Samurai Jack: The Amulet of Time

"Cartoon Network fans, this is your game."

Samurai Jack is one of my favorite Cartoon Network original cartoons. I'm also a fan of Dexter's Lab and Power Puff Girls but their games have all been less than wonderful. Naturally, I didn't expect this game to be much better. I was pleasently suprised when I played this game for the first time.

Let me start with how good this game looks. The opening scene uses all of the 7 layers that the GBA allows (The logo, a foreground, Jack's sprite, and 4 scrolling backgrounds). It's not the first game to use this technique but, it does add to the feel of the game.

Like the show, the game uses the same art style. Even Jack's sprite is similar to the show with his gi and hair flowing in the wind. One of the better looking effects is how his sword blurs. Even the NPCs look highly detailed, giving this game a really polished look.

From the opening scene and throughout the game, the music in this game tries to wow you. When the game first gets started, you hear the show's theme song, words and all. The music within the stages fit the mood and set the pace nicely. The music gives you a very distinct asian feel and is of higher quality than a lot of games out there.

The sound effects aren't this game's high point but, they get the job done. Jack's feet make noise wether he's running or walking. His sword wooshes through the air when you miss an attack and clangs when you hit a target. Jack makes a swishing sound as he leaps into the air and makes a decent thud when he lands.

The sound is decent and the graphics are great but none of this matters without solid gameplay. So how is the gameplay? Samurai Jack wants to be Castlevania so badly but it falls just short of legendary. You don't level up as in the newer Castlevania games but your stats are listed in the same manner. You can equip armor and rings to improve your stats along with magic gems that add spells to your sword.

The melee fight engine is somewhat flawed because many times, you'll get hit mid-swing. Thankfully, they added a block feature to address this. Even with the block, you'll take damage from certain attacks so, you have to be on your toes. If you're skilled, you can come up with some pretty fearsome combos. Of course, if you just want to run through it, you can without getting into too many fights but, the combat is so good looking that you'll want to get into a few fights here and there.

The boss fights get somewhat hard at times, but since you can use any one of the highly abundant heal potions at any time, the difficulty is severly reduced.

My only complaint about the game is how short it is. It's as fun and action packed as you would expect a Samurai Jack game to be but, it has no extras and leaves you craving a sequel afterwards. Some collectable extras or extra modes would add to the replay of this game. The only extra now is that there are two endings. The second ending leads you to belive that there'll be a sequel, featuring the Scotsman. Perhaps a two-player game? One can only hope.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/13/03, Updated 04/13/03