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Platform: Nintendo DS
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Publisher: THQ
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Developer: Altron
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Medium: Cartridge
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Players: 1
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Online: No
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Also on: (n/a)
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A fun romp through the jungle, but too short.
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After what could only be characterized as a hate-filled tirade against the Tak series due to the horrors of Tak 2’s Game Boy Advance port, you’d almost expect me to come out against the third version with the same malice and venom. After playing through the DS version, I find myself pleasantly surprised.
“Fish hate me.” Right off the bat, Tak and Lok talk a bit (through text) exposing their chemistry and the humor that I didn’t notice until now. The world comes alive with bright, vivid colors and a depth that the third dimension affords. Yes, before you ask, a third party didn’t do a GBA-to-DS port with some chintzy touchscreen support implemented.
In this new adventure, Tak and Lok are set up in an Olympic-style competition against the rest of the shamanic representatives—each team with a magic wielder and a physical powerhouse. The lead duo are put against the evil Black Mist, the punny Grammazons, a hip-hip duo called the Jibba Jabbas.
Once you get better introduced to the enemies and some of the Jujus, you’re put in a go-kart race for high-scores. This part isn’t as refined as the rest of the game—and although it still holds up graphically, it feels awfully loose compared to the rest of the game. Not only do the controls feel a bit loose, but the sliding physics just don’t feel right.
Platforming levels fare much better, however. Tak: The Great Juju Challenge evokes the feeling of the Crash Bandicoot series pretty well, not only stylistically but also in general feel. Tak and Lok have an advantage, though, as they have an expandable combo and gem system to add some depth to the title. Defeating enemies yields crystals, which can in turn be used as experience points to level up—before long, Tak and Lok have damaging combos that have some great finishers.
As for gems, Tak: The Great Juju Challenge has a system based on “blessing gems.” Simply put, by taking the items lying around each level you can create a gem that will give you additional powers and abilities. Putting a certain gem into an available slot will allow a dashing move, another gem can give you additional strength and life, and so on. It’s a very intuitive system that rewards the player for exploring levels.
DS games need a function for the second screen, and Tak delivers. Although in-game touchscreen functions are limited to camera control and character swapping, minigames that pop up within levels use it more effectively. For example, one has you using Tak’s shamanic power to bounce a sheep through a level. In execution, this specific minigame feels inspired by Nanaca Crash, working wonderfully.
If anything, there are only a couple of major complaints about the game. Length is a major issue, as the game only has a playable span of maybe 2-4 hours. Other than that, the 3D engine is a bit buggy at points—although it is the best third party 3D engine I’ve seen run on the DS so far, a segment where you must throw a sheep into a giant hamster wheel turns into an exercise in trial and error.
However, Tak: The Great Juju Challenge is a great step in the right direction for DS games. It shows that developers can do great 3D visuals, integrate smart touchscreen usage, and even find the time to put a good game behind it. Hopefully the next attempt won't be so short.
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