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Monday 14 January, 2008
Gameplay:
What I feared for this game has come to pass: the collecting. I ended this last play session able to continue in the game, but unable mentally because there were still things to collect. This is more a fault of my play style, but it's still frustrating.
I played through Treasure Trove Cove, and after getting used to all the new moves I had to complete, went through it fairly quickly. The hippo pirate that spoke in burps was amusing, and solving the puzzle of finding his missing treasure was fun. I still haven't gotten used to swimming, and just navigating the 3D space to pick up the gold bars was a hassle. After a while I got more proficient at it, but it still wasn't enough for some more difficult puzzles in this and later levels.
After finishing the level and opening the next level, I was struck with the challenge of finding the door I opened. At first I thought it was behind another note door, and had to go back into Treasure Trove Cove in order to get more notes. Unfortunately, this wasn't the right place to go, and I explored fruitlessly and found several doors... all right out of my reach. I finally went back to earlier in the castle and discovered the correct path. Having to explore the keep itself hadn't occurred to me, and yes, it was fun.
The next level, Clanker's Cavern, was surprising in it's complexity and it's titular character, Clanker. Finding out how to get past the giant sharp-teeth frogs (and how to kill them >:D) was especially exhilarating. Clanker, the giant metal shark, was really cool, and even touched me with a bit of sympathy for his dead-end role. Unfortunately, Clanker's chamber was filled with water, and very tough to navigate. I must have gotten game overs at least 3 times in that freaking room. Clanker's chain, attached to a plug at the very bottom of his tank, took at least 2 air points to reach, and then even more to unlock. There was a friendly fish swimming around the plug dispensing air bubbles, but they were so hard to reach I'd usually miss it by a few Z-axis points, then get lost and die. After reaching game over twice, I decided to call it quits.
Design:
This game took a 3D platforming concept started by Mario 64 and gave it a few of its own twists, and the end result is an above average experience. The large moveset was fun in and of itself, and it was great to still be learning new moves a few levels into the game. I did have a bit of trouble remembering the buttons for Jump and Attack, but that's my own fault. :P
The giant castle was like a level itself, and had as many puzzles to solve as the mini-worlds. The mood and theme was varied nicely, and the castle just outside the area reflected the area itself. For instance, a beach area just outside the ocean level, and pipes and sewage just outside the sewer level. There was an area I found with a pond and moss, and although I didn't make it to the level, it's pretty easy to guess what it will be.
Its one crippling design flaw, however, is the collecting. There is so much crap to get; while on one hand it does add replay value and gives you some motivation for moving forward, on the other, it's impossible to pass up a puzzle piece just out of your reach, and forcing myself to leave it alone and move on was really tough. It was satisfying, however, to collect many musical notes at once: running through a line of notes felt like jumping into a pool of money. But after a while the thrill is lost, and is replaced with cold 100% instincts.
The other flaw is underwater control. For a game that spends so much time underwater, the camera should have been much smoother in such areas. All this isn't to say that it isn't a fun game, though. The moveset and exploration is a lot of fun, and I can say that I'll probably play it to completion when I have the chance.
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