Tuesday 15 January, 2008

Gameplay
The game is continuing to get more and more frustrating. The main commands, jumping and running have now been mastered, both having been necessary to progress past even some of the easier levels. On top of that, maneuvers have increased to hanging onto hooks, jumping from barrel to barrel, swimming, climbing rope and flying. These required abilities alternate to keep the game interesting and each sublevel of each area includes numerous tightspots that can hang the player up requiring countless attempts before a success. The obstacles are closer together, more frequent and come at you faster. The creativity of the cartoon characters make them still fun to play with and the slowly increasing completion percentage visable at each save screen really hook the player and keeps them curious about future areas/levels. The save points half way through each level have become more and more crucial. Also, my partner and I have figured out to sustain our survival by returning to a previous level which offers extra life balloons early in the level, securing the extra lives and then quiting the level using the start and select buttons.

Design
The characters are all entertaining, obscure and loveable creatures. They are all 3D animations in a two-dimensional world, however, they standout colorfully and run through wonderfully illustrated lush plants, sticky goo, and molten lava all pressed against an intriguing and endless backdrop. The colors and animations in the game are one of its most positive attributes. Another fun element of gameplay is the map laden with sublevels. Traversing numerous environments keeps the game fresh while leaving the challenger constantly begging for new scenery. The numerous bonus rounds hidden throughout the levels add to the excitement of the exploration. It is always neccesary to get that extra distance during a jump which make the coordination of movements within the game precise and challenging.
The numerous yet reoccuring enemy characters allow you to recognize and familiarize them and create a sort of relationship with them as well as the main characters. The gameplay is fun and yet simple, the game is intriguing and captures the players curiosity and the design is attractive and adds to the overall effect of the game.

This entry shows a clear understanding and appreciation of the game. While you talk considerably about the environment about the game, you don't talk as much about core game mechanics, and how it fits with the genre.


- David Seagal (Grader)