Goof Troop

"Gawrsh!"

Story

Goofy and Max, father and son, are fishing one day with their pals near Spoonerville, when they see a pirate ship displayed on the horizon. Before they know it, the pirates have kidnapped their two friends! The two row in pursuit but are no match for the sails of the galleon, which makes the trek to the island where the pirate stronghold that much harder.

...And so begins the tale of Goof Troop, a game based partially off of a semi-dated Disney cartoon. The story's feeble at best, but it shouldn't be judged too harshly based on the audience it's aimed at. Considering the main focus is aimed towards everything but the story (for the most part), the premises can be forgiven.

Gameplay

True to the Disney name, the puzzles are uncomplicated and dumbed-down, the action that happens from the bird's-eye view isn't horribly convoluted, and the concepts are simple: throw things at the bad guys and progress through the screens to complete the sections of the island.

The two-player feature is where the game really shines, since the going is a lot easier when you have two inventories and another set of weapons to fend off the loony baddies, which range from pirates to snakes to killer bees.

Puzzle-solving is one of the core obstacles that the party faces, and these are not that hard to do, even if a few retries are in order. Things like killing all the enemies to open a gate, moving one section of a bridge from here to there, using a rope-gun to cross a chasm, and sliding stones over switches make up the bulk amount of strategy for getting through the game -- it's dumbed-down almost, but not the point where a toddler could walk through it; some skill is involved, and you can't sleepwalk through every screen, either.

Did I mention you can attack your second player (or vice versa)? If you're having a fun time but are hogging the items or killing all the bad guys, perhaps a barrel to the other player's face might get the point across. Just a little "aside" feature that's fun to have, if not for stimulating the in-game rivalry.

Sound

Not a big fan of it, really, but the themes aren't too bad. Tropical at times, brooding at others...it's the flamboyant accomplishment theme that happens you pick up items that's really annoying (to me), though. The high-pitched sound effect that plays when you kill an enemy can also bug a person after awhile. The things are tolerable, though -- they won't make you break the game in two and swear like a sailor.

Replay Value

It's there, but it might have gotten lost in the many, many, many puzzles you have to do to proceed. Two-player playing makes the game go a bit faster, but it seems extremely slow if you don't have it. Personally, after playing through the game once, I wouldn't want to play it over and over unless (a) I had an enthusiastic second player (b) nostalgia got a hold of me or (c) I had to play through for illogical reasons (dementia?). Again, the game's not horrible, just difficult if you don't like repetitious actions

Pros / Cons

+ Gameplay doesn't treat a person like a two-year-old
+ Two-player mode can be incredibly fun
+ Bosses can give you a run for your money
+ You can attack your own player if they're acting off!

- Puzzles aren't geared towards the academic crowd, per se
- Repetitious actions throughout the game
- Brittle plot
- Some sound effects make you want to jump out a window

The Verdict™: Despite its shortcomings, it's a fun game, albeit only if played with a partner who shares the eagerness to play it.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/16/06