Tak usually makes its appearance in 3D platform type of games, but now returns for his second 2D adventure on the DS.
In Tak: Mojo Mistake, the inhabitants of Pupununu village seem to flood our hero with all kinds of requests. Exhausted, Tak decides to use Alchemy to create some helpers, Hackies. Unfortunately, these creatures become out of control, invading the village and Juju realm and causing all kinds of trouble. Tak must now deal with the unruly Hackies and get rid of them, restore peace to the land.
I must admit that initially, I was very confused by the game. It’s a very simple 2D scrolling platformer, where you run around, jump here and there, and whack enemies with your faithful staff. But there were occasions where I couldn’t figure out where to go and what to do. Eventually, I discovered that going to a particular quest area is as simple as just accepting the quest from the quest menu. Instant teleport!
A few other things that puzzled me where actually the environmental puzzles. These were subtle hints that actually had me wondering for quite a while. One of them was a bear, who insisted on throwing me back if I attacked, and wouldn’t budge to let me pass. Nearby, there was a beehive, so my reasoning was hit it and get the bees to swarm the bear. Nope. The solution was actually nearby, a barrel that you can carry, must place under the hive to fill with honey, and throw it at the bear. Took me quite a while to realize I could fill the barrel…
In other cases, there will be switches or blocks to hit, things to break, and animals to carry. The pigs work as trampolines, so you can access higher platforms, while the sheep can be used for a number of things, such as pressing down switches or running on a wheel (like a hamster) to activate the bridge mechanism. After a few stages, I finally got the hang of how to use imagination to solve puzzles and everything just seemed to fit into place after that.
Still, I managed to be confused by the level layout. The stages don’t just span horizontally but vertically as well. You will be going up platforms and elevators, down waterfalls and precipices… In some occasions you will find yourself upside-down too.
Combat is a mix of spells, alchemy and fighting. Tak carries a staff, which has combo attacks. These will be different depending on the type of staff and the upgrades it has. You can upgrade or create new weapons in the alchemy lab in the village. Alchemy and spells are created by mixing ingredients. Pick two, swirl them around and wait for the result. Finding spells and new ingredients is a trial and error process, since you are only given a partial recipe book telling you one of the ingredients, for example, but there are several recipes for the same result.
The basic mechanics are simple and mission-based: pick up quest, go to quest area, come back and talk to the person who you have completed the task for. Store items, upgrade weapons, wash, rinse, repeat. You will be visiting the same areas several times, but your purpose will be different. Depending on the area you visit, you will find different ingredients, anything from flowers to berries, bugs, slugs and crystals.
Some missions require you to find something or complete a task, such as defeat every enemy in a given area. Finding yourself surrounded can result in failure, taking you back to the village without all the goodies you’ve picked up since the start of that mission.
As far as the multiplayer option goes, all you are allowed to do is trade items wirelessly with other players, in order to get more ingredients to discover new recipes for special spells.
Tak: Mojo Mistake is not a bad game, but it does feel repetitive and the way enemies attack seem to force the combat into mindless button-mashing. But that’s not to say it’s not worth playing. The controls are simple enough for everyone to pick up and play, and the item collecting and recipe hunting is in-depth enough to keep the most completist gamer entertained for a good number of hours.
Special thanks to Kristina Kirk and THQ for providing a copy of this title.