Open Season (Game Boy Advance) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

If anyone's been paying any attention in movie theatres this year you can't help but have noticed just how many full-length CGI movies have been released and we haven't even reached Christmas yet. Open Season is Sony's offering to this somewhat overcrowded genre and if you don't already know the story goes like this. When a domesticated grizzly named Boog gets lured into leaving the creature comforts of home by a fast-talking mule deer named Elliott, he finds himself lost in the woods just three days before hunting season begins. Forced to "rough it" in the great outdoors, Boog goes native, rallying all the forest animals to take back their home and send the hunters packing. Ubi Soft have bravely opted to release this on all formats including the current three handheld platforms but are they worth your time and, even more importantly, your money?

Gameplay

Open Season is a platformer at it's heart and you'll start out with little in the way of combat skills as Boog knows little about his new environment and less about its inhabitants. To make matters worse the forest is split into several 'gang' territories with creatures such as rabbits, ducks and skunks guarding their turf. Initially you're armed with simple gumballs and your backpack but success in a given area will convince the animals to help you. When I say 'help' this generally means becoming weapons, which can either be swung or thrown although the rabbits are rather handy at making bridges by linking up with one another. The wide range of weapons at your disposal means that combat should be easier but this is only if you know what to use and when.

The levels themselves are suitably different and outside of simple platforming, Boog can also scale walls and trees in order to gain height, which is essential for the layout of some areas. He also has the ability to roll into a ball and gain access to smaller spaces. This allows for much greater variety in the levels making them feel much less linear and some of the later levels demand that you fully explore them in order to locate the exit. Two of the levels, which were previously dry, also become submerged in water, once you have broken the dam, and can be replayed for a different challenge all together. Once each level is completed there's an automatic save function and should you find the whole thing a little too easy the developers have implemented two levels of difficulty just so you don't become too smug.

Controls

This is both simple and responsive with Boog drilled on new moves and weapons at the start of each levels thanks to some handy animations. The same is true of the first few levels with instructions and control illustrations popping up when a new obstacle blocks your path.

Graphics

Visually Open Season is one of the best looking GBA titles for some time proving that the aging console can still perform if developers put the time and effort in. You'll notice this from the very first level with the main character of Boog beautifully designed and animated. He can also interact with his surroundings and the parked cars will rock back and forth as he clambers over them. The same, unfortunately, cannot be said of all the other characters with the hunters in particular moving a little erratically. Back to the pluses though; the backgrounds are very pleasing reflecting the style of the movie perfectly and if all that isn't enough this is the first GBA title I've played for some time where the developers attempt to tell the whole story though animated sprites rather than hundreds of cut-screens. Don't get us wrong, there are static screens that also aid the story but it's the combination of these styles which works very well managing to be both humorous and informative.

Sound

The various soundtracks here are actually not too bad at all although they do still tend to repeat more than you'd like. The sound effects are all pretty standard and film fans will be delighted that the squirrels have retained their Scottish accents.

Final comments

Whilst there's little original about Open Season it does provide a decent accompaniment to the big screen outing, which is all most moviegoers ask. It's an enjoyable game too with the overall design making the adventure feel far less linear than we've come to expect from titles of this genre. It's not without its problems though and whilst the quality of animation of Boog is wonderful the same cannot be said of other creatures. On the other hand, if you'd played most of the movie tie-ins from the past year or so you'll know that it's a troubled area of GBA gaming and for that reason alone, this comes highly recommended.

Pro: Wonderful Visuals, Simple and Engaging Gameplay.
Con: Too Short, Little Replay Value.
Final score: 7.7

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