Kombo's Review Policy: Our reviews are written for you. Our goal is to write honest, to-the-point reviews that don't waste your time. This is why we've split our reviews into four sections: What the Game's About, What's Hot, What's Not and Final Word, so that you can easily find the information you want from our reviews.

What the Game's About
Elebits: The Adventures of Kai and Zero is the direct sequel on the much talked about Wii game from 2006. You play as Kai and with your Elebit friend, Zero, you stumble upon a magic bus that takes you to far away lands. The only way to get back home is to find and collect special Omega Elebits to bring the bus to full power. This game takes a much different approach for a drastically different system by placing the camera above Kai as you collect Elebits to see all the action. Using the DS to its fullest extent, you control your adventure via the touchpad and discover powerful Omega Elebit powers that will negotiate dangerous planets and landscapes.

What's Hot
All too often, gamers cry out for sequels but lament the fact when goals and objectives feel more like the same. For developers, it usually is a tricky paradox to navigate but for the team at Konami that made Kai and Zero, they found a solution to that age old problem. Taking the core of collecting Elebits to literally get more power and applying that in a new way is how Kai and Zero plays out.

You walk around the world with an Elebit stun gun of sorts that can interact with the objects in the world. Using the gun to stun the weaker Elebits, you then tap the Omega Elebit that follows you to capture them all. These Elebits are like if the gold coins in Mario Bros. had legs and would run away from Mario. In a SNES Zelda view of the world, you go on a fun adventure that harkens back to those classic gaming days. Tapping the screen to capture the creatures is like a mini-game without outright calling it such.

Basic gameplay is about capturing those elusive Elebits but that isn't all there is to the game. There are tons of puzzle elements that you have to use Omega Elebits to navigate. By collecting more Omegas, you are able to get around the world map much easier. The pacing is spot and by the time you're getting bored with the current objective, something new comes up to refresh interest. The worlds are bright and colorful to explore and emit a sense of childlike joy when you enter the world. Boss battles incorporate some strategy.

What's Not
Elebits never was a game with a heavy theme. Kai and Zero's story is nothing more than light fluff that never penetrates beyond the surface. It is possible to skip a lot of the story, but there are a few parts where you'll need to read to find your next objective. The overtly "kidde" tone and voice acting is somewhat of a turn off and the game would be better served without voice.

It was disappointing to see Omegas that were duplicated. For example, there is a Power Omega and an X Power Omega. It undermines the leveling system in place and gives really no incentive to dump power points into Omegas that have a better counterpart. There are already some very specific Omegas (like a sponge to soak up water) so to duplicate existing powers seems like a waste.

Final Word
This is a fantastic invention of the Elebits series on the DS. Everything on a mechanical level is really well done. The production values are top notch for a DS game that can be controlled entirely with the touchpad. Kai and Zero is a modern twist on what could easily have been a 16-bit classic. The problems with Kai and Zero are mainly design choices and will keep it off the radar of many gamers that can't handle the sugary sweet coating on the otherwise fun adventure.