A reflection on Dewy’s Adventure

I like puzzle games and I like experiences that aren’t too unnecessarily difficult. As a gamer, the Nintendo Wii provided a lot of games that suited my tastes, and one of my favourites was the particularly inventive Dewy’s Adventure. Here’s a reflection on the 2007 game – the joy and occasional frustrations of playing this title, and the one change it would have to make to get another lease of life.

The game’s story is appropriately simple. You control Dewy, a living drop of water. He is called forth by the Tree of Seven Colours to save his home world from the ominous Black Rain, brought about by the villainous Don Hedron. Dewy explores eight worlds, collecting adorable creatures called Eaus on the way. Our protagonist faces all manner of enemies, but he has a unique ability to find his way – using the D-pad, you can lower or raise the temperature of the environment, and doing so will transform Dewy into either a block of ice or a cloud. Motion controls also cause earthquakes and gusts of wind, both of which have their own impacts on the environment too.

This central conceit makes for a very interesting game, and the dynamic is employed beautifully. It’s of use for manipulating Dewy, as each form comes with its own abilities. Ice Dewy is able to spin into enemies, while Cloud Dewy can use a lightning attack on enemies on the ground. But using the temperature control meshes nicely with environmental physics. A pond at normal temperature could become a bridge when frozen, for example, and keeping an eye on all of these developments makes for an interesting puzzle-platformer.

It’s a visually impressive experience, brimming with character

Despite Dewy’s adorable character model and how cute the entire world is, this game should not be mistaken for easy. It’s hard in two ways, one good and one frustratingly bad. The level design is really impressive, and the puzzles can be genuinely hard to crack. They, and the boss fights, make use of all of the tools in your arsenal – it can be tough to figure out, but it never feels unfair to the player, and that’s impressive. You’ll want to explore all of the worlds and find the hidden secrets, and that’s because the game is so beautifully crafted.

The second, more frustrating difficulty spike, is linked to the controls. Dewy’s Adventure uses the Wii remote motion controls – you hold it horizontally, and tilting it controls Dewy’s direction and speed. The issue is that it’s a hugely imprecise set-up, meaning you fall off the stages all the time through little fault of your own. I don’t think I died because of a common enemy once, but the stage kept killing me time after time (frequently through drowning – how does a drop of water drown?). There is the option to alter the responsivity of the motion controls, but it did little, and the option to use the Nunchuck or another control scheme would have been very appreciated.

If I were to remake this game, or if a sequel was ever going to materialise, the controls would need looking at. But they’re the only weak point of an under-appreciated Wii gem that is hugely innovative and really different. It never runs out of new ideas, and it employs every trick to maximum effect. It’s a visually impressive experience, brimming with character, and the novelty never wears off. If you still play your Wii, check this game out and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.