Look to your left. There’s no use denying it; there sitting beside you is your imaginary friend, right? Tommy... or Trevor...? Yeah. Well it’s time to say goodbye to him I’m afraid, because you’re soon going to be saying hello to Milo, who is a far better buddy then him... sorry Trev. Well, maybe not, but that is essentially what Milo is looking to be at the moment: a friend who is way better than the ones you’ve already got in that he never asks you to lend him money or games which you’ll never see again!

In all truth, Peter Molyneux (Milo’s creator and game designer luminary known for the likes of the Fable series- notice Milo's hobb tshirt- and Black and White) isn’t saying anything much about what exactly Milo is at all, which has led to speculation as to whether or not Milo is going to have a proper storyline to play through or whether he is just going to be a human Tamagotchi or Nintendog. However, Molyneux has claimed that it is the former, with some kind of narrative driving the game on with an adventure some description. So Milo won’t just be a bright kid who you can enjoy an intelligent conversation with for a change, he’s going to also be the lead character in some kind of story.

Watching the trailer above is bound to make your jaw drop onto your keyboard as you inaudibly babble something on the lines of “it’s scripted!” You’re not the first one, either. With this absolutely astounding use of Natal technology (see earlier article) which does more than just border on the creepy, the idea of this demo being planned seems like the only plausible explanation. And it may even be a correct explanation, as well. However, let’s just bear with Milo for now, and look at some of the key features of the game.

To start with, let’s have a look at our new best friend’s personality. Basically, Milo is a saint of a child who never seems to do or say anything wrong. You know, the sort of kid you used to see the bullies beating up on the school yard, demanding his lunch money. Being a bit of flatterer, Milo will always be sure to let you know that he likes what you’re wearing as you stand before the Natal camera, commenting on such features colour or pattern. Milo is also very good at putting a name to a face, too, as Natal’s facial recognition ability will have Milo know and greet you as soon you present yourself to him. In addition to Milo, you will also be becoming acquainted with a dog of his (Molyneux clearly has a fondness for those of the canine kind as they were also a feature in his Fable II), who might be act as a break when you get tired of interacting with the nerdy kid.

In addition to recognising you, Milo is a confident child who is eager to have chat. At no point has Molyneux claimed that Milo is going to be aware of vocabulary, however, but he does say that Milo is sensitive to the tone of your voice, providing happy responses to things that are said to him cheerily, and sad responses to things that are said to him miserable and monotonously. This does trigger the thought of a large variety of potential limitations with the communication system, as it seems as though Milo is going to be constantly driving the conversation forward and saying how much he adores pizza when you’ve just mentioned your taste for exotic cheeses. Really, we’ll have to wait and see how well (or terribly) this feature plays out when more is revealed before we judge it, I suppose.

Of course, Molyneux’s creation would fast get dull if you were constantly just having conversations with the child and his dog, however, and that is why the environment in which Milo stands is also interactive. In the trailer you can see the fishing feature in action, where you appear on the screen in the water’s reflection, causing it to ripple as you move your hand through it. However, this only one of many activities you can partake in with Milo. Tree house building is one other example mentioned, which you can probably guess will most likely involve hammering nails, placing planks of wood, and pulling on ropes. All this sounding like good Natal fun, bringing Milo’s world into yours, these are some promising aspects which contribute well to the features which make this release look like a tempting purchase.

You can actually share and transfer objects between our world and Milo’s, too. As you can see in the video, drawing Milo a picture which he will then receive, noting certain features which Natal has been able to identify, is one possibility. In addition, you can also see Milo throw a pair of goggles to the player which she then caught (although they had become invisible in the process, of course) and applied. As well as this, there was also mention of a game of football earlier on in the video, suggesting games can be played between you and him, adding a much needed challenging and competitive touch to what otherwise looks like a 100% agreeable game. All of these are ways in which Milo’s world and ours can be unified, suggesting a session on Milo will be a fully immersive experience which can be fully enjoyed as some escapism.

Graphically, Milo is looking solid, with nice bright colours and an inviting, almost cartoony, surreal backdrop in front of which you will be able to while away the hours with Milo. Really looking like the sort of game Natal was built for, with an added tinge of that innovation which can be expected from the likes of Peter Molyneux, Milo truly has potential be a breakthrough which will shatter the foundations upon which games are built. This is, of course, providing the concerns which naturally arise from the mention of some its features are not justified and that the game runs as smoothly as the video demonstrates. Personally, I have full faith that Milo will really be a quality title worth considering when browsing the shelves of your local game shop. To what extent will this be a quality release? I am intrigued to find out.