Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure

 Wii
  • Publisher: Capcom
  • Release Date: Oct 23, 2007
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 141 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 113 out of 141
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 141
  3. Negative: 6 out of 141
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  1. mickjoe
    Aug 19, 2010
    6
    The puzzles are truly fun and make the game worthy of much of its praise but I think most reviewers are ignoring all the incredibly annoying garbage between puzzles. This game also has the longest and most useless intro to any game I've played on the Wii. I also think the puzzles go from too easy to too hard a little too quickly.
  2. Raahsnavj
    Jan 21, 2008
    7
    It is definately a rent first. I found a lot of the controls to be wonky, the repetitive animation and lack of options when it comes to playing the levels also holds it back. The fact you can finish the game in 10-15 hours if you're smart makes this a great rental. However, if you were (are) a huge fan of point click adventures from the old PC days, love puzzle games, and don't It is definately a rent first. I found a lot of the controls to be wonky, the repetitive animation and lack of options when it comes to playing the levels also holds it back. The fact you can finish the game in 10-15 hours if you're smart makes this a great rental. However, if you were (are) a huge fan of point click adventures from the old PC days, love puzzle games, and don't mind the kiddied down animation and story you can buy it outright. The rest of you should rent it though.… Expand
  3. EricH.
    Jan 7, 2008
    5
    The reviews for this game were so overly full of praise that I bought the game without first renting. I warn you not to do the same. This game tries to be cute to the point of being annoyingly. The action sequence of shaking your bell to defeat any enemy just doesn't make any sense. The puzzles are neat. Nothing revolutionary, Although it was kind of cool to see this old school style The reviews for this game were so overly full of praise that I bought the game without first renting. I warn you not to do the same. This game tries to be cute to the point of being annoyingly. The action sequence of shaking your bell to defeat any enemy just doesn't make any sense. The puzzles are neat. Nothing revolutionary, Although it was kind of cool to see this old school style of gaming again. This game has no other redeeming value. But hey, I'm the exception here. So rent it; might be your favorite game ever. I hope so. Enjoy.… Expand
  4. SteveC.
    Feb 7, 2008
    7
    Nice game - similar to the SCUMM VM based classics, but broken down into small levels rather than big sprawling maps. This cuts down on the tedious journeys between areas but also limits the scope of each problem making the game far too easy to complete. The "Wii Remote" functionality doesn't add much other than requiring you to pull handles / turning keys etc. Bit of a Nice game - similar to the SCUMM VM based classics, but broken down into small levels rather than big sprawling maps. This cuts down on the tedious journeys between areas but also limits the scope of each problem making the game far too easy to complete. The "Wii Remote" functionality doesn't add much other than requiring you to pull handles / turning keys etc. Bit of a disappointment after all the high scoring reviews, but not bad all the same. Rent it for a weekend and you'll probably complete it.… Expand
  5. MatthewC
    Nov 30, 2009
    6
    A decent game which is probably better than most games on the Wii, but coming from and old school point and click adventure gamer, it doesnt compare. Ill give it that it is hard, but the puzzles are too random and not logical to the point where its trial and error. In otherwords, you have to die about 10 times before you can figure out what to do. Its not witty enough. The sounds are A decent game which is probably better than most games on the Wii, but coming from and old school point and click adventure gamer, it doesnt compare. Ill give it that it is hard, but the puzzles are too random and not logical to the point where its trial and error. In otherwords, you have to die about 10 times before you can figure out what to do. Its not witty enough. The sounds are APPALLING! The voices especially. It is the worst game for sounds i can possibly think of. I actually thought the graphics were fine for this type of game, some people pick on that.… Expand
  6. JeffB.
    Oct 19, 2008
    5
    Way too high scores: this is an average game. Why? Graphics and sounds are good but navigation with the camera is not easy and since timing counts to succeed in many levels it's really bad. And the ugliest: why in hell can't we save anywhere on a level...it's soooo easy to die and it's so boring starting again from the beginning doing the same sequence of Way too high scores: this is an average game. Why? Graphics and sounds are good but navigation with the camera is not easy and since timing counts to succeed in many levels it's really bad. And the ugliest: why in hell can't we save anywhere on a level...it's soooo easy to die and it's so boring starting again from the beginning doing the same sequence of action...maybe it's a way to artificially extend the lenght of the game. They should patch it with maybe 2 saves a level...it would then earn an 8 in my book.… Expand
  7. killswitch1968
    Mar 12, 2011
    7
    Zack and Wiki is one of the few "point-and-click- adventure games a la the early 1990s that has been released on a console. It would be a superb game if not for multiple annoyances that drastically detract from the overall experience.
    The graphics, sounds, and most importantly the puzzles are excellent. The puzzles hit the sweet spot of not being too easy or too esoteric, and most veteran    Zack and Wiki is one of the few "point-and-click- adventure games a la the early 1990s that has been released on a console. It would be a superb game if not for multiple annoyances that drastically detract from the overall experience.
    The graphics, sounds, and most importantly the puzzles are excellent. The puzzles hit the sweet spot of not being too easy or too esoteric, and most veteran adventure game players should get by without needing any hints whatsoever. However Zack and Wiki suffers from 3 huge problems that bring down the score:
    1. Story - A non-existent story is not a problem in a game that does note contain emotive characters, but Zack and Wiki is full of colorful characters, lengthy cut scenes, villains, danger and intrigue. Yet nothing is done to advance the characters beyond blasse anime tropes. Either flesh out the characters, or just place the puzzles in disconnected rooms with a faceless protagonist and cut out the rest of the garbage.
    2. Death, saving, and dead ends - Dying in adventure games pretty well expired with the Space Quest series, and it hasn't been missed. But even in those games, while death was annoying the ability to save at any point meant it was only a setback of a few minutes of time. Dead ends, a situation where the game becomes impossible because a critical item was destroyed, has also been eliminated from modern adventure games and for good reason. Zack and Wiki tragically suffers from 2 problems: Puzzles that contain dead-ends (fortunately not many) and puzzles where death can occur suddenly, without warning, and without the ability to save. You can buy 'platinum tickets' which will revive you moments before death, but these cost money, and worse, the price of each successive ticket increases exponentially. I was very frugal with my tickets and I still ended up using a lot of them toward the later levels. Having to repeat 20-30 steps to get to the point where I died is inexcusable in a modern video game.
    3. Wii-mote usage. This is strangely one of the most praised features of the game yet is a big drawback. Items are used by waggling the Wiimote in the same manner as the item in question. The only problem is in many instances you simply cannot get the item to behave how you want it to. This is infuriating in time sensitive puzzles especially when they case death (see point #1). Since the actual usage of the item is generally straight forward, making us use the motion controls adds nothing to the game except frustration.

    The above 3 points should not take away from the actual level design, which is fantastic. It is tragic that such well crafted levels had to be shackled inside such awful restraints.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Best Wii Game of 2007
16
#16 Most Discussed Wii Game of 2007
17
#17 Most Shared Wii Game of 2007

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 59 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 57 out of 59
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 59
  3. Negative: 0 out of 59
  1. Game Informer
    83
    In the Wii's expansivve gutter of shoddy third-party ports and minigame garbage, Capcom is showing that it's possible to make something original and fun. [Nov 2007, p.148]
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  2. GameSpot
    85
    Zack & Wiki is a delightful blend of the Wii's motion-sensing technology and challenging yet approachable puzzle design.
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  3. IGN
    90
    One of those welcomed surprises – an unpredictably top-quality undertaking whose winning marriage of sometimes-genius environmental puzzles and beautiful graphics will suck you in. It also perfectly encapsulates what I always hope for but seldom see from third parties: an original Wii project that really makes the most of the console.
    Read full review
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