Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams – PS2 – Review

The marriage between THQ and
Nickelodeon, like most good marriages, has experienced a few minor hiccups
along the way, but they’ve consistently overcome them on their way to marital
bliss.  THQ has done a stellar job capturing the look, feel, and humor of the
Nickelodeon properties, while Nickelodeon, continues to, well, churn out good
properties.  From Spongebob, to the Fairly Odd Parents, to Jimmy Neutron, THQ
has consistently turned the old notion that “licensed games suck and licensed
games based on children’s shows should be killed on the spot” on its
proverbial ear.  While these games will never be confused with the Halo’s,
GTA’s, and Zelda’s of the world, they do a remarkable job of creating games
that are playable, fun, and feel as if you are actually playing through an
extended episode of these great shows.  Tak 2 is the latest “love child” of
the marriage and like any good child should, it continues the family
tradition, while raising the bar of its older brothers and sisters.  (I’m the
youngest of six and have first hand knowledge that the youngest child is
always heads and shoulders above the rest)  “But wait!!!” I can hear a lot of
you screaming, “Tak isn’t a Nickelodeon show!!!”  Well, you’d be correct, sort
of.  The original Tak game was intended to be a coming out party for the
series on Nickelodeon.  However, as far as I know and I watch a whole lot of
Nickelodeon, the series has yet to show.  Now whether or not the series has
been shelved, I don’t know, but since it is a Nickelodeon license created in
game form by THQ, I will consider its merits against the rest of the family.

In Tak 2, you take control
of the title character, Tak, who just happens to be an apprentice shaman,
who’s having some very bizarre dreams.  Tak dreams of a princess being held
captive by creatures that feed on her dreams and he learns from a being called
the Dream Juju that he must rescue her.  Adding to the plot is that the
nightmare portion of the Staff of Dreams has been stolen by a dark Juju
allowing nightmare creatures to spill into the real world.  This is the basis
of the game as you set out to stop the evil, dark Juju and to rescue the
princess.  While the story is not overly original and furthers the idea to
impressionable youth that all princesses are in constant danger of being
kidnapped and completely inept at protecting themselves, the gameplay,
visuals, and trademark Nickelodeon humor more than make up for it.

For the most part, the
gameplay is pretty standard platformer fare.  You’ll traverse the various game
worlds battling crazy creatures and collecting all manner of collectibles
ranging from health items, to special collectibles tied directly to game
progression, to ingredients for new Juju potions which open up various new
items, characters, and mini-games.  While this sounds like virtually every
other platformer under the sun, Tak 2 does manage to offer new wrinkles to the
same old platform formula.  Tak 2 features a healthy roster of unique
creatures and characters that you must dispatch, each one often times
requiring a very specific mode of attack or combination, which goes a long
ways towards keep the gameplay fresh and un-repetitive.  Button mashers or
those that like to fall into the rut of repeatedly pulling of the same attacks
over and over will struggle here. 

Tak 2 also features a
heavier emphasis on puzzles than most platformers do.  A large portion of the
puzzles in the game revolves around the use of Jibolba, Tak’s mentor shaman.
Jibolba has morphed himself into a flea, which hitches a ride on Tak as he
completes his adventure.  While not too many would appreciate the company of a
flea, Jibolba proves to be a very useful flea.  As Tak traverses the game
world he’ll encounter all manner of wildlife, a veritable flea heaven.  By
switching into first person mode Tak can fling Jibolba at the animals, which
allows him to choose whether the flea will merely agitate the animal or
actually bite the animal, which causes it to fall into a slumber.  Using this
ability is key to many of the game’s puzzles.  For example, agitating the
squirrels in Tak’s world causes them to begin flinging acorns in rapid-fire
action at anything that moves, which is beneficial for attacking swarms of
enemies.  But on the flip side, you may find yourself unable to pass or to
lead another animal to the desired position with all of those acorns flying,
which is when biting the animal to cause it to fall into a deep slumber, comes
in handy.  There are several animals within the game for Tak and Jibolba to
interact with in this manner, which helps keep the puzzles firmly planted
within the context of the game and the actions of your character.  In addition
to controlling Tak on foot, there are numerous sections in the game where
you’ll have to guide Tak down a raging river in a barrel or atop the back of
an angry boar.  These sequences are well implemented and do a great job of
keeping the game fresh.

Outside of the main game,
several mini-games are also offered.  There is a healthy roster of games
available right out of the package, while others must be unlocked within the
main game.  The mini-games offered are nicely varied and tend to have more in
common with games like Fusion Frenzy, rather than say Mario Party.  The
mini-games tend to focus on the frenetic and are nice little diversions, which
become even more fun when another joins in the action.

The graphics in Tak 2 are
pretty dog gone impressive, especially for a game of this sort.  The game
environments generally either convey the jungles of Tak’s world or the
dreamscapes of his sleep, which it accomplishes with a degree of skill that
any gamer can appreciate.  The jungle worlds are incredibly lush, detailed,
and just flat out beautiful to look at.  There is just so much to look at that
you’ll find yourself pausing periodically to take it all in from the lush
vegetation to distant waterfalls, it does a great job of conveying a whimsical
jungle world.  The dreamscapes are equally impressive, creating a trippy
looking world that looks like it would be at home in a Salvador Dali
painting.  The edges of the screen constantly morph and move, while the
movements of Tak leave behind a suitable, blurry trail.  The dreamscapes vary
from pastel covered landscapes to dark, foreboding environments run amok with
the stuff of nightmares.  While the environments are certainly the stars of
the visuals, the character models are also very well done.  Each of the
characters feature a suitably comedic, deformed appearance in line with the
material.  The creatures that Tak battles feature some really good character
design and a lot of variety from one species to the next.  The animations of
the characters, as well as the environmental effects, are all stellar and
smooth.  Before I move onto the sound department, I’d be completely remiss if
I did not mention the sequences of Tak floating down the raging rivers.  Games
too numerous to count have featured sequences not unlike these, but I daresay
none have captured it as well as Tak 2.  These sequences are drop dead
gorgeous, especially in the moments after Tak reaches the bottom of a
waterfall.  Holy Cow, did they ever nail that.  These sequences are very
impressive and you’ll no doubt find yourself dragging others into the room to
see these.

As is the case with the
other THQ/Nickelodeon games, the sound featured in Tak 2 is extremely solid.
The voice acting and the humor delivered are of special note.  The voice
actors do a great job of delivering their lines and their comedic timing is
impeccable.  Besides, any game that features the vocal styling of Patrick
“Putty” Warburton is A-Okay in my book.  The music while not necessarily
memorable is suitable and what one would expect from a game that takes place
in a tropical jungle and in the land of dreams.  The music does a fair job of
reacting to the action/mood of what’s taking place on the screen, never
distracting the gamer from the task at hand.

In the end, Tak 2 is a
very welcome surprise in the mold of games such as the original Jak and Daxter,
the original Crash games, and the latter day Rayman games.  It does have a few
problems such as camera issues that pop up from time to time and the length of
the game is woefully short, plus the gamer is provided with unlimited lives,
which respawn at the point of death, but when taken as a whole, this game is
just too good and charming to ignore.  The gameplay is solid, always working
to stay fresh and interesting, the graphics are among the very best the genre
has to offer, and the humor conveyed in the game is classic Nickelodeon.  For
anyone who enjoys a good platforming romp you can certainly do worse than Tak
2.  Fans of Nickelodeon programming, will also find a lot to like here.  While
nowhere near perfection, it definitely comes much closer to the ideal than it
does the other end of the spectrum.

Review Scoring Details for Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams

Gameplay: 8.2
The normal
platforming mechanics are all here and work flawlessly.  The game features a
lot of puzzle solving, which thankfully fits naturally into its world and it
also features a nice array of monsters demanding varying strategies and skills
to defeat.  The levels featuring Tak rocketing down wild river rapids are some
of the best yet of this kind.  The game also offers a nice selection of
mini-games playable outside of the main game, which are surprisingly fun and
addictive.

Graphics: 8.7
This game offers
graphics on par with the best that the genre has to offer, which was very
surprising.  Everything from the environments, to the character models, to the
animations is outstanding.

Sound: 8.5
Like the rest of
the games spawned from this partnership the voice acting is stellar.  Anyone
who enjoys a little humor along with their gaming will appreciate the writing
here.  The music is fitting and representative of the environments and
situations you’ll find yourself in. 

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
While having
unlimited lives that respawn right where you lose them, as well as an
abundance of health replenishing items makes things a little easier than some
would like, there are sequences in the game that will offer a surprising
degree of challenge for even veterans.

Concept: 8.0
Tak 2 offers a
well designed and well executed game experience, whose parts conspire together
to create a platformer that feels more “complete” than most in the genre,
thanks in no small part to the writing and the acting.  They lose some points
for the tired “captive princess” story, but they more than make up for it with
the different wrinkles introduced to the platformer formula.

Multiplayer: 7.0

Tak 2
offers a nice roster of mini-games to play with two players that are fun,
frenetic, and addictive.  However, these games are of the variety just begging
for four-player support, which would have pushed this aspect of the game to
the top.

Overall: 8.3
Tak 2 is a very
solid, enjoyable platformer that will surprise gamers with its unexpected
quality.  It’s a bit on the short side of things and the camera can be a
little tricky at times, but overall this is a nice, shiny package worthy of
your consideration.  Gamers of all ages and experience levels will find a lot
to like here especially the fact that it strives to separate itself from usual
platformer fare.  Tak 2 is a very welcome surprise.