Drake & Josh is a
popular live-action children’s show on Nickelodeon. First airing in January of
2004, it instantaneously became a huge success for the network. The series stars
Drake Bell and Josh Peck, two actors best known for their work on The Amanda
Show. Taking into retrospect the show’s large fan-base, it was only a matter of
time before a video game counterpart was made.
The game begins
with Drake getting into hot water by accidentally killing his sister Megan’s
gift cactus. Megan, being the devilish sister that she is, seeks revenge by
disabling Drake’s alarm clock, thus making him late for school. When Drake
finally does arrive at school, it’s a battlefield chock-full of traps and
obstacles placed by none other than his sister. It’s your job to get to class
without getting caught.
Gameplay
essentially consists of sneaking around hall monitors, avoiding security
cameras, and not hastily sliding on waxed floors. Additionally, there are
cannons that dispense little green balls that will stun you. This is all fine
and well, but the difficulty, especially considering this is a title aimed at a
younger demographic, is unparalleled. Levels not only have a ludicrous amount of
obstacles, but stages possess strenuous time limits that render things a tad on
the stressful side, even for experienced gamers.
One of the key
elements that come into play is Drake’s guitar. He can use it to “charm” girls.
It is executed by pressing A when you’re in adequate range of a girl. There will
be a window that pops up telling you to enter an arrangement of buttons. If done
correctly in the given amount of time, the girl will be “charmed.” A simple
feature, but it makes all the difference. Once a girl is charmed, they will
follow alongside Drake. If they’re on the opposite side of a locked door, they
will open it allowing progress to the subsequent room. Also, this aspect will
come in handy if there’s a floor lever that requires two people to stand on.
The visuals and audio are surprisingly quite
good. Sure, you won’t really be able to make out the characters, but the
environments are appealing and fit the theme of the show. The soundtrack appears
to be a stripped-down version of the sitcom’s actual soundtrack.
Drake & Josh for
the GBA is a stealth/action title targeted at the same demographic as its
corresponding Nickelodeon production. It boasts fairly well-designed graphics
and audio, as well as a rock solid gameplay premise, but there remains one
underlying drawback: tediousness. Even for someone who’s been gaming for over a
decade, Drake & Josh proved to be nearly as challenging as TeamNINJA’s Ninja
Gaiden. Between the outlandish time limits, surplus of obstacles, and crazy
janitors who love to poke you with their mops, this title is relentless.
Review Scoring Details for Drake & Josh |
Gameplay: 7.0
Drake & Josh will
provide several hours of gaming fun with its complex gameplay mechanics and
funky and humorous antics.
Graphics: 7.1
Cartoon-style in
nature, the visuals confirm that the 6-year-old GBA can still produce attractive
titles.
Sound: 6.9
Drake Bell’s music
seldom goes above mediocrity in real life. Strip it down to GBA-quality and you
may need an aspirin.
Difficulty:
Hard
Undoubtedly this
game’s most standout flaw. Play at your own risk.
Concept: 7.5
I honestly didn’t
know what to expect when I heard THQ was developing a Drake & Josh video game.
I’ll admit I’m an admirer of the show, but how do you transcend its simplistic
hypothesis into video game form? The stealth/action genre, of course.
Overall: 7.0
Putting aside its
insane and unyielding difficulty, Drake & Josh is a very enjoyable and well put
together title. Its presentation does its TV counterpart justice, and its
stealth/action/puzzle gameplay offers a much-needed changeup from what we’re
used to seeing from Nickelodeon-licensed software.
