Ratatouille (Game Boy Advance) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

PIXAR games go back as far as the original GameBoy with the first feature length animation, Toy Story, gaining remarkably positive reviews over a decade ago. The output since then has been mixed at best so not only have we seen movie tie-ins but also titles that extend the license such as Toy Story Racer and The Continuing Adventures of Finding Nemo. Ratatouille, for those who don't know, centres on a French rat, Remy, who is obsessed with cooking. After befriending an accident-prone kitchen aid, who is completely devoid of all cooking skills, the adventure begins. Having already seen the movie, it's undoubtedly one of PIXAR's best, but will the game reflect this?

Gameplay

Ratatouille starts out as your standard platformer with Remy fetching various ingredients in order to cook his master dish. As you'd expect this draws on all the classic platformers of the past with your main character running, jumping, crouching whilst avoiding all manner of nasties. One nice addition though is the ability to utilise some of the kitchen equipment to your advantage so, for instance, forks can be plunged into the floor or woodwork to allow Remy to reach greater heights. Some of the levels are huge though and while exploration is encouraged it can become somewhat tiresome when the endless collecting drains your health to dangerous levels. Fortunately Remy's keen sense of smell can sometimes get you out of a tight corner and while this won't lead you to the exact location you'll at least have some idea of the right direction.

During your platforming you'll discover other areas that you can enter for a more puzzle centred gameplay. The perspective also alters to a more 'top-down' viewpoint so rather than running and jumping you are now encouraged to tread carefully whilst puzzle solving. This is never too taxing but flipping switches, negotiating a maze whilst defending yourself with a small plastic sword, is a welcome change of pace. Once you have amassed all the necessary ingredients it's off to the kitchen for the cookery section of the game. Here you must add your ingredients to three separate pots and keep them at the correct temperature. This is actually far more engaging than it sounds and, mixed with the other two gaming styles, makes for en engaging GBA title.

Controls

You'll be suitably impressed by just how many moves are available to Remy but it's never overwhelming due to the in-game tutorial during the first level. The cooking is more complicated but again allows you to practise before you have to do the 'real' thing.

Graphics

As with the cooking sections from the DS version, the visuals here are taken from the end credits of the movie and while you could argue that these are more representative of a GameBoy Color title they do fit the game perfectly. The animation is also very impressive with Remy jumping, balancing and scurrying around the levels with ease. Elsewhere there are a generous amount of stills from the movie to push the game's story along nicely. There's even more artwork in the image gallery should you choose to locate all the hidden stars.

Sound

The soundtrack is actually reasonably impressive for a GBA title with some perfectly composed Parisian music to accompany you on your adventures. Elsewhere there are the usual sound effects but don't expect any speech from the movie, it ain't here.

Final comments

Given that this could be one of the last releases for the aging GBA, it's not too bad at all. There's little original on offer here of course, but the solid platforming sections and extra cooking activities do make for a refreshing combination. You could argue that it's not as accomplished as the DS version and suffers from the absence of the more intuitive touch screen interface with the real downside a password save system, something we all thought developers had done away with some time ago. That said though, if you did enjoy the movie there's more than enough to keep you occupied here along with proof, if it were needed, that there's still life left on this handheld classic after all.

Pro: Solid Platforming mixed with Fun Cooking Sections.
Con: Password Save.
Final score: 6.2

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