It's strange; when we look at some of our favourite games they are all a bit bizarre. A bear and a bird, a portly plumber and even a pink blob which eats anything (no, not Nathan!) So forgive us our excitement when we got down to playing as a tiny Mushroom man who is a dab hand at building killer weapons!

The title starts off with a whimsical 1950's horror movie vibe grabbing you as something different from the off. And it certainly scores points for originality. After a strange comet crash lands on earth, woodland creatures are infected by a strange green mist and nature as a whole turns even nastier than normal! And to top it off, the newly conscious mushroom men of the forest forge tribes and go to war against each other!

As a member of the Bolete tribe (the peaceful ones from the five tribes) you play as Pax, a mushroom with many skills, such as sporekenisis (think the 'Force') enabling you to move objects, DIY weapon building skills as well as that staple videogame skill; running and jumping. And you'll need to master all of these aspects if you are to find pieces of the comet to get stronger and stop the other mushroom tribes from killing off the Boletes!

Errr, what's up Doc?

As unique and original a story Mushroom Men has, it only works because of the labour of love that has gone into the design of the title. The art direction is creepy yet wholly original and this translates extremely well during play. It's another Wii title to run with art direction over waggle and PS2-sheen and it benefits hugely from the atmosphere and uniqueness created. Not only is every scene a treat to explore, the scale of each environment and the imagination present within each level is of the highest order. Surprises are literally around every corner and more often than not, they look like something from Tim Burton's nightmares! Yet Mushroom Men takes this one step further by having a wicked sense of humour.

The over-arching story of war is fleshed out on the fly meaning there are little to no interruptions in gameplay thus the pace of the title is constant - unfortunately the bad thing about this is that you can zip through every scenario in around six/seven hours. For such a short title more time delving into the story via cutscenes and cinematics would have been appreciated. Of course, if you're a completionist and wish to find every single weapon part, comet shard and other knick-knacks, it will easily add a few more hours to the title. Still, the world of Mushroom Men could have done with more levels and even though a two player co-op mode exists, it's only one player controlling the IR functionality. Proper multiplayer comes in the form of mini-games yet they aren't really addictive enough to ensure that you will return to them after initially trying them out. In our opinion neither of those options is really needed as we feel the title would have benefited immensely by purely offering a longer single player mode.

And what exists for single players is on the whole, enjoyable from start to finish. Control is great with general movement through the nunchuck and, as it basically maps Twilight Princess, it works well. The only gripe we found was the stubborn camera (mapped to the D-Pad). Due to the narrow passages present in most stages the camera would frequently get stuck against walls when trying to rotate the view. Couple this with the camera angle being a shade too near to the player and, well this happened more than we would have liked. (We're sure a simple zoom out button would have fixed any issues.) Thankfully it's not something you'll initially notice (until you have to traverse narrow passages and battle lightning fast enemies) only then will you realise how limited and stubborn the camera system actually is.

Using 'Sporekenisis' works well with IR functionality being used to manipulate certain apparent items – it's usually optional yet when it comes into play it is a great feature that presents a nice option to the player when battling certain larger enemies or finding hidden objects/solving puzzles.

Trick or treat!

Thankfully though, any niggling issues generally fade into the background just as the soundtrack fades into the fore. In a word the music and sound effects are sublime. We were taken aback by the sheer artistry of each piece of music on multiple occasions. Forget your traditional instruments, when the music starts you'll be getting what is essentially environmental noises which clash to create a symphony of interesting noises and melodies. Think Conkers Bad Fur Day and you'll be halfway there. This illustrated cacophony of noise works wonders and is a real draw going on to further highlight the games style and presence all over again.

Lastly we feel we must briefly mention the awesome weapons. As you traverse levels you'll find all kinds of everyday objects from DS Stylus', razor blades, chewing gum to elastic bands. As each item is collected they can then be used to form new weapons. For instance, a stick, chewing gum and a thimble can be converted into a makeshift hammer for little Pax. And so it goes on. Only by exploring each area fully will you find and gain access to the best weapons - with some even needing ammunition! It's unfortunate you cannot fully create your own weapons as the game lets you know when you have all available parts for a new tool of destruction, but it works brilliantly and is always imaginative and fun. Smacking a spider round the chops with a bottle top tied to a stick has never been this satisfying!

When it comes down to it, Mushroom Men is a classy title oozing all kinds of mushroom-induced charm. Sure it's short and sure it's got niggling camera issues, but we haven't played a 3D platformer this fun since a certain plumber went into space. Ignore the cracks and enjoy the laughs, Mushroom Men is well worth your time if you're looking for a traditional 3D platforming experience with a unique story and setting.

Our final scores lie below...