Rabbids Go Home

Funny, wildly charming and unquestionably mad as a bag of frogs, the Rabbids have finally been given a fully fledged game to extend their brand of incoherent tom foolery to the less schooled and I have to say...it's about bloody time.

Renowned antagonists from the Rayman series and cameo kings from the likes of Red Steel and TMNT: Smash-Up, the Rabbids have a loyal following and it was only a matter of time before they got branded with their own title.

Developed by the good people at Ubisoft (makers of Beyond Good & Evil), Rabbids go home can at best be described as a racing platformer with unmistakable undertones of Katamari Damacy. Still not sure what that means? Then allow me to elaborate further.

The premise of the game is pretty simple in a demented sort of way - the Rabbids are fed up with the manic nature of life in their city and in a stroke of genius, decide to head to the moon, where they hope to find the peace and tranquillity their soothing personas deserve. While the more mundane would simply look to hitch a ride on a rocket heading northwards, the Rabbids decide the best way to get to the moon is to collect a lot of seemingly innocuous stuff, trash and whatever their grubby little hands can find and stack them on top of each other, till they get to the moon...as you do.

To achieve their goal, two Rabbids manning a shopping trolley have to be steered around an open world collecting an assortment of objects that could include animals and electrical appliances . This is at the forefront of the game's gameplay and can be done by either smashing items into smaller, manageable pieces or terrifying the local inhabitants into parting with the clothes on their backs. While manic, the controls are tight and pivotal in helping you get from point A to point B on a level.

Level variation is one of the game's highpoints and sees the rowdy rascals run amok at wonderfully rendered airports, shopping malls, warehouse complexes to government labs. At first glance, the game won't win any awards for its visuals, but does just enough to draw you in with its cartoon inspired detailing and goes somewhere to further accentuate the Rabbids manic lives.
Saying that - apart from the overall goal and the fun filled, humour driven rollercoaster ride to get to the end, there isn't an awful lot designed to keep one playing. Well...unless you're a sickler for levelling up, which the game generously adheres to. There are no major plot reveals and all one seemingly does is jump from one level to another - a collection of minigames if you like.

The game does stand out from most other Wii titles thanks in part to its breakneck pacing, quick fire one-liners, which are delivered with aplomb as well as its rich and varied soundtrack. While unlikely to cart home any game of the year awards, Rabbids go home is a welcome addition to the Wiis library of games.