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Intro Seems Madame Charmaine has gone missing and you, her self proclaimed "3rd favorite" voodoo doll have become aware and it's up to you to try and find and rescue her. Welcome back to the world of the 3D platformer, my friend, with a twist of New Orleans sprinkled throughout to help spice it up. Gameplay: 7/10 Those familiar with the genre of 3D platformers, or platform game in general, will find a lot of similar moves here. The classic double jump. Jump and Hover. Jump and smash the opponent with your skull. The targeted grappling hook. The spinning attack. Stop me if you've been down this road before. The familiarity of the mechanisms make the game extremely easy to pick up and play without benefit of having read a War and Peace length manual before embarking. That's a refreshing thing in and of itself. Voodoo Vince has a lot more than that to offer, however, and it merits discussion. Platform games (of all types) have always been dependent upon the main character being charismatic and engaging, and in this respect Voodoo Vince succeeds brilliantly. The quick witted cynical remarks before engaging an enemy are humorous, as are the one liners that follow each successive death and use of a "life". There isn't any reason to spoil any of them, but a wry smile is bound to escape once in a while. Equally, he's just dopey enough looking that you have to feel a bit sympathetic for him. He looks like a third rate doll. If one pauses for long enough he'll start taking his eye in and out of its socket in boredom. The game boasts over 30 levels of double jump action where you have to recover Madame Charmaine and the special zombie dust that is stolen. Apparently, a little bit leaked out and the trail is easy to follow because of the idiocy of the lackeys of the perpetrator, Kosmo. He doesn't seem altogether there, either. The actual play mechanics are standard fare. Double jump and hover here to get the extra life (heart) or jump there towards small platforms surrounded by water (which will destroy you) to get to a Zombie Dust Bag (power-up). Of course, the mainstay of collecting 100 bottles that will give you an extra life is also here. One area where Voodoo deviates significantly from platform games of lore is that each area requires you to solve a puzzle. Some can be painfully simple, like making a loud noise to wake up the guard of the gate and lead him down a path. Others are far more intricate, wherein certain establishments are only open at certain times and you have to go and change the clock to "trick" them into opening. Each of these places will require that you have something specific before you can accomplish the task and move on to the next. Finally, you'll gain access to the boss once the puzzle is solved. While that might seem overly complex, it really isn't. If pressed hard enough, there will be clues given to you or Vince himself will wonder something aloud which is meant to be a nudge to you, the player. The puzzles are the game's greatest strength, along with the engaging characters that you'll encounter along the way. Voodoo's weakest area, however, is in the platform gameplay that is more polished in other 3D platform games. Specifically, the camera can become a huge issue in the toughest areas on any given level. For example, if you have a "heart" power up in a difficult to reach location, it can be extremely difficult to gage how far away that ledge is and sometimes you can't even see it, no matter how much you try to manipulate the camera. You're forced to take the proverbial leap of faith and hope for the best. Equally, in a certain boss fight you'll climb a metallic stairwell to reach a platform that has an area where you must perform a specific task. Only, the camera swings 180 degrees in the middle of your movement and you'll go flying off the platform to start over again. The game should be able to keep pace with the player without the player having anxiety about camera angles. Much
has been made of Vince's Voodoo Power Icon's, in which you inflict damage upon
Vince (such as slicing him in half or getting sandwiched between trains) and the
attack is also extended to whatever opponent the character happens to be fighting.
While this is a somewhat unique idea, it seems to be horribly underdeveloped and
plays like little more than an added attack. That isn't necessarily a bad thing,
as it doesn't detract from the quality of the title but it feels like an area
that could've been explored considerably further.
Graphics: 8.5/10 Sound:
9/10 Control:
8/10 Overall:
8/10 [ top ] | |||
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