• Publisher: Capcom
  • Release Date: Oct 23, 2007
Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure Image
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 59 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 140 Ratings

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  • Summary: Legend has it that a revered pirate named Barbaros once stole the world's treasure and hid it on a mysterious island. Though no one knows of its exact location, stories about the untold riches that lay in wait have been passed down through the ages, driving pirates from all walks of life toLegend has it that a revered pirate named Barbaros once stole the world's treasure and hid it on a mysterious island. Though no one knows of its exact location, stories about the untold riches that lay in wait have been passed down through the ages, driving pirates from all walks of life to pursue the alluring prizes. One of these treasure seekers, a young apprentice pirate named Zack happens upon a mysterious talking skull, the skull of Barbaros himself. Barbaros promises to reveal the key to the island, if Zack will help to lift the curse he is under. Players explore a variety of wondrous environments and stages, solving puzzles and interacting with the world in search of a legendary pirate ship and the ultimate pursuit of becoming the greatest pirate the world has ever seen. Inventive gameplay mechanics and controller movements allow players to move and open objects, transform items, unlock new pathways and navigate through perilous stages based on a variety of themes including a jungle, ice temple, volcanic caves and more, each with multiple sub-areas. Players will use the Wii Remote controller in various ways - rotate handles, turn keys to open doors, play a piccolo and much more in order to solve the progressively difficult puzzle stages and collect key items that will lead to the legendary pirate ship. [Capcom] Expand
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Project Treasure Island Z (working title) Official Movie 1
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 57 out of 59
  2. Negative: 0 out of 59
  1. As such, Zack and Wiki stands as one of the best games I've played in a long time, with my only (aforementioned) complaint being the ridiculously steep hill that the rather odd name puts between it and consumers.
  2. 91
    Zack & Wiki is very much what happens when talented Japanese game designers decide to revisit classic point-and-click adventure gameplay, and proceed to inject it with their own aesthetics and sensibilities, all with a modern coat of paint.
  3. 90
    By testing your brain rather than your brawn, it stands out against the too-common controller-wagglers.
  4. To put it bluntly, Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure is one of the best games out for the Wii, and any gamers who own Nintendo's new system owe it to themselves to at least give this title a try, if not a buy.
  5. 85
    What seems like the perfect game for kids is actually a challenging game for adults. Who knew? Still, Zack & Wiki is a terrific game that will stick with you for a long time.
  6. Zack and Wiki is colorful, inventive, and just plain fun. It never manages to transcend the trail-and-error aesthetic endemic to the genre, but for most players, the unique experience and thrill of discovery will be more than worth a little bit of frustration.
  7. While not spectacular as a game in and of itself, the gameplay innovations it presents to the adventure genre might make it worth a try.

See all 59 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 47
  2. Negative: 2 out of 47
  1. RobG.
    Mar 14, 2008
    10
    Innovative, brilliant, addictive. There is nothing else out there like this.
  2. AlexL.
    Dec 24, 2007
    10
    This game is fun! My 9yr and 5 yr old sons have been playing this the past week and they love it. The level design is very imaginative with This game is fun! My 9yr and 5 yr old sons have been playing this the past week and they love it. The level design is very imaginative with beautiful artwork, sound, and cutscenes, and makes good use of the Wii remote as you pull levers, saw/drill/hammer things, turn a crank,grab stuff, sweep -- lots of variety. The puzzles are also clever but not frustrating; The game is too hard for my 5 yr old to play by himself but the 9 yr old has been able to figure it out, although they had to ask for hints a few times. Even the way you ask for hints is well done. They give you a small visual clue and text hint about what you need to do next. The quality and polish is as good or better than the nintendo games. This is the first 3rd party Wii game that I can rate highly since Elebits came out last year. For pure family fun for preteen boys, our top 5 Wii games right now are Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo), Lego Star Wars (Lucas Arts), Zack and Wiki (Capcom), Super Paper Mario (Nintendo), and Elebits (Konami). Expand
  3. scottw
    Aug 1, 2009
    10
    Don't let the childish characters or cartoonish graphics fool you. This game rapidly becomes a challenge for adults. My wife is Don't let the childish characters or cartoonish graphics fool you. This game rapidly becomes a challenge for adults. My wife is constantly saying "What am I supposed to do now?", and I am always responding "Think about, what tools, opportunities and challenges do you see?". (what if you break the stick, put it in the fire to make a torch and then go into the cave?) This is a GREAT GAME. The first couple of tutorial levels will not impress you, but by the time you get to the 5th or 6th screen, you will be pleasantly surprised and challenged. And to top it off, the game has a great sense of humor. It's been a long time since I laughed out loud at a video game. I buy all my games used on Ebay, but if none were available used, I would not hesitate to pay full retail for this game, it Expand
  4. BenM.
    Oct 29, 2007
    9
    A very well thought out game. It kind of reminds me of a sophisticated version of the Lemmings. Highly recommended!
  5. Jul 19, 2016
    9
    Zack & Wiki didn't sell very well and it's fairly unlikely that there'll ever be a sequel and that's a shame because it's a great game.Zack & Wiki didn't sell very well and it's fairly unlikely that there'll ever be a sequel and that's a shame because it's a great game.

    First the game looks great for a 2007 Wii game with a very nice cartoon art style and animations, sure it's helped by the genre with small levels but it still took some nice developing skills at the time, specially given the fact that the game runs smoothly.

    But the most important thing is the gameplay and here it's really sweet with well thought puzzles, but always logical (you don't need to click on everything to find out the solution by luck), there's also a very good, natural and varied use of the motion controls. Point and click never seemed so active.

    Finally the story is very predictable, with very few dialogs and it's probably the worst part of the game, it will take something around 15 hours to finish game, far from the lying cover that guarantees 40 hours (a shame, specially that 15 hours is very honest for the genre).

    So in conclusion Zack and Wiki is a very good game if you want to put your brain to the test, the only better option I see is the Portal games (for the incredibly funny dialogs) and they're not available on Wii, so if you want a puzzle game and own this console go for it, just don't believe the cover, it's a big lie.
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  6. AndrewC.
    Jul 8, 2008
    9
    I must have missed a memo somewhere that said how AWSOME this game would be. I have seen it many times in Stores and online but ignored it as I must have missed a memo somewhere that said how AWSOME this game would be. I have seen it many times in Stores and online but ignored it as a childish simplistic game. I could not have been more wrong. This game is alot of fun. The puzzles are unique and colorful. It is hard to describe a game like this. It probably is not for everyone, but recently this games price has been $20. It is worth every penny!I think a wide range of ages can enjoy this. I am in college and some of the early puzzles stumped me. Summary - Pleasant Surprise! Expand
  7. Jun 1, 2013
    0
    The worst game I've ever played. I play video games to have fun and this "game" was the complete opposite of fun. I never once enjoyed playingThe worst game I've ever played. I play video games to have fun and this "game" was the complete opposite of fun. I never once enjoyed playing it. It looks like a charming kids game with an anime style reminiscent of One Piece, but in actuality this game is aimed at older, more hardcore gamers. Each level is a giant puzzle, and it all looks very engaging at first. But when you dig into the game all it does is make you angry that it was even made. Let's start with the controls, they're awful. First off you move around by pointing and clicking where you want to go and the objects you want to interact with on the screen. It's not an enjoyable method and all I could do was wish they would have let me use the nunchuck. In order to complete puzzles you have to deal with the games awful use of the Wii's motion controls. To keep it simple the motion controls are awkward and can be erratic in responsiveness. Now for the actual "gameplay". Completing levels is simple and mostly boring at first but quickly ramp up in difficulty and can be controller smashingly frustrating. This is mostly do to the horrible design choices that make the game feel like on big trial and error scenario. Puzzle games always require you to experiment with many wrong ideas before you can determine how a puzzle can be completed, but the problem with this is that the game punishes you for this. Mess up and you will quickly die and get sent back to the beginning of the level, or worse not die and just render the level un-winnable. This is especially frustrating if you've almost made your way through a level as a simple mistake will cause you to lose all your progress. There are ways to prevent having to restart a level in the form of tickets that can revive you shortly before you die, but even these are rendered useless in the later levels. For instance you've almost made your way through a level but didn't do one little thing at the beginning of the level and got yourself killed, the ticket is made useless and you'll have to restart the level anyway. In the later levels which are bigger, longer, and more complex, an simple mistake can mean redoing up to 30 minutes of progress. It's angering, heck the whole game seems like it's just a way to piss of gamers. Do yourself a favor and avoid this game. I take my reviews very seriously and the fact that I'm giving this a zero means you probably want to take my advice and make sure this game NEVER finds it's way anywhere near you or the people you care about. Unless of course you just like getting angry and playing garbage video games. Expand

See all 47 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

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