Veggie Tales: LarryBoy and the Bad Apple – GBA – Review

I love the
Veggie Tales! I especially love their silly songs, of which my favorites are
the “Hairbrush Song” and “Dance of the Cucumber.” Unfortunately, my kids were
already too old when the Veggie Tales first became really big, but I could
still watch them in children’s church at our church.

However, I
thought it was a little odd for the Veggie Tales to be on the GBA, so was
curious to see what type of game they would star in. Turns out, it’s a puzzle
platform game. Actually, it’s a pretty good puzzle-platform game, and despite
the short gameplay, it’s better than many of the current recent offerings on
the market.

As in most
portable games, the story is short and mostly irrelevant. LarryBoy has to save
the city’s inhabitants from the vile temptations offered by the Bad Apple, a
really bad dame. To do so, he must travel around the city and collect tickets
to gain entrance into more of the city’s area. This means that Larry must get
around town and collect a ticket in each level, in order to advance to the
next level.

These levels
are all designed as platform levels with physical puzzles. Larry must figure
out how to get up to the top of the level by switching levers, which in turn
makes various platforms move. Various enemies and hazards abound, and Larry
has to discover ways to either get around them, or defeat them in some manner.
In one level in the first world, Larry has to collect boom boxes to distract
the Pesky Peas, who keep moving the levers back into place as soon as Larry
flips them. They like dancing music, though, and will begin to dance when the
boom box is turned on. The music doesn’t last very long, though, so Larry has
to hop to it!

Did I mention that there is a
timer on each level? Yep, and I really dislike timed anything in a game,
especially one for little kids.

The levels
are classic platforms, in the style of the original Donkey Kong classics.
Gameplay takes place bottom to top, rather than side-to-side. Larry must
utilize certain hero-type skills, such as his ability to use his plunger ears
to swing around the levels, ala Kim Possible. His binoculars are handy to
scout out the level while the timer is paused. The platforms take the form of
moving bars, ladders, tunnels, and various types of scaffolding.

The puzzles
are well integrated in the game levels, and will require some careful
analyzing. Many of the solutions will need to be activated more than once, as
they are sometimes short in duration. These puzzles are fun to solve, but as
every level is on a timer, many players will have to redo the levels more than
once to finish before the time is done. There are a few musical mini-games to
add variety. And of course, there are silly songs! People familiar with the
Veggie Tales silly songs will find themselves humming along.

This is one
of the better recent offerings on the GBA, and one that families will enjoy.
Older kids may find the gameplay a little short, but the younger ones will
find it just right, especially with the added game time from the influence of
the timed levels. Parents need to be aware of their kids’ preferences on the
whole timer issue.

Review Scoring Details for Veggie Tales: LarryBoy and the Bad Apple

Gameplay: 7.5
This is a classic
puzzle-platform game. Each of the levels is very well designed, but the
shortness of the game, coupled with the singleness of game-level design, keep
this game from being a top game.

Graphics: 7.0
Everything looks
bright and cheery, but the graphics aren’t anything above normal for the GBA.

Sound: 8.0
The music is
great, especially for fans of the Veggie Tales!

Difficulty: Medium
The levels are
made more difficult by the timer.

Concept: 8.0
This is a
different type of game from the usual!

Overall: 7.5
A nicely done
puzzle-platform game, that will be a lot of fun for most kids. The timer may
be problematic for some children, but kids who thrive on competition will have
a blast. Parents will love the Veggie Tale songs and messages! It’s too bad
the game is short and so unvaried in gameplay, otherwise it’s quite a bit of
fun.