Overall: Cute. Really cute. Unfortunately, it's mostly that scary, big-eyed, Precious-Moments-type cute--the kind of thing that would be appealing to the kind of person who likes doilies and ceramic cats. Very "quaint". Also it's blatantly Japanese. Even the words the characters say are in Japanese script.
Graphics: Not bad, if a bit two-demensional. Lots of color, with these scary hollow-eyed balls. However, Marina Lightyears looks like a dog. Not the sexist, gender-stereotyping word used to describe females who don't rigidly conform to our culture's demands (I'm a feminist; can ya tell?); the character actually resembles a white basset hound, with big floppy ears an' all. Try to picture a female vampiric Goofy. OK, now imagine a two-demensional version of that, with big scary eye sockets. That's Marina Lightyears, folks. And, classically Japanese, none of the characters' words fit in with their mouth movements.
Sound System: More than vaguely arcade-ish, and Marina has an extremely squeaky voice. We're talkin' Snow White on helium. She could probably locate moths via echolocation. Dogs flee in terror at her voice. She could put Maria Callas out of business. She breaks wineglasses just by speaking. I think you get the point.
Plot: For a Japanese children's game, the plot fairly kicks ass in the feminist department. The main character, Marina Lightyears (a chick, coolness unto itself) has to save Professor Theo (a man, heh heh) from sort of bad guy in a spaceship. His minions are all these weird-lookin' egg-y things. That part I don't quite get, but...a CHICK rescues a GUY! For a sexist society, this game kicks ASS! You GO, Marina! ALALALALAH!!! SLASH SLASH SLASH!
Abilities: You can jump, climb, hang onto balls, and...walk. It's fairly simple, but then it IS a children's game. However, the snag is, you have to jump towards and cling onto balls that are floating in the air, often moving on little conveyor belts. So it's pretty tricky in that respect. Little ol' me, used to traditional adventure games (large area to run around in, puzzles, things to kill, weapons to get) was rather stumped until I hit upon the perfect solution: Let Sally play! So she did, and she got WAY further than I had.
Difficulty: Not too bad (it IS a kiddie game), and not nearly as hard as, say, Zelda or Mario, but more difficult than Spyro the Dragon. The problem is, you're basically hanging in midair, clutching to a ball, and when you try to jump onto another ball, and miss, you're screwed. Although it doesn't kill you, you have to start all over again, at the bottom, and it takes FOREVER. Also, that's the only challenge (though it's a toughie), so it gets kinda repetitive after awhile.
Final Review: A cute game. Not really worth the money to buy, as it's so frustrating. I rented this from the local video store for a couple days, so I'd have enough research to do this review credit (I do it all for you, heh heh). It's a unique game, not what's usually available on the market, so if you're looking for a different game experience than others, rent this. Also, it's a LOT more fun to watch another person play, because after they've fallen off for the umpteenth time, you can sit there and smugly give suggestions, just to see their reaction. Before they strangle you, of course.