"A good first try into the gaming world by Ubisoft, but nothing special"

Overview-Sprung is the first foray into the gaming world by French company Ubisoft, and their partner, Guillemot. Sprung is a "dating simulation," according to Ubisoft, basically a text-based adventure, with an interesting theme, of course. It was released on December 8, 2004 in the U.S., and in early 2005 in Australia and Europe for the Nintendo DS.

Story-7/10
Welcome to Snow Bird, a hotel and ski resort set in the picturesque Rocky Mountains. People ski and participate in other winter sports during the day, but the real fun starts after the sun sets, and the nightlife kicks into high gear with clubs, restaurants, and *GASP* hot tubs! The story revolves around Becky and Brett, who have come to the mountain, and all of the sudden find themselves pulled into a hot dating scene where everyone has something to offer.

This also sets the scene for various scenarios that happen with the Brett, Becky, and their many friends. A good story, but nothing special, and the plot is quite predictable, although a few of the characters are memorable, such as Leanne, one of the "rich girls" on the mountain, (she comes complete with a Southern accent, and a quirky, yet perky personality) and if you're playing as Becky, you can either make friends with her, or make her your worst enemy, depending on what you choose. And don't worry, Brett has his share of rivals too!

Graphics-7/10
The game is all 2D drawings that animate depending on how the character is feeling (i.e. embarrassed, happy, angry), with different backgrounds also depending on where you are in the game. Although you'll have to imagine the many kisses and people punching eachother that happen during the game. The person you're talking to appears on the top screen, and you appear on the bottom, it's cool, and actually makes it feel like you're having a conversation with someone. While it's nothing special, the characters are well-drawn, and the animations are smooth and fluid, no slowdown or anything. (Not that there should be!)

Sound-7/10
Also completely average and unexceptional, but done well. There is different music for the different locations in the game. The music sets the mood well. If you are in the Sanctuary, the local club, the music is funky/dance, with a good rhythm. If you're in the Tap Room, the premier restaurant in the game, the music is all piano and violins, soft and romantic. It can get repetitive, though. You can change the way the music sounds in the Extras menu, but it doesn't make too much of a difference.

Gameplay-6/10
The problem is that with adventure games like Sprung, for the game to be any fun, the developers either have to have really, really good writing, or have a revolutionary concept. (Like the Phoenix Wright games, for instance) Otherwise, it just ends up with you randomly picking options and not having a good time, and, unfortunately, that's what Sprung ends up being. I can tell that Sprung's developers were definitely trying to inject some fun into Sprung's dialogue, with various wisecracks and such, but their efforts ultimately fell flat. Let's face it, underneath the shiny box, this game is no more than average fare, with an interesting concept, of course. The gameplay usually boils down to randomly choosing lines to say to the boy/girl you're trying to woo, or making up lame excuses for the trouble you're in. The conversations you can have branch out often to different topics, and you can often win a level in more than one way.

But most of the time, you end up winning a level by trial and error, either memorizing the lines you must say, or blindly stabbing at conversation topics in the hopes of getting through the level with your reputation unscathed. On the upside, some of the dialogue is (sometimes) laugh-out-loud funny, and the game lets you pick to play as the boy (Brett) or the girl (Becky). You can also unlock "golden lines" by saying the right things, and unlocking enough of these opens the path to bonus scenarios. There is also an art gallery with some concept art and pictures.

Play Time-5/10
It took me about 4 hours to beat Becky's Story, and 5 hours to beat Brett's Story. Of course, there are the multiple endings, different conversation paths, and other things to consider (With Becky, you can choose to be either a waitress or a fashion model, which changes the story quite a bit)

After that, unless you really like the game, you might want to put it up for a while, focus on other games, and maybe come back to it later, and it will seem like a brand new game. (Provided you don't completely memorize every way to beat every level!) So it's quite a bit shorter than most other games, and would probably be considered short even for a text-based adventure. But it's enjoyable while it lasts.

Replay Value-5/10
The problem with adventure-based games is that they often have little incentive to replay through. This is no exception, but the game is enjoyable enough to pick up and playthrough again, especially if you haven't played it for a while. Of course, having the option to play as Brett and Becky both add a little bit of replay value. You can try to unlock all the items in the "Museum," which stores all items you've unlocked in the game. You can also try to unlock all artwork in the "Gallery."

This game IS NOT worth a full $30, or even $15, but I picked mine up for $5, which makes the game an excellent value as a portable time-waster. Luckily, you can find this game for budget price nowadays, as it is quite old, and it wasn't very successful.

Final Thoughts-This game is a text-based adventure with occasionally funny writing, not to mention the predicaments your character gets into can be funny at times too. And a few of the characters are memorable.

But it's let down by a less than stellar gameplay structure, dialogue that's funny as often as it is inappropriate or boring, (Games like Sprung live for funny wisecracks and such. But what's supposed to be funny can also be interpreted as insensitive, racist, and rude. The writing style used in the game is supposed to be funny, but it sometimes is a little over the top with racial slurs that can be offensive. Quite a bit of profanity is also included in this game, if I'd known, I probably would not have gotten this game. Point is, be careful, I don't think the game is appropriate for people younger than, oh, my age, I guess. (Which is 14) And even then...) barely any replay value, and a glitch that makes the last wallpaper in the Gallery unavailable for unlocking.

But all in all it's a decent game, especially for being one of the first games available for the Nintendo DS when it first came out. It just doesn't stand out from the crowd too much. I'd say, if you can find this game for less than $10 (which shouldn't be too hard), it's a good buy. (If you're not too offended by the tons of language and racist remarks, of course...)

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 10/29/07, Updated 03/27/08

Game Release: Sprung (US, 12/08/04)