It’s not often a game is centered around the mythology of the American Indian (or Native American). How much it’s based on the mythology and how much is made for game mechanics is something I can’t answer. I can, however, tell you how good it is. The game is pretty fun to play, even though the premise isn’t as fresh as it could be.
The game starts almost right off with “saving the princess”, which I have to admit turned me off to the game pretty quickly. You don’t actually work to save Meadow Flower, that’s done in the first cut scene. Still, it disappointed me that a new game, one aimed more at kids would still use such an outdated plot device. Fortunately, I had to keep playing to write the review.
The game itself is pretty simple, and most of the controls are intuitive and very easy. What may not occur to you will come up as a help tip. There’s a single attack button that can be used normally, charged in an attack, or used in a jump. Early on you’re given a double jump, that gives you easier access to areas that you need to… well, jump to. As I said, pretty basic; but then, that’s as it should be.
You play as Brave, a young boy wanting to grow up and prove himself a warrior. Gray Bear is your guide, your mentor, your Obi-Wan. He guides you through the quest, speaking to you through a stone. Most of the time it’s helpful and it comes during an opportune time. Other times, Gray Bear seems a little too much like Otis (see Dead Rising), buzzing and telling you things he’s said repeatedly, or stating the blatantly obvious. Once, he actually buzzed me about a minute into a battle with a bear to tell me the bear was awake. I felt like yelling “Yes, I did notice the large ball of fur with sharp claws that’s trying to kill me, thank you.”
While the game mechanics are pretty easy, the game can be surprisingly difficult. Not incredibly difficult, just more than I was expecting anyway. Most of the time, even if you’re swarmed with enemies, it doesn’t take much to keep alive. Some enemies take more damage than most, and that’s where it can be more difficult thank you expect. Of course, this is where the limited power increase comes in.
From things you kill and plants around you, you can fill up meters (how many power bars you get depends on how many feathers you have). Using this helps you take out enemies much faster. There are a few elements that make it more unique than some other platformers. You can make a call to various animals to open paths up to you, find hidden things, or help you out.
There are also places where you can do a chant and a dance to possess a particular animal. The possession is limited and you have to keep getting these glowing things to keep you in possession of the animal.
There are also places where you do a different chant and dance to summon various animal forms to aid in your quest. The bear form is pretty fun, using swipes, Area Of Effects stomps, roars, and even EAT enemies.
There are various weapons you use as well, such as a branch (on fire or not) a hatchet, bow and arrows, and more.
While the game is pretty fun, veteran gamers won’t find anything particularly new about the story. It’s a pretty common one, based on similar themes as – believe it or not – Star Wars. (This is the second Star Wars reference I’ve made, but without giving too much away, it’s not without reason.) It is a game aimed at 10 year to 13 year olds, so I can’t fault them too much for it. However, since the female character needs rescuing twice, I was considerably more disappointed in the plot than I would have been otherwise. This is a game that otherwise is pretty friendly to both girls and boys, but it is pretty frustrating to see another game that fails to use female characters other than rescue bait. However, that is my only real complaint about the game.
The graphics are quite pretty, especially the environments. Environments are varied as well, so it certainly isn’t boring to look at. Whether they are responsible for the slow load times I encountered, I don’t know. It doesn’t load that often, which is nice, but when it does, it takes longer than most games. The character models look good from a moderate distance, and the style of the characters are fun. Sometimes up close they look kind of goofy. The animations for Brave and the enemies are particularly well done.
As for sound, the voice acting isn’t anything spectacular, but the music is well done and sometimes very pretty to listen to as well as providing some great atmosphere. The sound effects are well done, too, fitting in very well with the environments and situations.
In the end, the game is actually quite fun for any age, though some of the things that happen might be too scary for very young children. The game may be somewhat simplistic for veteran gamers, but it can still be surprisingly fun. Aside from the slow yet infrequent load times, an occasionally Otis-like Gray Bear, and the “rescue the princess” schtick, the game is as well done as it is fun to play.
Special thanks to Amanda Hughes and South Peak for providing a copy of this title.