quite challenging to infuriatingly difficult.

To reach the next chapter of the story, you must game sufficient points through completing games. Should you lose your three lives and fail the game, you will lose points. Thus, sometimes you may have to complete games more than once to gain sufficient points. The system is fairly good, as you can often bypass a game you dont like and complete others repeatedly.

Wardrobe Malfunctions
Outside of the story, theres not a lot else to Project Rub. The Options menu consists purely of a language selector. There is a Memories section where you can replay any previously completed game. The difficulty is massively ramped up, as each has ten levels and only one life.

Completing levels in this section will earn you points, which can unlock new shoes, outfits and hairstyles for the girl. You can also unlock gear by touching any hidden rabbits within the game, or by having certain Sega games in the Gameboy Advance slot. Its a very Japanese feature and more than a little disturbing, but good for people who like to play dress-ups I suppose.

The graphics in Project Rub definitely play to the strengths of the DS. The characters are simple, bold black silhouettes in the style of the iPod commercials, but with clothes and hair. The story is advanced through comic-book panels and sound effects, which are basic but do the job well. Overall, the graphics and sound are decent, but rely far too heavily on different shades of orange and sproing noises. You have been warned.

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Project Rub is an excellent showcase of what can be done with the DS. However, it is more of a tech demo with a game attached than anything else, and seems to be weird simply for its own sake.

The fact that I gave up on an absurdly hard (and just downright absurd) unicycle/killer shark section and could not muster the will to finish it amply demonstrates this games problems.

Sure, it has plenty of charm and some clever concepts, but ultimately it is just too short, frustrating and gimmicky to be more than a passing fancy.

Graphics 6.0

Gameplay 6.0

Sound 6.0

Tilt 6.0

Value 6.0

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About The Author
Ian Casey

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