This is however where one of my complaints arises. Until you acquire
the special items for each of the Warner siblings, they are all
basically the same character with a different appearance. They all have
their unique personalities, which come through abundantly in the voice
acting, but swapping between Yakko, Wakko and Dot is pointless without
the special items. I would’ve liked to see character-specific moves and
abilities that were available from the get-go. You even need scuba gear
to do any water diving. Despite this lack of variety, the characters
have a proficient set of attacks and techniques. Spinning, sliding, and
ledge-hanging aren’t new, but they’re better than just having the
typical jump/duck layout.
Even with the uniformity of the
skills, playing through the myriad environments is enjoyable and
oftentimes amusing. The game spans the Warner movie lot, and the
various soundstages within, so you get to experience a wide range of
locales, from a wild west set to a haunted mansion. The intrinsic
details within each location are ripped straight from the cartoon,
including the slapstick characters. You’ll run into Dr. Scratchansniff
turned Victor Frankenstien in the ghost house, while Pinky and the
Brain are constantly trying to take over the world with their ingenious
minigames. Enemies and bosses are classic Warner Brothers, even if they
can be easily beaten with simple strategies.
The way in which these environments are presented also surprised me.
Though lacking in high poly counts, the texturing is pretty high-res,
and all of the little extras are a treat for the eyes. Character models
are not only faithful to their cartoon counterparts but mimic their
animated look as well. The facial expressions on the Warner kids
themselves were particularly well done. The worlds are solidly
constructed both visually and from a gameplay standpoint; most areas
serve a purpose, and look appealing at the same time. In addition, the
water effects are quite impressive.
I would recommend
Animaniacs: The Great Edgar Hunt
to the loyal fans of the series. It doesn’t bring anything fresh to the
gaming table, but offers a substantial adventure that should take at
least six hours to complete. The quality is uncommon for a licensed
title and the show’s charm is intact for the most part. For adventure
fans I suggest something meatier like Zelda;
Edgar Hunt will be nothing but a passing amusement to the hardcore audience.
C | After a throw-away attempt on the DS, Warthog has constructed a passable platformer with the Animaniacs franchise. You won’t find anything fresh or spectacular, but the gameplay is competent and the show has (finally) been recreated with some decent accuracy. |
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