Tak and the Guardians of Gross (Wii) - Review by Chris

Introduction

The Tak series quickly came to fruition back in 2003 when it was released on both the Gamecube and the Playstation 2. After that initial release, the series garnered two sequels, with all three games being received relatively well. Fast forward 3 years and we see the return of the series with Tak and the Guardians of Gross on the Wii and Playstation 2. With the series having always been received well, was the extended hiatus a good idea for Tak, allowing THQ to breathe some much need innovation into its slightly ailing lungs, or is it another standard platforming affair?

Gameplay

As a platformer, the Tak series has always had its work cut out. In a genre defined by the likes of Mario and, to a lesser extent, Rayman, there's not a whole lot of room or improvement needed. Yet here we have Tak and the Guardians of Gross, a nice little platformer, building upon its forerunners but still not bringing anything hugely new to the table. The game has you take control of Tak as he is tasked with cleaning up the Spoiled Shrine. But, due to Tak's laziness, he falls upon his magic to fulfil his duty only to release the 4 'Grosstrosities' upon the world. So begins your adventure to befriend 4 other Jujus in the hope of returning these beasts to where they belong. It's a clichéd story but it works well and THQ have added a decent amount of humour, similar to that seen in the TV show which works on multiple levels appealing to both younger and older gamers, to the title to take it beyond that point of being just another bog-standard story.

As you play the game, you'll move Tak through a series of environments in a linear fashion of progression. Like the many other platformers on the market, Tak does keep some of the environmental traits seen in many of its competitors but to give THQ their dues, they have taken a step to ensure some variety and have given some far less clichéd environments which tie in with the idea of 'gross', with areas made up of cheese and trash being some of the environmental make ups that THQ have brought to the table. The game has the trademark platform elements, while incorporating elements from other titles such as wall running from the likes of Prince of Persia. The addition of such things as wall running may not seem like a big deal but they add a great deal to the platforming genre and it is something which is now becoming the norm.

The gameplay also provides some action, pitting Tak against various enemies throughout the levels as well as big boss battles at the end of each chapter. These break up the platforming nicely but don't feel like natural instances like the platforming does and so perhaps THQ could have made it feel more implemented and more in line with the rest of the game to make it fit better. As it is though, it's a nice short distraction from the main platforming delights and there are other distractions, such as mini-games against the Jujus (which, one completed are available to play in multiplayer) and on rails shooter sections but these don't particularly add much to the gameplay and, if anything, detract a little.

Controls

The controls here are a pretty staple affair. Tak is controlled with the analogue stick, which works well although total freedom of directional movement hasn't been mapped accurately to the stick meaning getting certain angles for jumps can be tricky. Jumping is done with the A button and the B button is for Tak's attacks, with the d-pad coming into play as you progress further through the game for big special attacks. Apart from the aforementioned movement problem, the controls all work well and thankfully, there isn't any really unnecessary waggle involved, although you will be using motions to trigger levers and other things but these are only small, one motion gestures. The main problem that comes with the game is that it gives you a fixed camera behind Tak, with the odd exception where you're given a fixed camera angle for certain parts of levels, and doesn't allow you to move it which makes judging jumps at certain stages hard because you're not given the freedom of depth to judge it correctly. There are available buttons which could have been used yet it seems as though THQ wanted to keep the game as simple as possible but this is really detrimental to the gameplay.

Graphics

The game is presented in two graphical forms. Firstly, the cutscenes are rendered out with the in-game engine, providing character models and locales that are crisp, clean and of high quality. But these are merely cutscenes and not all of the graphics translate over into the actually game. Environments have a decent amount of detail to them, with the movement of foliage as Tak moves through them being a nice little touch, and character models are equally good, although slightly more on the low poly count which is only really noticeable during the in-game cutscenes. A big mention has to go to the water effects, primarily the waterfalls but also the bodies of water. There has been a decent amount of work gone in here to make it look good with light refraction and other things done superbly. It's not something you'll see loads of but when you do see it, it is something you'll appreciate.

Sound

Having spun off its own TV show, the voice work in the game was always going to be of a good quality with Nickelodeon being one of the partners in the development of the title. The voice work is well done, although some of Tak's phrases and speech fragments are heard far too often, seemingly on repeat, and this can become annoying. The music that accompanies the title compliments the environments and situations that you'll be guiding Tak through and is a decent enough listen when playing as it neither irritates or pulls you too deep into it, distracting you from the game.

Final comments

The Wii isn't home to many platformers but if it wasn't for Super Mario Galaxy, this'd be the best the console has to offer, which is no bad thing as the game is enjoyable, apart from a few strange inclusions, and it looks, sounds and plays well. But with Galaxy on the market, this feels very slow and easy in comparison, which is ideal as the title is marketed at children. However, that doesn't mean that older games cannot enjoy the title as it has enough depth to appeal to both sets of players. Tak and the Guardians of Gross doesn't provide the huge step forward that THQ were perhaps looking for but it is a nice return for the series. Here's hoping that they can breathe some much needed life into further iterations because the gameplay will quickly become stale if it remains the way it is.

Pro: Tries to provide some innovation in terms of environments, looks and plays well
Con: Sticks too much to the tried and test, not all new inclusions are beneficial
Final score: 7

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