Tak and the Power of Juju is...weird. Okay I literally tried to find a way to open this review several times, and this is essentially what it kept coming back to. This game is weird and it's about as simple as that.

I'll get into more in the review itself, but let me just say this first: if you don't enjoy juvenile humor and tropes, avoid this game because it lives and dies in these two things. It is not for you if you can't appreciate silly humor. Now with that out of the way, on to the review.


Graphics: 10/10
Incredible.

Say what you will about this game, but one thing is undeniable: it's pretty. For a game from it's time it's about as smooth and well rendered as you could hope for. In fact it's probably one of the best looking games on the system, though in all honesty few people pushed the limits of the PS2 graphically speaking. For evidence of that, look at Genji: Dawn of the Samurai. Case closed.


The characters seem as good a place to start as any. They're all well made and they instantly get your inner kid's attention. It's like a blast from the past, but in 3D. Now let me say that I've never seen the show, but this game seems to be more in line with nineties Nicktoons than modern ones (I shudder at the thought of modern Nicktoons, save TMNT), and as such I felt like I was revisiting my childhood as soon as I saw Jibolba, and even more so once the opening scenes really got under way.

Not only are the character models smoothly rendered, they're also well made in general with each one having it's own personality, even the ones that really serve no purpose other than to be on screen for a brief joke. I couldn't find anything to complain about here if I tried.


The worlds: now this is where Tak and the Power of Juju really shines graphically. The worlds are all as beautiful as can be, and as crazy as you could hope for...and maybe a little crazier. The first world that springs to mind when I think of this game is Chicken Island. This is a perfect example of just how pretty this game can be. Chicken Island is absolutely covered with lush greenery and of course there's plenty of water, which also looks good. The temple, swinging bridges, and various other touches all come together to make for one of the best looking environments of any PS2 game. This level was not only pretty, it was also designed very well.

And that's just one world. The hubworld, Tak's village, also looks great and spans a large amount of space for a simple hubworld. Then there's... Well just about every world except the burial grounds. They all look fantastic in their own right.


The effects in this game are also very well done. From the colored particles flying from Tak's feathers in the loading screens, to the particles emitted by the spirit rattle, to the marker used when aiming, they all look pretty and just pop when set amongst the other vibrant colors. And as an added bonus, you can blow the fur off of an Orangutan. That right there makes for a fun time killer (call PETA).


Highlights:
•Everything, man. The whole stinkin' game is one big bowl of eye candy.
•Hair today, gone tomorrow (I sincerely apologize for that joke)
•Make PETA mad!


Sound: 7/10
Very Good.

Meh, the sound isn't bad, but frankly nothing about it ever stood out to me. The music is fitting enough, but it never really does anything to add to the game. The only tune worth mentioning might be the tune that plays during fights with Magic Nubu plants, a bit of a rock mix to make the battles seem more intense, but even that isn't anything special.


The sound effects are decent enough, but rather generic. However the voice acting makes up for this with high quality actors and hilarious dialogue. Even the random chatter of Tak (which sadly was mostly removed in later installments) is pretty great, in both quality and humor. It's just plain fun to kill an enemy and hear him shout "Boomshakalaka!" or "Own-ed!", and taking damage can even be entertaining with quips such as "That's gonna leave a mark". See what I mean about a blast from the past, namely the nineties? Yeah.

So while the game lacks in memorable music or even good sound effects, it rocks the audio department with it's superb voice acting and witty mid-game chatter. You'll not find better voice acting than this.


Highlights:
•"Boom, babeh!"
•High quality voice acting


Story: 9/10
Excellent.

Alright so let me set the record straight: this rating is not for the story's content, at least not for that alone. After thinking it over for a bit I actually gave the story six points for the content itself, as it does manage to be original in some ways while still being filled with frequently used plot points. I'll get into the rest in just a moment, but for now, let's look at the plot itself.

The story begins when the screen fades in and you find yourself in some sort of workshop, and hear a man chanting. After a moment the camera turns to Jibolba, a shaman of the Pupanunu people, but he's not just A shaman, he's THE shaman. Turns out when the head shaman (sorry, the proper title eludes me) was picked recently, it came down to him and Tlaloc, and he was chosen over Tlaloc by the Moon Juju, the main Juju of all. This angered Tlaloc and so he somehow imprisoned the Moon Juju (apparently these Jujus aren't so powerful after all, especially if this was the main one).

However all is not lost, as the ancient prophecy foretold of this time, and also spoke of a mighty warrior who would defeat the one who imprisoned her, and free her. Oh and also all of the Pupanunu people have been turned into sheep by Tlaloc. Apparently the only exceptions are Jibolba, Lok (the warrior trained by Jibolba to defeat Tlaloc), and Tak (Jibolba's errand boy).

Also I have to give the game a bonus point or two for making the player an active and acknowledged presence in the game. You are addressed directly by Jibolba as a Juju who will use your powerful device (controller) and the box that is the most precious thing to you (your television) to guide Tak on his journey. Yes, you are made a part of the story rather than a viewer just watching things unfold. In this manner you are more of a force guiding Tak than Tak himself. That much was pretty clever, even if literally the entire story is obvious right from the opening scene. Seriously, I couldn't spoil the ending if I tried. Be honest with yourself: even if you've never played it, you already know what will happen.


The extra three points in story came from consideration of the lines themselves. Much like the random chatter in the game, the dialogue in the story scenes is often borderline roll in the floor laughing funny.

In fact -- and this next thing I'm going to say speaks very well of the story scripting but very poorly of the game itself -- the hilarity of the story scenes is all that made me decide to finish the game. Frankly I got bored of it before even retrieving the staff (which is at the very beginning of the game), as the gameplay was not even mediocre at that point, and the game itself was just "bleh". Still I decided to at least finish that one quest before putting it away, and yes, I fully intended to put the game away.

Then when I actually completed the quest I was treated to the cutscene with the mummy, and oh gosh, I laughed so hard. I found this particular portion of the game so hilarious that I actually called my dad in just to replay the scene for him, and he was laughing almost as hard as I had, which is saying a lot, both because of how little he reacts to comedy, and because of how ridiculously funny I found it.

After that moment I decided that I couldn't put the game away. I had to unlock every cutscene (because thankfully the game saves each one in a bonus menu). Literally I played through the remainder of the game, never putting it away to play anything else, just so I could see the other cutscenes because that one was so funny. And while some were rather disappointing, there were others that managed to make me laugh quite a bit again. In the end I was glad that I finished the game, simply because the humorous dialogue made it such a fun and memorable experience.

Oh yeah, and the gameplay got a little better as it went. Not a ton, but enough to make it considerably easier to push myself to the next cutscene.

As for the story rating, I couldn't give it a ten in good conscience simply because the actual story isn't exactly amazing as we covered before. Even if the dialogue is.


Highlights:
•Mildly innovative twists on classic tropes. Baaaa
•Absolutely hilarious dialogue and moments in general


Depth: 8/10
Exceptional.

This game's gameplay might not be the best, but it does offer plenty to do. Mechanic wise it largely borrows from the conventional trappings of the average 3D platformer, with your basic jump, double jump, attack, and the like. However it also introduces some other things like the many Juju powers that you can utilize throughout the game, and the ability to carry a sheep on your back to keep from being seen as you stoop low and walk past angry rams or less than observant guards.


The levels are also rather massive for an old school 3D platformer, and certainly give you plenty to explore. Some areas are necessary to reach and some are optional, but if it takes effort to get there, you'll probably be rewarded with something anyway. There are several ways to traverse levels, from your basic running, to being launched by an Orangutan, to gliding in your chicken suit, or even snowboarding and more.


Then we have the magic yorbles (guessing at that spelling) which you will have to collect 100 of at some point. These are scattered around in seemingly random places, and you must retrieve them, a lá Super Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, or any other 3D platformer. You knew it would come up at some point in this one too, didn't you?

Also you can get the rest of the magic yorbles (I think there are 200 in total, though I'm not certain) to unlock art and stuff that you probably don't care about anyway. Regardless, there is so much to do in this game that it's insane for a platformer. And I can't deny how much fun snowboarding and sandboarding is, pulling off crazy trick combos and all that. It's a blast.


And to top it off we do have unlockables here, though it's just things like concept art or the aforementioned cutscenes. Nothing Earth shattering.


Highlights:
•Insane amount of things to collect and do for 100%
•Snowboarding and Sandboarding are a thing
•Does manage to introduce a few new mechanics


Addictiveness: 5/10
Average.

I will probably never play this game again, unless it's to go snowboarding. Still it did keep me engaged for the full first time through, if only for the cutscenes.

The game has it's good points and it's bad points of course, but once you've finished it there isn't much reason to come back really, unless it's to access the bonus menu and watch those funny moments again, or to find levels with fun mini games and play them again. The main game is just sub par honestly.


Highlights:
•The funny scenes and minigames never get old


Difficulty: 4/10
Easy.

Tak and the Power of Juju just isn't a hard or challenging game overall. Simple as that. It has it's moments such as when you're fighting the frustrating Nubu plants, but even then you can respawn and they keep the damage you dealt them before dying, so it all comes down to eventuality really.


The final boss is a bit of a challenge but only for unfair reasons. The actual fight isn't so bad, but rather... Well you'll see it if you play it. At least it's better than the sequel's final boss fight, but not many games final bosses aren't, unless you look to the eight or sixteen bit era.

Finally there are some slightly challenging moments in the form of bosses, minibosses, or just plain difficult platforming challenges, but they're anything but insurmountable. Plus with unlimited tries and minibosses keeping damage taken even after you respawn, the game offers a challenge but seems to say "Sorry about that. Here, try again. I'll go easier on you". This is a saving grace in my opinion since the gameplay isn't so amazing anyway, so having to redo all of it again would be even more frustrating than usual.


Highlights:
•Challenging at times, but usually forgiving


Overall: 7.8/10
Very Good.

Yeah sure the gameplay isn't amazing, but the story and dialogue make up for that in a big way. The humor alone makes this game a must play. Seriously, give it a shot, it's worth it just to see the wit in the game.

To buy or run away quickly?
Buy if it's $10 or less, but don't expect anything amazing, just expect a simple game with some shining moments, some bleh moments, plenty of mediocre moments, and a ton of laughs.

Tak and the Power of Juju, simply put, is a bad game made worthwhile by amazing writing.