Ed, Edd n Eddy: Jawbreakers!

" Fire hydrants, children, little dogs, and jawbreakers, oh my!"

In the world of cartoon to game crossovers things are often hit and miss. It seems to be this way with every TV-licensed game that I've picked up. Every now and then there is a hidden treasure buried in the mess of Nickelodeon/Disney cartoon translations that have made it to the Game Boy, but these games are few and far between. The Lost Viking's formula has risen from its grave (thanks to Crave) and is now implemented into a cartoon-inspired romp that's heavy on inspiration, light on delivery, and exempt from replay value. Unfortunately playing the game is not nearly as fun as watching the excellent Cartoon Network series.

The show's story is basic, but it works. Ed, Edd n Eddy is about three men who have far too much time on their hands and always seem to be on summer-break. Each of the three boys are very different. For a lack of better description, our characters are cute. Throughout the game you'll be working your way towards winning the worlds biggest jawbreaker (these candies are a constant theme in the show.) So our three young addicts work together to reach the candy store, and ultimately to win the everlasting jawbreaker!

Overcoming such obstacles as a wooden plank, a fire hydrant, and a 12 inch dog, Ed, Edd n Eddy should take you no longer than a couple of hours to complete 100%. If you've ever played the games on Cartoon Network's website, that's about the quality (and length) of this title. Gameplay will consist of a bunch of Lost-Vikings inspired levels, that are littered with boring plat forming objectives that we've come to expect in this day and age. Progression will be parted into sections. You'll reach points in which you'll bring your character to a white flag, and once all three are there, the flag will be fully raised. At the end of the levels there will be huge wooden signs indicating that you're at the end. Once all three characters are there “Cleared” will pop up in huge bubble-letters. It's too bad there are only six levels, because the level-design was fairly enjoyable.

The varying abilities of the boy's lend particularly well to the strategy/plat forming formula that Ed, Edd n Eddy have lifted from a number of other games. One of the boys will be disabling a fire hydrant enabling the others to pass, our then Edd may cart our heroes over some wet cement, then Eddy will take off up a flat house with his superior jumping abilities to acquire an item. I love the show, I love the concept, but the gameplay may not be fun/fast-paced enough for the younger crowd, and may feel like it drags on too much for the older crowd.

The kiddy look Crave was going for is accurate. Everything looks great, and exactly like the cartoon! Honestly I couldn't have been more pleased visual-wise. It's unfortunate that the game itself is sluggish, and utterly sucks. The sound-quality is also top-notch. For whatever reason everything looks very bright, but the colors still won't hurt your eyes. It's an awesome game graphically, so fans of the show should naturally flock to it.

If it weren't for the slow-time gameplay, and poor collision detection, I may be able to suggest that a large base of people go out and buy Ed, Edd n Eddy, but at this point I just cannot do that. Fans of the show are more likely to find something they like in the form of free games on Cartoon Network's website. At the MSRP of around $20 at the majority of the gaming stores in my area, I just cannot see Crave's latest effort (or lack thereof) warranting a purchase.

4/10

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 01/03/05