Space Chimps (Nintendo DS) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

It's fair to say that no one was surprised when Brash Entertainment announced that there were to be a handful of games based on the big screen outing: Space Chimps. Months later, when the first screens were released just about every DS owner over 10 years of age expected their version to be a rather disappointing platformer. The only real positive we can see is that handheld masters WayForward have been placed on development duties so even though the movie was somewhat underwhelming, the game might just have a chance.

Gameplay

At its heart, Space Chimps is a standard platformer: run and jump from one place to another whilst collecting bananas and coins. This plays out though a variety of different landscapes with the Chimps able to dispose of enemies (by bouncing on top of them) and jump off walls to reach greater heights. The bananas can also be traded to expand your abilities, for weapons and double jumps, but it can be difficult locating them and you often find yourself a little short of this fruit based currency. We've seen this all before though so, as well designed as the levels are, there's absolutely nothing original here.

Outside of the platforming there's a flying section which takes place over the two screens. This is all about collecting coins and avoiding asteroids and while the collecting side of things can be challenging, it's always easy to beat and, as a result, the whole thing becomes more of a chore than a welcome break. The developers have also included a Multiplayer but given that this is based around the touch-screen Radar mini-game (see below) we can't help but think that most gamers will simply ignore it.

Controls

The control isn't bad it's just not nearly as finely tuned as it should be. This begins to irritate when attempting to jump to the top of a leafy tree only to discover that it is only the centre of the tree which will hold your weight and landing anywhere else involves you falling to your death. The other major gripe is with the double jump because rather than having this ability from the start, you have to purchase it from the shop which does seem a little unnecessary to us. The flying sections lead to even more problems as while it's easy to pilot your ship it's incredibly difficult to actually judge where, in space, the coins are so you can miss most of them through no fault of your own.

Graphics

While the visuals are rendered in 3D they only actually appear on a 2D plane which is generally what the DS does best. This all works rather well and the animation is fairly decent too, with the chimps executing a fair number of moves. The flying levels take on more of a 3D appearance and are viewed from the back of the ship whilst huge meteors are hurtling towards you. Finally, you'll also get a few cut-scenes

Sound

The soundtrack is awful and whether it's from the film or not, it does absolutely nothing to enhance the gameplay. Outside of this there are some rather generic chimp sounds, some grunts and groans but no voice acting.

Dual screen

Oddly the touch-screen is only used in a kind of odd mini-game which you'll be forced to play in order to summon the other two Chimps. This is done by circling as many enemy icons as possible on a flashing Radar screen. All this slows the game down and ends up being just as pointless as the flying sections.

Final comments

While it's not without its problems, Space Chimps is a lot better than we've come to expect from the average movie tie-in. It looks good, it's challenging and there's certainly been some effort put into the overall design. Unfortunately the challenge may be a bit too much for the younger gamer and some control quirks mixed with some very tricky jumps will no doubt infuriate some people. There are also the rather forgettable flying sections and some truly awful music and sound effects. Even so, Space Chimps isn't a bad little game and is actually much better than the mediocre movie it's based on.

Pro: Nice Visuals, Solid Platforming Action.
Con: Poor Flying Sections, Terrible Touch-Screen Section, Some Control Issues.
Final score: 6.1

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