While in the summer, video game
releases take a breather, licensed games seem to just pour from the sky – to
coincide with the latest big movie release. This time it’s an animated
Dreamworks picture, called Kung Fu Panda. Developed by Vicarious Visions, this
DS title does an alright job of giving players a fun, movie-related experience.
The CG animated movie tells the
story of an overweight panda (played by Jack Black) who bumbles his way from
goofball to hero. Like any good movie-license game, the DS title gives players
a shortened version of that story. In this game, the developers “borrowed” the
Metroid-Vania gameplay mechanic of laying out a web of connecting levels and
letting players explore them to unlock new levels. While this game never gets
anywhere near as complex as Metroid, younger players will get a challenge from
the simple level design.
Like most platformers in this
genre, players gain new powers as the story progresses. Of course, since it’s
on the DS, players use the touchscreen to control Po the panda. To make an
attack, swipe towards the enemy. Simple right? To jump, players can either
swipe up or tap Y or up on the D-Pad, depending on whether you’re a righty or
lefty. Eventually, you’ll learn new moves that use different motions or button
controls. For instance, to progress through a new area, you might have to roll
up into a ball. Consider it a ball of Po (tee-hee). Anyway, new moves equal new
levels – everyone knows that!
The graphics in Kung Fu Panda
are perhaps the most impressive aspect of the game. The 2-D levels feature
fully 3-D characters and environments. Even backgrounds that you might just
pass by quickly are given an artistic twist of some kind, and always please the
eye.
Sadly, Kung Fu Panda is not
perfect. Occasionally, poor level design hampered my progress for hours. Maybe
I was over-thinking certain puzzles, but I found on multiple occasions the
puzzle to be poorly explained. Similarly, the touch-screen controls sometimes
feel a little clunky. The game also has little replay value. The short, albeit
fun, adventure has no co-op or wireless capabilities, and there’s little reason
to go through it again. But I have to commend Vicarious Visions, because this
game is not a quick cash-in title, like so many other license games.
Review Scoring Details for Kung Fu Panda |
Gameplay: 7.0
The touchscreen controls
are engaging and adapted for younger players, but might feel cumbersome for
regular gamers.
Graphics: 8.0
The most impressive part
of this game, the unique 3-D environments outshine all the other parts.
Sound:
7.0
While Jack Black and other stars don’t lend their voices to
this game, the sound and voices do their job.
Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Straightforward gameplay
is sometimes inhibited by frustrating level design.
Concept: 7.0
The touchscreen controls
are well thought out and Metroid-Vania design suits the title.
Overall: 7.0
A decent title for the DS
that (for once) looks like some real work was put into it. While the game is
fairly short, fans of the movie will enjoy this beat-um-up.
