E3 2009 Preview
Between SpongeBob, Ben 10, Clone
Wars and countless Disney properties, cartoons have been a great source for new
game ideas. This fall, you’ll be able to add another one to the list – The
Secret Saturdays: Beasts of the 5th Sun.
If you’ve never heard of this series before, then
you clearly haven’t been watching Cartoon Network. The series is about the
Saturday family, led by the courageous Zak Saturday. Zak and co. are scientific
explorers with a fictitious twist. Rather than search for elements we know to be
real, the Saturday family wants nothing more than to protect the Cryptids. These
mysterious creatures are discovered within The Secret Saturdays’ world.
As a game, the developers hope to expand on that
concept, giving players the chance to control Zak. Other Saturday family
members, such as Doc, Drew and Doyle, will be playable as well. If this weren’t
enough, the developers also threw in the family’s pet Cryptids: Zon, Fiskerton
and Komodo. Other Cryptids may also be playable, though it seems we’ll have to
wait to find out which ones.
Developed by High Voltage, Beasts of the 5th Sun
isn’t going to be your everyday run-of-the-mill licensed product. Instead, the
game is a 2D side-scroller with a Bionic Commando-style grappling hook that lets
the lead character climb and swing across just about everything. Plus, he can
use his unique power (the name of which I am not sure) to take control of beasts
he encounters and use them to his advantage. Sometimes it’s as simple as making
a beast get angry and destroy a computer, which will then release a lock or some
other barrier, allowing you to progress. But you can physically control some of
the beasts as well, which should make the game more amusing than it already is.
For those who must have 3D gameplay, there are
going to be at least a few 3D areas where you’ll button-mash an enemy to his
demise. But these areas were a very small part of the E3 demonstration. For the
most part, the developers are shooting for pure 2D goodness.
Unfortunately, like so many games we anticipate,
you’ll have to wait until fall to get your hands on The Secret Saturdays: Beasts
of the 5th Sun. Luckily, this one should be worth the wait.
