Ah, another beautiful sunny morning in my lovely garden. It's busy as usual, for I have to water the flowers, pick apples from the tree, and plant some seeds. But first, I need to break up a fight between a raisant and buzzlegum. Later, I'll feed pumpkins to my badgesicles to get them in a romantic mood. And I should attend to that sick dragumfly before Dastardos comes!

Welcome to Viva Piñata, a vividly colorful, adorably wacky life-simulation game. The game has the open-ended, sandbox feel of The Sims sprinkled liberally with irresistible papier-mâché animals reminiscent of Pokemon characters. But don't think Viva Piñata is just a cutesy kids game. Inside this pastel candy shell of an environment is a challenging, complex game that involves deftly managing resources to build a successful community and economy.

Arriving on Piñata Island, you're greeted by a girl named Leafos and a small rectangle of dry soil littered with junk. She explains that this pathetic patch of dirt is your garden and hands you some tools to set you on the road to yard improvement. At later levels you can plant trees, dig ponds, and buy items to further upgrade your land.

It can get pretty lonely in your garden, so you'll need some piñatas to keep you company. Obtaining your paper pals is a three-step process (attract, visit, and resident), each with requirements unique to each species. The higher a piñata is on the food chain, the more difficult the requirement. If you have two of the same species of piñata, you may want to (ahem) romance them, which requires meeting another set of requirements.

Of course, it’s not always peaceful in your little lawn. Piñatas can become unhappy, and if they're miserable enough they'll pack their bags. Certain piñatas are mortal enemies and will duke it out. Sometimes they become ill, which is bad since sick piñatas attract Dastardos, a creepy-looking witch doctor who sneaks in your garden to smash them open. Even healthy piñatas are in danger, but from visiting predator piñatas. And if evil Professor Pester or his ruffians appear, then the chocolate really hits the fan.