How to reduce repetitiveness in Elebits

So even though I beat the game, I can't stop talking about it. Well, I have a good reason this time. Having gotten over the joy of the fantastic ending, I look back at the main problems Elebits suffered from.

It was too repetitive, and was way too f**king long.

Plain and simple, the game was way too long, and wasn't fun to play because it was so repetitive. If you're going to have a game that's repetitive, don't make it more repetitive by making the game too long.

Okay, so they DO throw in a lot of new elements to make the game harder, but they're mainly just things you have to dodge or be careful of. You're still just going around lifting objects, dodging sh*t, and zapping Elebits. There are 25 stages and 5 boss fights if you include the second final boss, and this formula simply can't keep you entertained the whole time.

Here are some ideas they should have implemented to make the game more varied.

They needed to somehow make a stage where you don't have your capture gun. (like the stages in Mario Sunshine where you lose F.L.U.U.D) That would have really changed things up. The best idea I can think of is to have you chasing a group of speedy Elebits that are carrying your capture gun away. You have to run after them with a net, and scoop them up by making a motion with the remote. Once you nab them all, you pick up your gun, and the stage ends.

A neat boss fight I had in mind was by some sort of malfunction from the Capture Gun, you swap bodies with one of the black Elebits that attack you. Since the soul of the black Elebit is in Kai's body, it naturally wants to attack you.

The only way to stun a black Elebit in the game is to either hit it with one of those pulse bombs, or smack it with something. If you accidentally zap a black Elebit with your gun, it'll come flying at you and hurt you.

So in this boss fight, you both have maybe five health, and you have to dodge the stuff being thrown at you. (Hey, it’s a boss fight. You HAVE to dodge attacks) Your goal is to run in front of the capture gun's beam and go flying at the evil Kai. Hit it 5 times to win. THAT would have been an AWESOME boss.

Another thing they could have done to change it up a bit is to make 2D side-scrolling levels in the style of Contra. Oh sure, you’re still zapping Elebits, but it would be a different style of play. Of course you would have to have some sort of enemy to dodge, so they could have the tanks and purple Elebits shooting at you. THAT would be a cool level.

Another level they should have made was a level where there are no Elebits at all, and you simply have to use your capture gun to move things around, solve puzzles, and get to a finish line. You have this cool gun, so why not make a level all about it? It’s a missed opportunity.

Elebits really needed more variety, and these ideas would have really helped. Let’s hope the upcoming DS version will be better.