Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise
| Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Developer(s) | Rare |
| Publisher(s) | Microsoft Studios |
| Producer(s) | Steven Brand Adam Park |
| Designer(s) | Justin Cook |
| Composer(s) | Grant Kirkhope |
| Series | Viva Piñata |
| Platform(s) | Xbox 360 |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Life simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Aggregate score | |
|---|---|
| Aggregator | Score |
| Metacritic | 83/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| EGM | A |
| Eurogamer | 8/10 |
| GameSpot | 8.5/10 |
| IGN | 8.5/10 |
Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise is a 2008 simulation video game in the Viva Piñata series for the Xbox 360. Developed by Rare and published by Microsoft Studios, the game builds atop its predecessor, in which the player tends a garden and the piñata creatures that come to live there. New features to the series include a cooperative multiplayer mode, a new plot, additional types of piñata creatures, Xbox Live Vision Camera support, and two new areas for capturing piñatas.
Microsoft considered Viva Piñata a success and the sequel's development team sought to make a more definitive version of the original. The team re-used many of the development infrastructure set up for its predecessor and exhausted their gameplay ideas for the piñata gardening concept. The game released to generally favorable reviews in September 2008. Critics considered the game more accessible to newcomers and a worthwhile improvement on the original, but altogether closer to an expansion than a unique sequel. Reviewers praised its game design tweaks but were mixed on its multiplayer modes and camera integration. Critics were mixed on whether the sequel would attract new players to the franchise. Trouble in Paradise was later included in the developer's 2015 Xbox One retrospective compilation, Rare Replay.
Apart from a few new features, Trouble in Paradise is nearly identical to its predecessor, the 2006 Viva Piñata, in gameplay: The player acts as a gardener whose land is visited by piñata creatures. The creatures are stylized like piñatas but have the qualities of animals. Creature types include ladybugs, crabs, geckos, gorillas, and vultures, among others. The player plants seeds, tends to plants, and digs ponds within the garden's boundaries. New types of piñata creatures visit and eventually come to reside in the garden when certain prerequisites are met. For instance, a piñata might be attracted to a garden with a specific plant, type of piñata, or amount of soil. The player uses an in-game encyclopedia to learn each piñata type's preferences, which grow in complexity: advanced creatures require more transformative changes to the garden or many other piñatas to eat. When multiple piñatas are satisfied, the player can "romance" two to make a baby piñata. The player continues to cultivate the garden and the piñata creatures to grow in experience level and unlock upgrades in garden size and gardening tools. An in-game store sells seeds, items, and upgrades. Both games are rendered in the same engine and their supporting casts are the same. The first game's online piñata gifting feature returns in Trouble in Paradise.
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