DodoGo! Challenge is a tricky game to evaluate in a vacuum, as it is apparently an expansion pack for/follow-up to a different DSiWare title (DodoGo!). You are tasked with guiding anthropomorphic dodo eggs through all manner of hazards and obstacles to the goal (nest). You have various tools at your disposal that allow you to accomplish this, much like the classic computer game Lemmings. You only need to get one egg to the nest in order to clear a level (some have only one to guide, others have up to five), but you only earn a medal if all of them survive; falling too far can crack or destroy an egg, and uncomfortable conditions (such as being under water) can turn them grumpy. Cracks can be repaired and grumpy eggs soothed by zooming in on them and stroking them with the stylus, but that will cost you precious time. You normally need to stimulate the eggs to their highest happiness level in order to be awarded a gold medal, but if you manage to get them all to the nest under a given “par” time (which mercifully doesn’t begin counting down until you actually touch your first tool icon), you will be upgraded one medal class (earning a Golden Egg Cup if you’re already at gold). The game can provide a code to let you share your records on the website’s leaderboard, for the truly competitive and/or obsessive.
A slight problem arises when some aspects of the game are simply never explained. There’s a tutorial somewhat curiously hidden behind the “galleries” option, but it doesn’t cover all of your tools (although the only one that is skipped is fairly straightforward) or other objects you might encounter on some levels (like enemies or costumes). You can figure out what they do with some experimentation, but it seems like an odd omission. I can only assume that they were described in the other (non-“challenge”) game and it was expected that you’ve already played that one.
Aside from the minor lack of documentation, my only problem with DodoGo! Challenge came from some control issues. When the clock is ticking down, certain gestures can cost you precious seconds if misinterpreted, and others can cause an egg to perish if the timing is off. The game encourages you to shout “Go!” or “Stop!” into the microphone to give more “hands-free” control over the eggs, but if you’re like me and prefer to not be screaming at inanimate objects in public (or with someone sleeping in another room) there are thankfully stylus gestures to get them rolling.
If you’ve played the more expensive (800 points) DodoGo! and enjoyed it, spending another 500 points on the additional levels of Challenge is probably worth it. Without the prior experience, DodoGo! Challenge is still playable and fun, just without much in the way of context. The levels are as challenging as the title suggests. Fans of logic puzzles and other Lemmings-like games will probably enjoy it most, but anyone that could use a ready supply of bite-sized entertainment could certainly do far worse for five bucks.
