Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams

"Tak is Back in a Witty Game That Tops the Original."

Many people saw the commercial for "Tak and the Power of Juju", the original Tak video game. Quite a few thought the game looked cool, and I'm willing to bet many thought the the music in the commercial was awesome. I was one of those people. I excitedly purchased the first game, entranced by it for no reason really. Was the 1st game fun? You bet. Did it blow me away? Nah, not really. But it served its purpose and entertained me for a few days, and I got quite the few laughs out of its humorous charm. So when I heard the sequel to the game, "Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams" was coming out, I was, once again, excited, and hurriedly purchased my copy, locked myself in my room, and played rarely-stopped wild boy fun.

Now, onto the review.

Plot – 8.5/10. So, here's the rundown. You're Tak, the young hero of the Pupanunu people. Last game, you adventured everywhere, battled some baddies, collected 100 freaking yorbels, ripped this dead dude's arm off, defeated the evil Tlaloc, saved the Moon Juju and the Pupanunu tribe, went through puberty a tad, blah blah blah, and now Tak's decided to catch up on his sleep. That's the problem. Tak has been staying asleep for days upon days. While he sleeps, he is in the abstract dream world, whereupon he meets the mysterious Dream Juju. It is then that Tak learns that he must rescue a princess being held captive by the almighty Dream Guardian, the ruler of the dream world. The Guardian wields the omnipotent Staff of Dreams, and is quite a tough contender. Tak must journey for days through the dream world and rescue the princess. After a short journey through part of the dream world, Tak wakes up, knowing he must somehow get back to the dream world and save the princess. With the help of shaman, Jabolba, blundering idiot Lok, and countless psychotic Juju spirits, Tak must journey to the home of JB, Jabolba's dream-savvy brother, so that the young hero can save the princess from the dream world.

…It's a bit better than how it sounds.

Is the plot the most original, mind-blowing story I've ever heard? No. But this is Tak, not Final Fantasy, so my expectations aren't really that high. I actually do like the plot, and there is a bit of twist that you will either call from the beginning of the game or not see coming. The plot does what it needs to do and sets up the game, and that's that.

Graphics - 8/10. I think the graphics in this game are very well done, better than the 1st, but not by much. They're very vibrant, colorful, and engaging. The variation of graphics in the different environments, such as the snowy, white mountains, the green sloppy swamps, or the odd abstract dream world, the graphics deliver and set the tone. The characters, both human and Juju, look realistic in that, you know, cartoon way. However, there are a couple minor flaws. Sometimes, the environments are too dark, and it'll mess you up. I've gotten lost several times or entered areas I wasn't supposed to enter, because the darkness meshes with the environment far too much, making it difficult to navigate. My only other problem is that while some stages are shining diamonds, others are just...plain old stones. The artists didn't get lazy, but why do they try to blow us away with some levels and then follow them with bland, mediocre graphics in other levels? But other than that, the graphics are excellent for what this game is. It's not a high-budget Zelda or Mario game, and for being that the graphics are brilliant.

Music - 7/10. The music in this game is not too bad. It fits the environment and sets the tone, which is what it's meant to do. However, it's really nothing too special. You won't find yourself humming these tunes or anything, but I guess that's because majority of the soundtrack is tribal-esque, so it's not THAT appealing. However, the music does its job and blends with the game and environment, so there's really not much to complain, or talk, about.

Sound – 9.5/10. There's not too much to talk about here, either. The sound effects fit the environment and fit the game. It blends with the environment, and the majority of the sound effects are spot on. One sound here or there sounds a little awkward, but it's really nothing that deteriorates from the game. Along with the nice sound effects is excellent voice acting. The voices of the characters are nice, not annoying, humorous, and fitting. Best voice acting in the world? I wouldn't say that. But the actors do a good job, particularly in the funny cut scenes; you really can't help but laugh at the acting, and when I say that, I mean it in a good way.

Control - 9/10. For the most part, the controls in this game are smooth. They're pretty simple too. Run. Jump. Strike. But as the game progresses you start getting new skills and you learn combos and tricks, insuring that the controls don't get stale as the game goes on. Eventually you start to use magic for various purposes, such as beating down groups of Woodies or, in the later half of the game, morphing into animals. The controls for the different animals are more basic than for the human Tak, and it's obviously more limited, but there's really nothing wrong with the controls. Sometimes getting the camera to move with Tak can be a little annoying, but the controls are fine, and won't get in your way of completing this game.

Gameplay - 8/10. It's different from the 1st game. I can summarize the gameplay in one sentence: A linear adventure with mini-games, retrieving, and collecting along the way. The first half of the game focuses on one thing and one thing only: getting to the end of the level. You follow a path, marked by feathers that will restore your health and magic, solving simple puzzles, destroying evil Woodies, and annoying animals (I'm surprised PETA hasn't thrown blood on this game). When I say the puzzles are simple, they are simple, except for a small few. However, if you're stuck, Jabolba (who is journeying with you in flea form) can offer you advice. You will be constantly battling Woodies, smashing the A button and swinging your Thwark to kick some wood. Annoying the animals is fun, but they are crucial to your journey, and you will find that fat bear bellies and stinky skunk spray can come in loads of handy. At one point in most levels you will find that you're stuck and can't continue your path. But never fear, for there are Juju spirits that can help you! All you need to do is find a shrine and a corresponding summoning tiki and BAM, you got yourself a brainless, pink gargantuan spirit who talks with his stomach. No, I'm not kidding, but he WILL help you. Usually after summoning a spirit you have to retrieve something for them, and upon retrieving it for them they will help you, and you can advance and complete the level. Woohoo now you get to go to the next level and (probably) do what you just did last level.

Coinciding with the real world levels are the dream world levels…they're really nothing different. You just smash a couple of nightmare monsters, advance through the level, defeat a demi-boss and wake up. Oh, but instead of following a path of feathers, you follow a path of Mana balls. That's really it.

There are also a couple of river levels that you will either fly through in a barrel or slip down in a canoe. They're a nice change of pace, and they are very quick and actually pretty exciting. You just have to get to the end, dodging giant rocks and enemies and hopefully surviving. I'm glad they threw these in, simply because they're different from what you've been doing.

Towards the end of the game, the objective the levels change. Instead of just making it to the end, you now must collect twenty pieces of a rift/portal that you will need to chase bad guys. But don't fear, for now you have the power to morph into two animals. Fans of the first game will be thrilled with this portion…at first. But, it's really not THAT amazing. It's just a pain to collect the rift, and changing into animals may look awesome, but it really isn't anything special. The levels become stale and it just gets boring, and in some parts, frustrating.

And if you get bored of all of this? No problem. Save your game, and take some time out to play some mini games you can unlock. The mini games are, in my opinion, very fun, and they are a nice change up, especially after journeying through several levels.

One thing I might just want to point out – there really aren't any boss battles in this game. Majority of them are at the end, but there are a scarce few in the beginning in middle. However, the majority of them are the same guy powered up several times, and the others more of a mass battle than a boss.

The gameplay is a lot of the same, but in general it's good. There's not much to complain about other than the collecting stages, but other than that there's no big flaws. The game is much more linear than the 1st game, and you may love it or hate it, but the gameplay is good enough to entertain you, and that's all that really matters.

Challenge - 6/10. I really don't know what to give this one. This game is meant to be a kids game, and for the most part it's simplistic with fun and light puzzles. But randomly, you'll get slammed with a near-impossible part that will have you wanting to throw your controller at the TV. There's 2 anger-inducing parts in particular, and it's annoying, because a game's difficulty should be consistent, or it should raise in a consistent pace. There shouldn't be an impossible part in one stage, and then no challenge at all in another stage.

Replay Value – 6.5/10. I don't think you'll be dieing to play through this game that many times, but you probably will give it another whirl after a couple months, when you're bored and waiting for the next big game of another series to come out. The main replay value comes from the mini-games, but other than that, you really won't be dieing to play this game. I've played this game twice, and that's it, I'm really not tempted to play it that much anymore.

FUN - 9/10. I will give this game it's credit, as irritating and linear as it is, it is an extremely entertaining and whimsical game. The cut scenes, the script, the acting will have you snickering non-stop. You will enjoy the compelling characters, particularly the witty variation of Jujus. You'll love manipulating the animals and bopping the gibberish-screaming Woodies back to Sunday. Other than the irritating-as-sin parts, the game is very fun and different. I can't repeat it enough. The game is fun. It's fun. It's FUN. And that's why we buy video games in the first place! It does its job!

Bonus Points – 2, because I can't get enough of the humor.

Plot – 8.5/10
Graphics – 8/10
Music – 7/10
Sounds – 9.5/10
Control – 9/10
Gameplay – 8/10 x 2 = 16/20
Challenge – 6/10
Replay Value – 6.5/10
FUN – 9/10
Bonus Points – 2.
Total Score – 81.5/10.

“Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams” for the Nintendo Gamecube gets an 8/10.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/19/07