DS GAME REVIEW
Kung Fu PandaIt's got a kick |
Much like a fortune cookie, cracking open Kung Fu Panda means you're getting a plain, yet satisfying treat after a main meal. Anticipating a rich chocolate chip cookie is setting yourself up for heartbreak. But for those eager to imbibe the animated film on which it's licensed, this handheld take offers a little treat to follow complete with surprise fortune inside. What you would expect to be another mediocre action game, ends up being surprisingly entertaining.
Kung Fu Panda tells the story of Po the panda, son of a noodle maker who dreams of quitting work at his father's soup shop and ascending to martial arts mastery. As the portly panda, you traipse through dozens of levels in search of kung fu secrets on the quest to becoming the fabled dragon warrior. Between Po's cheesy jokes, you'll battle foes via deft use of the touchscreen and surmount side-scrolling platform challenges.
Beautiful 3D graphics bring much needed dimension to the action. You never need to concern yourself with adjusting the camera angle or figuring out tricky puzzles that toy with the perspective; rather, you're able to tackle a wide range of platform challenges as though you're playing a 2D side-scrolling action game. The bonus comes in the form of rich 3D visuals that set the game apart, providing a pleasant backdrop for the gameplay. It's a brilliant way of making the game accessible, yet at the same time adding a contemporary flair. Kung Fu Panda may not boast cutting edge gameplay, but it certainly has the right look and feel.
Were it not for the inventive way in which the touchscreen is employed in combat, the game would be a cookie-cutter brawler. Instead, these fortune cookies are fresh, even if they aren't always tasty. With innovation comes the risk of falling short and Kung Fu Panda's unique touch controls have the sweet and sour flavour of both success and shortcoming.
First, the praise. Rather than resorting to button mashing, you use the stylus to issue attacks. Quick slides of the stylus trigger basic attacks, whereas more advanced moves demand a bit more work. Po comes into a handful of martial manoeuvres through the course of the game, all of which are instigated via the stylus. Panda Quake, for example, has you jumping into the air and then sliding the stylus downwards on the touchscreen. The leaping monkey technique learned early in the game enables Po to grab onto enemies and objects midair with a tap of the stylus. It's remarkably easy to pull any of these moves off, not to mention satisfying.
When it comes to movement, however, how quickly the cookie goes stale. The D-pad and face buttons share identical functions; for instance, walking left or right can be accomplished with either the D-pad or Y and A buttons, respectively. Pressing Down or B curls Po into a ball, which you can roll into narrow spaces. Lastly, jumping is handled with a tap Up on the pad or X.
All of this sounds simple enough, but try moving right while jumping and preparing to attack an enemy coming towards you. Whenever you issue one command, the controls work well, true, but attempt to do two or more things simultaneously and you run into trouble. Jumping is much better using the X button, yet right-handed players will be forced into resorting to the D-pad because the right hand has to prime the stylus for combat. You'll end up repositioning your hands between levels in order to get an ideal configuration to tackle difficult platform challenges or take on a boss.
You shouldn't be compelled to move your hands at all when playing on a handheld and therein lies the game's greatest flaw. More attention needed to have been paid to how the emphasis on touch-based combat affects interaction with the game as a whole. Utilising the trigger buttons for a basic attack or jumping would have greatly helped. Special techniques could still be tied to the stylus, but forcing every little move onto the touchscreen makes the game cumbersome.
Other things leave a disappointing flavour: no multiplayer of any kind, no additional modes aside from the main campaign, and no bonus content. Kung Fu Panda could have done more, but that's just the way the cookie crumbles. Impressive, then, that despite the awkward controls it's a surprisingly fun game and up there with the better film tie-ins on DS.
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It isn't an ancient Chinese secret how Kung Fu Panda spices up side-scrolling action with great graphics and interesting touch-based combat moves. Controls are frequently cumbersome, but the originality of it all makes it worth the trouble
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