![]() ![]() Worryingly, the large number of focus testers listed in the credits almost suggests that kids actually thrive on the instant-death and poor restart point combos that are so curiously prevalent in games of this ilk. ![]() The back-to-basics platform sections become intolerably tired as the game wears on, and it doesn't help that they're as unforgiving as they are unfulfilling, with several nasty sticking points ready to alienate younger gamers. Moving platforms, vine climbs, bouncy platforms and the like are all expected of a game like this, but when they're flawed and frustrating, and serve only to hijack the flow and fun of the game rather than add to them, it becomes hard to rationalise their inclusion. But whilst the early game flow is satisfyingly smooth, Brave foils its own plans by introducing layer upon layer of poorly implemented platform clichés. Thankfully, the extremely limited combat system is never called upon to an unreasonable degree and most encounters prove to be quite gleefully fleeting as Brave runs through small hordes of bugs, swiping his one-hit-kill axe and splatting cave walls with pretty beetle juice and subtle lighting effects. But as the tutorial section progresses with commendable pace and Brave is taught a few neat tricks (such as trail hunting, spear-fishing, animal call mimicking and animal possession), the game reveals itself to be a carefree, pared-down but fluid platform adventure, aiming, with some success, to emulate Lego Star Wars' much-praised mix of accessibility (for the kids) and guilty pleasures (for anyone over 10). Initial impressions of the game itself are of an overly simplistic platformer, with pre- Jak and Daxter visuals and some groggy character and camera controls to boot. ![]() Of course, Sony itself pulled the same trick a few years earlier with the dark, gun-loving sequel Jak II, and with both Jak and Ratchet & Clank developing into unashamedly brash, combat-heavy series, perhaps the publisher sees Brave: The Search for Spirit Dancer as its bid to reclaim the platform genre's more traditional tenets, and of course the lucrative pre-teen audience they haul in. BRAVE SEARCH FOR THE SPIRIT DANCER SERIESWhen the latest Sonic character, the gun-toting Shadow the Hedgehog, was unveiled in the spring of last year, there seemed something of a collective tut-tutting from the gaming community and press about the crudity of parading his hefty hand cannon as a series innovation, not to mention the inappropriateness of it for what has always been a child-friendly franchise. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |