Four is the magic number on WiiWare this week, with a quartet of unique new games now available for download through the Wii Shop Channel.

Heading up the list is ROTOHEX, the second release from the ambient Art Style series. Slot coloured hexagons into place as quickly as you can, rotating them into position before they can pile up beyond the point of no return. You can also go head-to-head with a friend to see who stacks up best when the pressure is on.

Next this week is Bang!, a colourful puzzle game that calls on you to swing your Wii Remote like a hammer as you try to find and smash identical objects. With the option of competing against a friend in two player mode, and 40 levels to conquer, Bang! will soon have you in the swing of things!

If you’ve been following the adventures of Strong Bad on WiiWare, you’ll be glad to know this week marks the arrival of Strong Bad Episode 4: Dangersque 3: The Criminal Projective. Expect more madcap comedy and a healthy dose of off-the-wall action.

Finally, see if you can hack the pace in the pits in Pit Crew Panic! Along with up to three other players you’ll have to repair the cars that drive in as fast as you possibly can. Be careful though; your quest for record times might just drive you crazy!

To discover more about this week’s WiiWare release ROTOHEX, and the Art Style series as a whole, check out the background article below.

Get a sense for style
The Art Style series stands for simple games that are fun to play, with eye-catching graphics and immersive sound; altogether a perfect fit for WiiWare. However, Art Style began life on a much smaller canvas: the Game Boy Advance.

In 2006 the bit Generations series was released in Japan for the popular ‘GBA’ system. There were seven bit Generations games in total, released in two separate series. Each title represented a unique gameplay concept and – like Art Style – each was easily playable and boasted elegant presentation.

We asked Kensuke Tanabe, Producer, Software Planning and Development (SPD) at Nintendo Co. Ltd in Japan, about the transition of bit Generations on GBA to Art Style on WiiWare:

“All of us – from Mr. Iwata [President of Nintendo Co. Ltd], members of SPD, and to skip Ltd. who developed the software – never gave up the possibility of the series. As it was more suitable as downloadable content than for packaged retail, we decided to renovate it for WiiWare.”

After deciding to remake some bit Generations games for WiiWare, the name of the series was changed to Art Style for its Western release. Tanabe-san explains why:

“The bit Generations series was named after Touch! Generations for Nintendo DS, but unfortunately they were not released overseas. Thus we found no large merit in continuing use of the name bit Generations and decided to change the name of the series, adding a sense of renovation. We consulted with Mr. Iwata and asked if we can use the word ‘Art’ which is contained in our concept, and we finally decided on this name.”

skip Ltd. (who also created Chibi-Robo! for Nintendo GameCube) was tasked to bring two of its most popular bit Generations titles to Art Style: ORBIENT and ROTOHEX. But why these two games? In the words of Tanabe-san: “We simply chose the most unique titles with an addictive nature.”

Building on feedback from players of the original GBA versions, and the new technology offered by Wii, skip Ltd. created new WiiWare versions that even fans of the originals will find fresh.

For Art Style: ORBIENT, a space-based action game that grants control over gravity, new additions include deadly black holes, and an improved visualisation of gravity. For geometric puzzler Art Style: ROTOHEX, a new Wii Remote control scheme was added, allowing for even faster and more precise play.

For the third in the Art Style collection, skip Ltd. was able to start from a blank slate; to develop a brand new concept especially for Wii. The result is 3D puzzle game Art Style: CUBELLO, which uses the groundbreaking Wii Remote for a unique blend of puzzling and shooting.

“We wanted to develop at least one new title which can make best use of the unique Wii Remote,” says Tanabe-san, “but still inheriting the concept of Art Style.”

Art Style has taken the core concept of bit Generations – games that are pure fun, simple yet challenging – and brought it to a new generation through WiiWare. On behalf of all the staff who helped bring these titles to life, we hope you enjoy them!