Tak and the Power of Juju

"Tak and Daxter? Not hardly. Tak-y."

Beware of Infinite Lives Games. That's my new mantra.

This is one of the toughest reviews I've ever written. I'm so utterly conflicted I don't know whether to forget about this review (and the game) entirely or put the game back in and try to get just a bit further. No. I'll keep writing. I gave this game my standard 'a few hours' and 'a few chances' but it just didn't click. Tak is a likeable enough little guy, a bit on the lite side even for my general appeal for this sort of game but he doesn't do anything to drive a person away from the game. On the other hand he doesn't do anything special either. The story is just forgettable on it's face. You know, the typical platformer, 'save everything/everyone' generic hodgepodge. But I love exploration driven platformers so much, I don't care if I don't care for the story. Does that make sense?

The Graphics: 9.4 (Good Gosh!)

Hard to believe it, huh? Isn't this a Nickolodean game? Yes, and this game LOOKS better than just about everything I've seen on any system. It gives all the top plats a run for their money and still I'd say it looks better than Jak and many of the upper tier games getting all the hype. I kept asking myself... "How did the people that spent this much time on the graphics NOT spend MORE time on the actual gameplay...?" Answer: Somethings Gotta Give.

The Gameplay: 4 (Below Average)

I've read many places Tak is linear and you can't get lost, etc. But that really isn't true. Yes, you are prompted by a fairy type being as to what to do 'generally' and often instructed on where to go next. Sounds easy, right? Well, what happens when you miss what was said, fall off a ledge in pursuit of the being, or generally want to explore? You're out of the luck. The ONE sound bit that tells you what you should do or where to go plays ONCE as far as I can tell. I spent A LOT of time turned around and lost.

The combat system is generally infuriating with no lock on and since there is no map, good luck. While we're on the subject of combat... You like to fight... right? How about ALL THE TIME? Even in your own village!! There is a constant threat of these generic 'Stitch' type beasts that make your life hell. While I'm on the subject of LIFE, how about lives...? In the 5-6 hours I spent with this game I probably died 100 times. The life guage is needlessly poor, and the way you get health is generally unclear and unusually thrown together. I could go on at some length about the tedious fetch quests, but why bother?

The hands-on control aspect is decent and shouldn't give the player much problem, the game on the other hand...

The Sound: 6 (above average)

The Jungle themes and different variations played throughout are pretty good. Nothing really stands out but it all fits superbly at the same time. The style of this game and the music are a perfect fit. But, like in many 'me too' plats there is the old bug-a-boo of the repetitive sound bites, and Tak has that in spades. You will hear the same 6 quotes for hours and hours. And not even the decent voice acting can make a person tolerate such few lines.

The Conclusion: 5 (average)

I may like Tak. I may hate Tak. But the real dividing line is I don't want to PLAY Tak. The game just isn't good enough to warrant the type of trial and error Naughty Dog put into Crash, for instance. No matter how good the graphics are, the cinemas are, and the music are, err, is, it means nothing if the player isn't inspired enough to actually play it. If you are looking to strike hidden gold like I felt VeXx was, or Sphinx, you may be dissappointed. However, if you are looking for a lot of exploration, a cheap game, a beautiful world, and can look past the many shoddy and shallow gameplay issues, Tak could be a winner. To me, Tak is just another could have been... still, I have no regrets. For every ten Taks I try I do strike gold now and again.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 08/16/04