Last year, a quirky title named Viva Pinata hit the Xbox 360. Offering up bright, colorful characters and addictive simulation gameplay, it stood out as the best game to come out of beloved developer Rare since they were bought up by Microsoft. The game did very well critically, but unfortunately didn’t make much of a mark on commercial side of things. Luckily, PC gamers are getting a chance to live out on of the best surprises of last year as Viva Pinata has now released for the PC. For the most part, the game succeeds at being a fine port of the Xbox 360 version, offering the same great gameplay and quirky creatures. If you’re a PC gamer and fan of sims and quirky cartoon-style animals, then check out Viva Pinata.

If you aren’t at all familiar with the game’s concept, Viva Pinata basically has you tending to a garden of living Pinatas, making sure that they have everything they need to thrive, from food to shelter and companionship. Creatures will come to your garden in peace, while others may come by to raise some trouble. You’ll have to ward off predators as well as coax wild animals to become your residents, be it through digging ponds or growing certain plants.

You’ll also be able to enlist the help of other characters, like a doctor for when your creatures get sick, or buy seeds or structures for your Pinatas from a vendor. The gameplay is very fun and engaging, with several different paths to take when tending to your garden, as well as many different kinds of Pinatas that you can obtain. In that regard, the game succeeds in offering PC gamers just what made the Xbox 360 version so great. However, the PC version does have a few flaws that keep it from being truly an improvement.

One problem that the game suffers from in terms of the PC port is the default keyboard and mouse controls. To be sure, the game (being a Games for Windows title) fully supports the Xbox 360 Controller for Windows, which renders the control scheme identical to the Xbox 360 version of the game. However, those gamers without the gamepad will find the controls a tad unwieldy, requiring you to move the mouse up to the HUD in the right corner of the screen to perform certain secondary functions with your items like your shovel. This is a minor inconvenience most of the time, but constantly having to click up in the right corner can be a pain.

Another problem is that the game has some stability issues, with frequent crashes occurring, usually as a result of Games for Windows Live causing incompatibility problems on the review system a few times. It’s safe to assume that Microsoft Game Studios will release a patch to fix this issue down the line, but in the meantime it’s an annoyance.

Graphically, the game looks just as good on the PC as it did a year ago on the Xbox 360. The characters are bright and colorful with loads of personality. The game boasts some good lighting effects, like bloom lighting, providing a nice sense of atmosphere.

The music and sound effects are identical to the Xbox 360 version, with a light soundtrack that fits well with the game’s mood, as well as some good voice work throughout.

Viva Pinata is a solid port of a fun and underrated game. While there are a few issues here and there, the game is a worthy investment if you missed out on it on the Xbox 360.

Gameplay: 8.0
Aside from a few technical and control issues, Viva Pinata offers all of the fun simulation elements and quirky characters from the Xbox 360 and is still a joy to play.

Graphics: 8.5
Quirky characters with tons of personality highlight the graphical presentation, and the bright and colorful theme is fun and appealing.

Sound: 8.5
The sounds are identical to the Xbox 360 version, with a lighthearted soundtrack and some good voice work.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 8.0
A solid port of the addicting 360 game, the PC version has a few technical shortcomings that may frustrate some.

Overall: 8.0
Viva Pinata is not perfect, as there are some control problems that get annoying and stability problems, but worth a look from PC gamers looking to get a hold of something a little different.