Hamster Loco
|
| Hamster Loco

Whether it's that hazy feeling that crosses your eyes as your head hits the floor after that last pint, or your stomach becoming an immovable force that grips your entire midriff after a large Sunday roast (and a dessert thrown in for good measure), it's usually quite easy to spot when we've gone just that little bit too far in any facet of life.

Conversely, while there's no denying that Exelweiss' Hamster Loco has suffered a similar fate, its sense of 'going too far' actually leaves you feeling strangely vacuous and empty, for this is a rare case of a game oversimplifying itself to such a level that there isn't much of a game left at all. In this sense, when all that's there is a series of command prompts, you start to wonder just how the developer didn't realise that it had stepped across its own line.

That's a shame because, from the outset, Hamster Loco certainly looks the part. Impeccably animated, Loco relies on the dodgy premise that you have to keep a particularly dopey looking rodent intact as he makes his way to a hot date (that's conjecture, we admit) with a slightly less dopey looking female rodent. Yes, this is no masterpiece of narrative but, needless to say, anyone jumping straight in need not spend too much time evaluating their 'motivation'.

Though they would have plenty of opportunity, with Hamster Loco being one of the most hands-off platformers to hit any format for years. Initially, players have only one task: to jump. With said hamster automatically travelling from left to right, gamers are prompted to hit the soft key at various intervals to bounce over any obstacles.

Gradually new modes of play are added – from holding onto brassieres and floating down crevices, to spinning through seemingly complex hamster tubes – but the essence of play remains the same, with any actual momentum completely out of your hands. Play is reduced to little more than pressing a button during a set timeframe to activate a predetermined activity, whether they want to or not. Fail to do so, and it's a level reset for you.

Other actions include surfing on a bar of soap, with the player simply pressing up or down – again, when commanded – to avoid oncoming obstacles, and sucking on helium in order to float up into the sky, dodging airborne obstructions in the same manner. Spotting a trend here?

The fact that Hamster Loco comes with no extra life system (when you die, you're simply sent back to the start of the level, with no limit on the number of restarts) is probably evidence enough of eBrain's target audience for the title. Any experience with gaming of any kind is not needed here, as the developer guides you – or perhaps 'drags' would be a better way of describing it – through each of the game's 15 levels.

In its latter half, Hamster Loco actually picks up a pace – the various elements of play, from being fired from a cannon to bouncing off the copious springs that litter each level, uniting to form what appears to be an action packed platformer. But when actual interaction from the player is reduced to the odd tap of the softkey, the concept of just what is and isn't a game is called into question.

In truth, there's no debate here: this is a game that dresses itself up as something it's not. Whole periods fly by when the screen is bristling with action, but actual input from the player is almost nonexistent, making Hamster Loco the perfect purchase if you're looking for a title that makes you look swish in front of your peers.

Taking most of these cues from the original Sonic The Hedgehog, Exelweiss' effort is nonetheless all fluff and no trousers, and we have little choice but to be brutal with a game that leaves players on the sidelines from beginning to end.

Hamster Loco

Though it looks action-packed, Hamster Loco is a tame affair that promises more than it delivers
Score
Keith Andrew
Keith Andrew
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font. He's also Pocket Gamer's resident football gaming expert and, thanks to his work on PG.biz, monitors the market share of all mobile OSes on a daily basis.