Finding Nemo

"Help Marlin find... er... Fabio? What was his name again? I forgot..."

There's something to be said for how entertaining the movie Finding Nemo proved to be. Now, in this video game you will take control of Marlin, Nemo, and Dory in their quests to be reunited.

Plot:

If you have seen Finding Nemo, you know the plot. Marlin is a single father and overprotective clownfish who can't tell a good joke if he tried. Nemo is his son, the only one left after a terrible disaster ravaged all of Marlin's deceased wife's eggs, and he has a bum fin. Nemo doesn't like Marlin's protectiveness, and so, in a rebellious streak on his first day of school (which in itself makes Marlin insanely nervous,) he goes to touch what Sandy Plankton calls a "butt"--in other words, a boat. However, Nemo gets captured by scuba divers, while they only take a photo of Marlin. Now, Marlin decides to brave the ocean in order to find his son, with the help of Dory, a fish Marlin meets who has "short-term memory loss". Meanwhile, Nemo finds himself a new pet of a dentist in Sidney, Australia, and tries to help the other captured fish escape.

The plot is, as can be surmised, exactly the same as the movie, and the game takes you through the movie--with even a few scenes taken directly from the movie!

Gameplay:

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming... You also may solve a few puzzles, play hide 'n seek with the fish in the tank, get chased by sharks and anglerfish, race Dory, hop along on top of jellyfish, or push a bouncy ball along underwater. There's lots of things for you to do, but that doesn't keep the game from feeling a bit boring at times. You may find that certain levels in the game appeal to you more than others, as some are more puzzle/race-oriented than others.

Sometimes Marlin and Dory have to work together as a team to allow them to both pass through areas where usually only Dory could muscle through or Marlin could fit through.

There are a slew of things that can harm you, though, from noxious gas bubbles to tiny, squishy things, to large anglerfish, to pinchy crabs. Tiny krill provide some health. Your job on each level is to make it until the end.

Controls:

The controls are simple--joystick to swim around, A to swim a bit faster, B to dart a bit further ahead. They don't really get any more complex than that, although you can occasionally pick things up or swim through passageways that call for a different button. The controls are simple to master, but if you don't like your controls too simple, it may annoy you.

Sound:

The sound is okay, with somewhat soothing ocean melodies to more dramatic bits when you're being chased. The voices are good and the tiny krill shout "Swim away!" and "Watch out!" The sequences from the movie, of course, have excellent sound.

Replayability:

There are several things you can do to earn a star on a level. You may need to replay the levels to collect all of the stars. Other than that, there's really no reason to replay any of the levels unless you find them fascinating for some reason. You probably won't.

Challenge:

This game actually requires some human intellect. The puzzles, if they aren't really your cup of tea, may bother you. If you don't pay attention, you'll have to start over frequently. (You can't "die" in this game.) It isn't very difficult, though; in fact, it isn't very difficult at all.

Buy or Rent?

If you have a younger brother or sister who is a large fan of the movie, then you may want to consider buying it. Otherwise, it probably won't take too long to beat all 18 levels of this game.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 08/14/06