When I first got the game, my first impressions were as followed "...I paid $35 for this?!". It wasn't because I thought the game was bad per say, but because it seemed so, kind of dated and GBA'ish! It wasn't until I got further into the game, and visited its official website that I finally understood the vision behind its creation. Simple put, its a throwback to 16-bit RPG's, so if your not a fan? Then maybe this isn't the right game for you, the creator's (Akira Ueda) goal of creating "feelings of nostalgia", despite it being created to be a "lighthearted experience". It was after I understood that, I began to appreciate Contact for the game it is :]

Gameplay:
The gameplay itself is pretty standard hack 'n slash RPG affair. Without going into its unique and crazily well written storyline (and the lovable oddball professor) basically your on a mission to collect power cells, or rather Terry is, since you are not actually the main character in the story line but yourself simply in "contact" with the professor and watching over Terry as he goes on his missions, who doesn't know you exist. But story line aside you do in fact play the game as Terry. So of course this means going into monster filled dungeons and eventually fighting a boss. Its rather simple design however is made complete with its complex stat system. Allowing endless combinations of clothes (you find and can wear), stat boosting foods and weapons. All have a direct effect on your stats, some give you more defense, another one mind take away a little dexterity but give a better attack. So this certainly makes the package feel complete and gives the game the complexity RPG fans will want. Also tacked on is a interesting food system, which lets you cook foods and eat them. You even have a little stomach icon, depending on what you eat, you'll get more and more full. And since each item has its own set of time it takes to digest you'll want to make sure you watching how often you pick fights and get hurt.

Also worth mentioning is the games decal system, yes, stickers folks. Another oddball addition the game are stickers you can use while playing to capture the cell once you find it, call up the professors dog to help attack enemies and more. The professor is always working on making more, so as you go deeper you are given new decals to use.

Controls:
The game can be controlled via touch screen or buttons, think animal crossing basically. Nothing much to add, other then they work. Although having the ability to target a enemy seems kind of worthless when your characters moves are not tied to the enemy itself. Which lets you literally turn your back to it and miss attacks if you wanted...which is odd, but just something I felt like noting.

Graphics:
Maybe the most DS friendly part of the game, is its decent use of the duel screens. Up top you'll always see a view of the professor in his lab, and he'll raddle off tips and inform you of special events and such, with what I'd call a kind of 2D cut scene of him manning his PC talking to you. And its done in a isometric view, completely different from the rest of the game.

The bottom screen has the character you control and the levels you walk around and interact with. It has a completely different visual style then the top screen and it looks very smooth, almost to the point where believe despite the color pallet, it were in fact all 3D, and simply pre-rendered, like Resident Evil. Maybe it was, Im not sure. But it looks nice.

Sound:
Its music is firmly rooted to 16-bit origins. Personally I thought it was great, it has a very classic feel to it that I don't see in many games these days. None really. The sound is minimal and simple and gets the job done. There are no voice overs, but rather sound cues as to who is talking.

Replay:
The game itself isn't too long for the experienced RPG player, Im not one of those people so for me I was happy with the amount of gameplay I got out of it (ie: I died...alot). But gameplay is certainly extended with its non-direct use of the Nintendo Wifi Connection. When you add someones FC, a NPC will appear on the aptly named "Wifisland". Converse with them and trigger new events. And there are a few side-quests here and there, but not many.

Contact is what is it. I like it, I think its worth the cost. And something tells me this isn't the last time well see the professor on the DS.

Scores:
Gameplay: 8/10
Controls: 8.5/10
Graphics: 8/10
Sound: 7.5/10
Replay: 7/10