Ivy presents itself as a sidescrolling platformer, but players have no direct control over Ivy: Instead, they point the Wii remote at the screen and use it to create vines that Ivy can walk on, spring from, and use as protection from traps and enemies en route to reaching a level's goal. Like a lemming, Ivy never stops walking, so a quick, steady hand is needed to create vines quickly and put them to good use.
If you've played Kirby Canvas Curse on the Nintendo DS, you have a good idea how this works, and it's no surprise that Ivy is appearing on that platform as well.
But while creating vines is easier with a stylus, it's considerably more fun with the remote. Ivy lets players "swing" the vines while creating them by swinging the remote in a circular motion, which in turn launches Ivy forward or upward. Players also can treat a created vine like a slingshot and launch Ivy toward enemies and destructible blocks. All of this is elementarily possible with a stylus, but the Wii controls are so natural and intuitive that the sensation of unfurling, swinging, and slinging vines feels surprisingly like the real thing.
The bigger screen also allows Ivy's magnificent visual presentation - picture an animated watercolor drawing presented as a living storybook - to dazzle that much more. Ivy is a minimalist work in terms of art, sound, and storytelling, but it's a marvelous example of how to do a lot with a little. If little Ivy doesn't charm you, little else can.
