The Wolfman

In a typical bout of playground folklore role-playing, no kid wants to be the Wolfman. Vampires can fly about, Frankenstein’s monster has super human strength, but what can your average werewolf do?

Okay, when in wolf form he’s pretty formidable, but for 353 days of the year he’s a wimpy human.

Of course, this same duality lends itself well to the video game format. It allows you to vary the pace of your game between vulnerable human sections and rampant beasty action.

That’s exactly what Namco Bandai has done with its mobile tie-in for the upcoming Benicio Del Toro vehicle.

Somewhat unsurprisingly for a movie tie-in, The Wolfman is a 2D action platformer. Starting off as the already pretty capable Lawrence Talbot, you set off to discover what’s become of your brother.

The controls are as you’d expect, with the D-pad responsible for your movement (‘up’ and ‘down’ allowing you to jump and crawl) and the ‘OK’ key for attacking. Talbot comes armed with what looks to be a plank of wood, which he wields against bats, wild boar, and thugs.

Rather oddly, when you’re attacked by the latter at close range you can initiate a lethal counter, whereupon Talbot whips out a sword and runs his opponent through. Why doesn’t he wield it in open play? That werewolf bite he received must have made him a bit groggy.

Yes, shortly into the game our hero gets mauled by said lupine creature, which results in a number of levels where you’re in control of a rather hairier, fiercer Talbot. Disappointingly, you won’t feel especially empowered by this transition, as your attacks when in wolf form are only moderately more powerful than in human form.

However, the transformation does make you rather more agile, leading to plenty of wall-bouncing and clambering up vertical surfaces.

And that’s The Wolfman in a nutshell, really. It’s a solidly built action platformer with plenty of neat touches and some well designed levels. However it lacks spark, and fails to fully utilise the potential of being an eight foot super-strong mythical beastie.