Escape from Bug Island

Gameplay

The game is a third person Survival horror game. The player is able to use the melee weapons simply by swinging the Wii remote in the direction the player wants Ray to swing, the player can also use a flashlight by pressing the C button on the Nunchuck. Bugs are attracted to the light from the flashlight and kill the player.

Plot

You start out with a tree branch as your first melee weapon along with some rocks as projectiles. As the game progresses, you can find better melee weapons and better projectile weapons. Ray will encounter some other characters through the first half of the game; however, after a visit to the Cave of Time, you will repeat the game in an attempt to prevent some of the character's demise. There are several caves that you can access after revisiting areas that hide bonus items and even better weapons. You will also gain access to a new flashlight that will allow you to use the two hand melee weapons and the second time around Ray has access to firearms. Some of the boss fights include the giant angry gorilla, one big worm, the giant spider, and of course the monster the island is named after, Beelzebub. The final battle is against a former human named Robert who is mutated into an insect like in the movie The Fly. Ray then makes his Escape from Bug Island after defeating the mutated Robert. Depending on how well Ray does during the game will determine which ending the player receives. Both endings find Ray making his escape from Bug Island; however, whether or not Ray has company on his escape depends on the ending.

Characters

Ray: The main character. A freshman at a university, he doesn't like bugs at all. The main reason he went to the island with his friends was to confess his love to Michelle, who is quite enamored with bugs.

Mike: Ray's best friend. A typical "Show-off" who knows about Ray's feelings towards Michelle. During a campfire chat between the three, Mike confesses his love for Michelle knowing well that Ray was planning on doing the same. Mostly just to the annoyance of Ray. Carries a pump-action shotgun that he loves to hear the sound of.

Michelle: The girl who came to island to study the Necro Notes of her favorite author.

Development

The game was shown once again at the Japanese Wii conference on September 13, 2006 in Japan, where it was announced that the game would launch with the console, on December 2, 2006. The brief trailer for the game featured a forest level, possibly the same one from the E3 Demo, and a fight with a giant Tarantula. The animation system seemed to have been improved, the graphics were made smoother and more detailed, and the controls more responsive.

The game was released in North America on July 24, 2007 under the title Escape From Bug Island and was published by Eidos Interactive. According to Nintendo Power, unfavorable reviews of Necro-Nesia prompted Eidos to refine several aspects of the game during localization, including control tweaks and end-of-level wrap-ups.

Reception

At E3, critical impressions of Escape from Bug Island (then Necro-Nesia) were mostly negative. According to IGN, the gameplay is “void of anything that may resemble fun”. Other criticisms include poor graphics, awkward controls (especially during fights), and choppy animation. Japanese gaming magazine, Famitsu, however, awarded the game an above-average score of 28/40.

The game sold only 1,934 copies on December 2, 2006, the day of the Wii launch in Japan.