The Disney movie Treasure Planet, for those that are not familiar with it, is an updated adventure based on the timeless classic by Robert Louis Stevens; this novel was of course titled Treasure Island, which was first published in 1911. The story of Treasure Planet is set in a quasi-futuristic world, mixed in with the general feel of the 1800s, which was the setting for the original story. Like the original story, you are on the hunt for a legendary treasure, but, instead of hunting for a mysterious island, you are in search of a mysterious planet, which has been said to be home for the “loot of a thousand worlds”.

Now graphically, the settings in Treasure Planet are put together fairly well, however, nothing fantastic or groundbreaking here to see. At first glance, it looks like you are going to be in for a colorful ride, set in a vibrant, magical Disney world. However, this effect wears off very quickly as you start to see the dull, brownish settings again, and again. Once you get past the somewhat drab atmosphere, you will find that Treasure Planet is a platform game that has plenty of great concepts worked into in it. For example, the solar surfing levels give you a great feel for the world that Bizarre Creations was trying to produce, but, the lack of levels that immerse you into the game are far too few and far in-between. The characters are actually this game’s saving grace, with the voice talents of the movie used for the characters in the game, along with the signature Disney art being used for the basis of the character designs.

As one would expect from a platform title, our hero, Jim Hawkins, has a number of different moves that he can perform during his quest for the Treasure Planet. The normal assortments of moves, such as jumping, attacking, crouching, and sneaking are included. But team Jim up with his buddy, Morph, and you gain a number of various other moves. Morph changes his body into a variety of items to give Jim a hand during their journey. Cyborg arms for lifting heavy objects, jetpack for flying, as well as Speed boots for that extra burst of speed you might need, and that is just to name a few. While you are not solar surfing, which plays like a really poor, choppy rendition of the popular Tony Hawk series, the gameplay feels suspiciously like another PlayStation 2 classic, Jax and Daxter. But without the genuine charm and airtight controls that made, Jax and Daxter, so successful.

As with all businesses, in the gaming industry, timing is everything. If Treasure Planet was not released alongside the likes of Sly Cooper and Ratchet and Clank then perhaps it could have been considered to be an above average 3D platform adventure game. But with other games in the same genre raising the bar for how these games will be judged from here forth; leaves Treasure Planet, with all of its sub-par aspects, to be the oddball out. After the holidays, when there is a new release drought, I would definitely suggest to give this game a try, by that time it should be in your local EB’s bargain bin.