Spinning Bird Kururin!
Duck-based spinning puzzles return.
Kuru Kuru Kururin was one of those inspired game concepts that just plain worked, and worked over and over again, standing up to literally hours of frustrated replaying of the same levels. It was a brutally unforgiving premise - you guide a spinning stick through a maze without brushing the sides - but its thirty or so levels and cute, anime-style characters with propeller heads all came together to create an off-the-wall cult puzzle hit. Unfortunately, the Yanks never got it. This isn't some juvenile dig at their mental capabilities (but thanks for planting the seeds to kick that one off), it's a simple fact. Kuru Kuru Kururin was released in Japan, and then in Europe, but if you live in the United States you can't buy a domestic copy. And Nintendo is very sorry. To make up for this fact, the Japanese gaming giant has in fact unveiled Kururin Paradise, which is either a sequel or an enhanced version of the original game - it's difficult to tell. IGN makes mention of a couple of new sub-games not included in the original. One of the levels apparently has forced side scrolling with obstacles strewn about, no doubt piling on the pressure, and in another there are rows and rows of cannonballs hurtling towards you. A further level still consists of mowing a lawn with your rotating stick. If Kururin Paradise can live up to its lineage then this could be another hit for Nintendo. Due out at the end of the year, we're certainly looking forward to it. Let's just hope and pray that Nintendo doesn't reverse its previous decision and deprive us of the game instead. Related Feature - Kuru Kuru Kururin review