Alton and Disney Interactive have brought a new, refreshing sequel to the Phineas and Ferb franchise. Phineas and Ferb are back for more puzzling mazes, eventful action sequences and interactive gadget inventions all in the palm of your hands.
Phineas and Ferb: Ride Again follows two young stepbrothers whose love for building inventions leads them onto several adventures. The game features four levels, all which are unique and contain several components used to construct and upgrade various types of gadgetry within the worlds. Their sidekick, Perry the Platypus, also tags along in their adventures and acts as a save point throughout the worlds. However, you’ll soon discover that Perry has other motives other than acting as a checkpoint. After the defeat of each world, Perry will sneak away to his secret agent hideout, where he is known as Agent P, and seeks to foil the evil plans of Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz.
Candace, Phineas and Ferb's sister, also makes her cameo in the game and will do whatever it takes to “bust” the boys to their mother. But, like the television show, their plans always get covered up before Candace can reveal to their mother what their true motives are. She also acts as a health meter in the game.
With the beginning of each new level, the boys will encounter friends from the television show that are in need of their expertise, thus unlocking the levels to seek out special parts needed to repair whatever it is they need to. The dialogue is short between characters from the show, offering hints and tips to the boys to help them advance in the game.
The gameplay of Phineas and Ferb was decent and part of this was due to the camera angles, which were side scrolling, making the gameplay easier. The controls were smooth, except at times when there was a sort of delay when switching between Phineas or Ferb for certain tasks. Playing as Ferb was annoying, since he would fall almost all the time when trying to jump over to other platforms, causing Candace to become restless and the health meter to decrease.
I enjoyed each level because they were interactive with the player, involving them with the DS pad. For example, to obtain health items, you had to blow on the screen for Phineas or Ferb to blow down the item. The obstacles in each level ensured that there was always something more to do in that you either had to solve a puzzle to get between platforms or get through a tedious maze to reach the next tool box. The mini-games used to upgrade gadgets or fix broken ones were very entertaining. For example, one of the mini-games was hammering nails into their spots, if you hit to hard, the nail would become bent and you would have to restart. It almost seemed a bit sensitive at times, but made it feel realistic nonetheless.
Unfortunately, there were a few glitches within the game. In the second world, there was a moment where I had to press a switch to open a force field and open a toolbox that contained a part needed for repair. Upon walking up to the force field there was an option to open the tool box. I didn't have to press the button to shut the force field off. In the third world, a few times I encountered a pile of components to gather, but I couldn't get the button to work for the pile to become lose. Aside from these glitches, the overall graphics of the game were done quite well for being on the DS. Granted it's not compared to the most realistic type graphics, but how it's styled as a cartoon, I thought each frame flowed smoothly, movements weren't jumpy, and the colors were nice and vibrant.
The audio of the game isn't anything but okay. It's no Beethoven piece, but it was decent enough for the audience the game is geared towards. However, the music is on constant repeat, forcing me to mute it at times. The sound effects for the individual characteristics of the game I thought were done well. The drill gadget sounded like a drill, breaking rocks sounded exactly what the name states, and everything else seemed to be on key.
Within each of the four levels, there are opportunities to locate a bonus level. This bonus level would feature techniques that were used on the level it was unlocked. The one I played involved hot air balloons and blowing on the screen to keep you afloat. But, I had to ensure that my character didn't fly the balloon into spikes, which proved difficult many times. At the end, you gained special components to use for building or regained health that you may have lost.
After obtaining the necessary parts at the end of each level to either help rebuild or customize gadgets the boys have in mind, another mini-game comes into play. A few were: skateboarding against fellow characters of the television show, riding carts through the mines, spaceship travel and another involving surfboards. Placing first in the mini-games allows the game to be unlocked and re-playabled in the D-gamer option on the menu. In the multiplayer, players can compete and play with their friends and share up to four cool rides via the DS download play and through the Ad hoc multiplayer.
The game was enjoyable, but only to a degree. I see this game being loved by younger generations and fans of the show. It presented several dynamic interactive technologies to make it a more hands on experience and eventually it became second nature. A few elements shined, while some lacked. Definitely deserves a second look.
~Alyssa Bogie
6/10
Solid
No comments:
Post a Comment