I come from a time when cartoons had been meant to entertain, not transfer toy strains. As such, I by no means had any curiosity in The Smurfs. The one ones I can title from reminiscence are Papa Smurf, Woman Smurf, Posh Smurf and Evening Practice.
So, why am I reviewing The Smurfs – Goals? As a result of the one time I did get into the Smurfs was via a online game. One child in my neighborhood had a Colecovision, and the sport I most loved taking part in on it was Smurf Rescue in Gargamel’s Fort. Might’ve been the music. May’ve been the mistimed audio results. Almost certainly, it was that you can die by strolling right into a fence or a tuft of grass. Not precisely a hero’s loss of life.
Video video games have come a good distance for the reason that Colecovision. Have The Smurfs themselves? I can’t touch upon the present, however The Smurfs – Goals has achieved a stable job of dragging these moneymakers into twenty first century 3D platformer gaming.
The premise is that Gargamel has tainted the Smurfs’ communal dinner, inflicting all of them to go to sleep. Papa Smurf figures out what’s happening, and duties your character with infiltrating their goals to wake all of them up. That is all advised by way of a surprisingly rudimentary animation. Contemplating the supply materials, would it not have made sense to imitate the ’80s cartoon right here?
If the finances as a substitute went to gameplay, then developer Ocellus made the precise alternative. Your smurf—alone or with a co-op accomplice—bounces from Papa Smurf’s magical pillow up right into a dreamverse the place you’ll be able to swim to constellations that include the 3D platforming motion. Every stage places your smurf(s) on a linear path of puzzle fixing, platforming, and enemy elimination with a purpose to attain the nightmare of the smurf you’re liberating from the dream.
The fight by no means actually will get too troublesome, as a substitute holding you concerned by offering new gadgets and skills as you progress. Your smurf can briefly float to achieve distant ledges or hover in place whereas ready for transferring platforms to fall into place. This makes a few of the platforming extra accessible to youthful or newer players, though the assistance largely received’t be mandatory in case you’re not chasing the varied collectibles. Solely a pair instances did I discover myself caught behind a difficult phase. I used to be stunned, nevertheless, by the variety of collectibles I utterly missed on my approach via.
Recreation ranges are damaged into small chunks linked by a rail that your smurf surfs to achieve the following. They supply a pleasant visible transition between segments that signifies the builders had been eager to maintain you connected to those colourful worlds.
The graphics all through are very nice. And since every stage is connected to a unique smurf’s dream, they modify up in intelligent methods. I particularly acquired a kick out of a world coated in a sticky icing that made it not possible for my smurf to leap. The Smurfs – Goals introduces gimmicks like this all through the sport, so there’s at all times one thing new to work out.
The soundtrack deserves a particular point out, too. It’s appropriately majestic when the motion requires it, however in any other case creates a dreamy environment that displays the The Smurfs – Goals visuals and themes. Because of this, the sport by no means feels low-cost or annoyingly infantile.
My solely actual criticism is that it’s too brief. Whether or not you’re taking part in this alone or serving to the children via it, the sport’s over too quickly. Credit score the builders for making us need extra, however I want they’d given it to us. DLC is on the market, but it surely’s all beauty. As such, the one technique to prolong gameplay past a handful of hours is to chase down 100% completion. That makes the sport’s $40 asking value a bit hefty.
Nonetheless, in case you’re a fan of the supply materials or of intelligent 3D platforming generally, there’s sufficient in The Smurfs – Goals to shock and entertain all through. That makes two Smurfs video games which have caught me off-guard. I suppose I owe it to them to be taught their names now. Was there a Nick? Joe?
