What do the games Yo! Noid, Cool Spot, and the new Boing! Docomodake DS game have in common? That's right, they're all games where you play as a corporate mascot. The NTT docomo corporation is one of the biggest cell phone carriers in Japan, with the Docomodake as their mascot. Much like any other corporate mascot, they make many products to help promote the brand, even going so far as to create a video game. Now Docomodake has come to the U.S. with Boing! Docomodake DS, but is it worth picking up?

[Update: The contest is over, thanks to everyone who entered, and congrats to our winner, ReZon! ]

Story
In Boing! Docomodake DS, you play as a Docomodake that has to gather his (or her?) family together. They've been separated by various random events, but one little Docomodake is ready to bring everyone together. As you play through the game, you are shown a series of stills about how each docomodake got lost, and after you rescue them, there is another set of stills showing the reunion.

You don't always get along, and sometimes you wish you were alone, but in the end, you have to stick together. After all, you're a family.

One odd part of the cutscenes at the end of the levels is that they always have some profound saying about family, and then end with the phrase: "After all, you're a family." In a way it's cute, but it made me wonder if it was trying to be some sort of deep emotional game, instead of the puzzle platformer it is.

Gameplay
That's right, this game is a puzzle platformer, something akin to Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis. In Docomodake, you play as a docomodake that moves around the level towards the goal, but you have a collection of smaller docomodakes that you can use to help you. You can use them to build ladders, fill in spaces to create platforms, or just move them around the screen to drop onto switches. There are platforms that drop as more weight is piled on them, so you can drop your little docomodakes onto those to bring them within reach.

It's a moderately complicated puzzle platformer, and there are lots of ways to get yourself stuck on a level in such a way that you can't proceed any further. Each level is short enough that starting over won't be too frustrating, but as the game progresses you'll find yourself planning ahead more.

At the end of each level, you get a ranking based on how many coins you collected, how many treasure chests you reached, and how long it took you to get to the goal. Sometimes it's fairly easy to get to every coin and treasure chest, but other times it will require a lot of planning. I rarely got a rating of 'C' or better my first time playing any level; the game obviously expects you to play each level enough to be able to run through it quickly.

As you progress through the game, you'll find more little docomodakes to help you, and the main docomodake you control will grow larger. Yup, you store all your little helpers inside yourself. You shrink as the little docomodakes are removed from you to help traverse the level, but sometimes you have to gather them up again to move larger stones.

Your friends laugh at you when you shrink. But your parents understand it's because you need help crossing the spikes. They'll always be there for you. After all, you're a family.

Graphics & Sound
Boing! Docomodake DS has very clean graphics, with all the characters being unique and easy to see. The sound varies between each of the worlds you traverse through, but it's nothing so special you'll be humming it when you get done playing. Most of the graphics and music are unlockable using points you earn while playing, so if you ever did want to listen to them without all the game sounds, it is an option.

Multiplayer
Boing! Docomodake DS claims to have some multiplayer, but it is really only downloadable demo of the game that can be shared with other people. It's not bad, but it's a little misleading.

You like helping people understand Japan, even when public baths are involved. You have to take a bath at home, you don't want to stink. After all, you're a family.

Conclusion
For only $20, you can get an interesting puzzle platformer that comes all the way from Japan. With over 50 levels, and some interesting game mechanics, Boing! Docomodake DS takes what could have been a cheesy marketing cash in and turns it into a high quality game. It's no surprise that Ignition Entertainment snatched it up for it's U.S. release.

Contest
Now you're chance to win our copy of Boing! Docomodake DS, all you have to do is leave a comment with some touching (or funny) phrase that ends with "After all, you're a family." It doesn't have to make much sense, but it should be appropriate enough to appear in the game. As an extra bonus, we're also giving away the docomodake magnet that we were sent along with the game! Have fun, and we'll draw a winner in one week!

Limit one entry per person. All entries must be submitted by Monday, March 30, 2009, at 12PM (Noon) Central Standard Time.