Conker's Pocket Tales

"Before Conker was a raging alcoholic..."

Vivox's Review of Conkers Pocket Tales for the GBC

Conkers Pocket Tales is a action-adventure game released for the GBC in 1999 by Rare. I recently came across the game at my local EB and picked it up for $3.99. The price was reasonable, but is the game worth the price tag?

Story: The story for Pocket Tales is basically the same story for the original N64 Conkers game Twelve Tales of Conker. Basically, Conkers birthday party has been crashed by the Evil Acorn. The Evil Acorn kidnaps Berri and the has scattered Conkers presents across the world. Its up to Conker to get Berri back and also collect his missing birthday presents... weak. The story is weak. I mean, c' mon, birthday presents? The story definitely could have been better. A lot better. The Story gets a 5 out of 10.

Gameplay: The gameplay is where the game scores better. The game is a overhead action-adventure game reminiscent of the Zelda games. In the game you run, jump, solve puzzles, collect presents, fight bosses, and don't swear or get drunk once (!!!). The game's puzzles are standard "box puzzles". You push boxes around to open up doors and advance in the game. If you've ever played a Zelda game, you know how to do these puzzles. Some of the puzzles may cause you to stop and think for a minute, but they are pretty easy. There are also boss fights, and since I love challenging boss fights, the game does good in that department. The Gameplay gets a 7 out of 10.

Graphics: The games graphics are another department where the game suffers a little. Granted that the game is a GBC game, but there are plenty of good looking GBC games. The graphics seem a little dull and the game has plenty of graphical errors (such as doors that seem to disappear in some spots). Overall, the graphics are ok, just uninspired and a little dull. Not really bad, not really good. The Graphics get a 6 out of 10.

Music/ Sound: The music in the game is not as good as the tunes from Conkers Bad Fur Day, but the music is still pretty good. The tunes are decent enough, and you may find yourself whistling one as you play (hey man, whatever floats your boat). I also think that the sound is fairly decent. Together, the music and sound are another department where the game is pretty good. The Music/ Sound get a 8 out of 10.

Replayability: The game is a decent enough game on its own. It may not have the replayability that Conkers Bad Fur Day has, but you may find yourself playing it once or twice more after beating it the first time. The Replayability gets a 7 out of 10.

Buy, or Rent?: The game is worth a buy, as you can't really rent it. And at the price tag of $3.99, it is definitely worth it. So buy it if your a Conker fan or wouldn't mind playing a Zelda type of action-adventure.

Conker may not be a raging alcoholic in the game, but that doesn't mean you can't have a fun time playing it.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 06/30/05