Overall 8.5 Graphics 9 Sound 7.5 Addictive 6 Story 8 Depth 9 Difficulty 5.5
7.8
Tak And The Power Of Hilarity Eirinn
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.
Graphics 10 Sound 7 Addictive 5 Story 9 Depth 8 Difficulty 4
Review Rating: 5/5
Submitted: 10-31-16
Review Replies: 0
9.2
Tak and the Power of Juju The Dealeo Nincompoco
Know what game company is underrated? Nick games. Yeah, as
in the guys in charge of making games based off Nickelodeon characters. However
not many people praise their games. The reason is that people wouldn’t expect
nowadays for a movie based game or such to be as good as VG born characters
like Mario, Sonic, Link, or Megaman. Now sometimes the worst games are the
copyrighted games, which turns many people off. Nick games, however, put actual
thought and care into their games. Spongebob platformers like the movie-based
game and Battle for Bikini Bottom are actually pretty stellar. The Barnyard
videogame was very reminiscent of both Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing, cause
you know… farms and animals. ._.
But the sheer fact remained, Nickelodeon cartoons are kiddy
stuff. A game based off them must be dumb right? Well WRONG. That bit of
judgment is what makes their games so under-praised. However, Nick Games where
given an opportunity to make a new mark in Nickelodeon history, by making their
own franchise. Have you seen the Tak and the Power of Juju cartoons? Didn’t it
seem like a part of it was missing? A backstory leading up to it? Well I knew
Tak before any of that, because the cartoon was, in fact, based off a VIDEO
GAME. Tak and the Power of Juju was a great game made at the hands of Nick
games, spawning a series, crossovers with the mainstream cartoon characters in
video games, and finally onto the channel. So let’s go back to the source of
Tak, his first appearance under the name of Nickelodeon.
Our story begins with a budget cut… they couldn’t afford the
4th wall. Now look, breaking the fourth wall is one thing, but not
having one to begin with and then adding it later is another. Basically a
shaman, known as Jibolba, tried summoning a spirit deity, known as a Juju. Now
let me just stop to explain a main concept of the game, Juju’s are the source
of all magic in the world. The magic itself is named after the Juju’s
themselves, and any magical power or place is called a juju [
insert name here].
Juju spells, juju vision, juju temples, juju shrines, etc. So with that out of
the way, onto the summoning’s. Jibolba tried to contact a Juju from another
world, and brought you into his world. He acknowledges your clothes, your
controller, and the fact you watch him from a TV. He explains he needs your
help, as his people, the pupanunu tribe, are endangered by an evil sorcerer
Tlaloc. The pupanunu are watched over by their deity, the moon Juju. Jibolba
and Tlaloc were competing over who would be the next shaman of the tribe to
contact the moon Juju for assistance, and Jibolba was chosen. This was mainly
due to the fact Tlaloc had been practicing dark juju, and was a harsh, sinister
man. So then one day, Tlaloc used his powers to enter the moon temple with his
assistants, two voodoo dolls named Pins and Needles. He stole the 3 moon
stones, removing the moon Juju’s powers, and increased his own juju, cursing
the land around the pupanunu village turning everyone into a sheep. Jibolba
could only save a few people with his resources but he had prepared. He knew
for a long time this would happen due to being gifted with the knowledge of a
prophecy. When Tlaloc would turn everyone into sheep, he would be defeated by a
mighty warrior. Jibolba had spent his life raising a powerful warrior, Lok, to
save his people.
Unfortunately, Lok is a sheep. -_- Jibolba’s errand boy, Tak,
found the sheep wearing Lok’s amulet, and they had to realize Lok became a
sheep. So now Tak volunteers to go find the ingredients to return him to normal
and fetch the hero’s staff in the burial grounds. Also, the moon Juju’s
daughter, a sprite named Flora, helps to teach you stuff. She likes explaining
stuff, and flies around in a green glowing orb, so she’s screaming “I’ll be
your Navi for the evening”. Of course she has a full vocabulary and doesn’t
break the game flow. Now the game is broken into 3 segments, we’ll get to the
other two later, but the first one is after getting the staff, hunting down at
least 9 of the 12 magical nubu plants in the world. Regular nubu plants pop out
of the ground to bite at you, but magical ones are far more deadly. They like
throwing exploding coconuts, summoning nubu plants, spinning vines, and
breathing toxic gasses. Some are worse than others, and once you defeat one you
take its flower.
Now as for gameplay, this game is pretty amazing in some
aspects. Tak controls very smoothly, yet you really feel like you put effort
into every motion you do. The health bar is represented by the feather on your
head, showing by the yellow parts how much health percentage you have left. To
replenish health, collect feathers for health as well as gaining mana you’ll
use later. Tak starts off with a club, a weak, short-ranged weapon that you
never use once you get the staff. Weapons are used for breaking small objects
and fighting the nubu plants and the main pest of this world, nerbils. I’m
really not sure what these gremlins are, reptilian rat demons? Well the game
has a good sense of progression, at first the weakest purple nerbil can never
be defeated without taking a hit yourself. Once you get the staff however, they
become incredibly easy to deal with. Soon you find yourself meeting powerful
yellow striped nerbils and nerbil nests. A big part of the game involves
animals, and using them to get through obstacles and solve puzzles. Examples
are orangutans that use palm trees to launch you to other locations, monkeys
that throw coconuts at whatever’s closest to them when hit, and rams that knock
you away from passages. There are 4 areas in the first segment, the burial
grounds, tree village, dryrock canyon, and Chicken Island.
Then you reach the end of the first part of the game. You
turn the sheep back into human form, but it turned out not to be Lok. So
Jibolba tells you to go back to the tree village and see if the shaman can
help, unless he’s a sheep in which case to borrow his spirit rattle. When you
get there you find Tlaloc, who sends Pins and Needles to stop you from getting
the rattle. The battles against these two are unique minigames, this one being
where you grab magic balls and throw them at the two, trying to inflate their
heads to the point of bursting.
The second part begins with getting your spirit rattle,
which is the strongest weapon in the game and it
replaces your club. With it
you can see all the juju objects a mortal couldn’t see. There are orbs called
yorbels, tikis to place in shrines to call Juju’s, and spell amulets. While you
were gone, hear this… Jibolba found out Lok was crushed in a stampede of sheep!
XD Well in order to resurrect him you need to collect 100 yorbels and go to the
spirit realm and find Lok’s spirit. Now here’s where the game picks up, you can
now access every area and choose what to do at any point. You can find the
first tiki in Tak’s village to get to Numa Dunes and go sandboarding, or to
Chicken Island to gain the chicken suit. You can go straight to the spirit
realm from the burial grounds and get Lok’s spirit balloon or try and find as
many spells as you can.
Spells you collect can be new attacks, unique ways to help
you, or passive effects. Some let you take the spirits of nerbils for mana and
health, others upgrade your blowgun. Some spells that use mana are thunder
strike, spirit strike, compass, and crazy feet. They help you navigate or
attack strong enemy groups. Oh, and you can summon fruit, that’s a plus.
To get to the spirit realm you need to go activate the
shrine in the burial grounds and find the 4 mummies in tombs, bringing them
back to the museum of history or whatever. Then it opens a portal to the spirit
realm, a unique area where you can find spirits haunting jars and can create
temporary spirit objects. Upon getting the balloon with Lok’s spirit you must
bring it back and avoid popping it on thorny hedges. After that, places I
recommend getting yorbels in are the upper tree village and mountain top,
chicken island, and Lok’s training grounds in Dryrock Canyon.
Now the final section consists of collecting 3 objects, the
moon stones. Yeah, after resurrecting Lok he had severe diarrhea and it’s up to
you to find the stones. Gee, I thought Lok would do that since he’s the chosen
hero, whatever is going on? #monotone. So you are granted the amulet of
champions, allowing you to enter 3 temples and giving you stronger abilities at
full health. So you have more power at full health… started out as a young boy
who never believed he’d achieve greatness, go around collecting stones with a
GLOWY BALL COMPANION mind you, and you must save the goddess from a dark lord
who wants world domination… #Legend of Tak: Rattle of the Moon. The temples are
in Chicken Island, the Mountain Top, and Dryrock Canyon, and each has unique
puzzles ending in a unique battle against Pins and Needles at the end. In the
animal temple you must arrange sigils on 2 giant wheels to open the way to the
canyon, where you have a dancing competition/race against the two. In the sun
temple you fight against many enemies in a maze-like structure and fight Pins
and Needles on a phoenix. In the chicken temple you get golden eggs from
chickens and take them to an elevator and pop a giant balloon.
So you’ve freed the Moon Juju, who reveals a big surprise…
TAK was the hero all along!? NOOOOO. Well this leads you into a final battle
against Tlaloc in the dark temple. Each phase challenges what you’ve learned
from the game, as you fight waves of enemies avoiding Tlaloc’s attacks and get
turned into various animals to get through obstacles. At the end Flora becomes
an orangutan, and once you defeat Tlaloc he becomes a sheep, and Flora chucks
him away into a giant flower monster thing he was using. Sorry if the explanation
is a little vague. :l
So there’s a brief ending cut scene that ends on a surprisingly
subtle note, and the game has ended. But of course feel free to continue to
collect everything the game has to offer! And with that, so ends Tak and the
Power of Juju. Recap time!
This game has very smooth animations and graphics. It has a style all it's own and a very atmospheric setting. A lot of animations are put into each model of the game, and a lot of work was obviously put into programming it. 8
The atmosphere is heightened by the soundtrack. It has just the right feel no matter where you are. Pupanunu village sounds like what a hub map should, Mountain Top feels like a peaceful open space, and Dryrock Canyon feels hostile and dangerous. I also like sections like Numa Dunes and Powder Canyon for having fun music. Again, tons of effort and skill. 8
The game does, however, feel empty in the beginning. If you've had a taste of the spirit rattle, you never want to go back to clubs again. That said, a lot of things like boss fights and magical nubu plants await you if you start again. And of course, it's fun laughing at Lok's expense. 7
The story is pretty deep as well, with a definable plot as well as memorable and lovable characters. Who can forget the two-headed Juju? He showed up 3 freaking times! 7
There is an immense amount of time you can put into this game. You can get every spell, all the yorbels, and the world is huge, with many cracks and crevices to check beyond the surface. It has the full right to have a 10.
The game has infinite continues and checkpoints. Died to a magic nubu plant? Whatevs, just pop over there and jump back in! But don't be fooled by this lenience, actually accomplishing your goals can be a pain in the butt. The mummy tombs and spirit realm, as well as east chicken island, Lok's training ground, and of course the 3 temples all have a good curve. They get harder and harder to accomplish up until the final battle, a true test of your skill. 7
That was Tak and the Power of Juju. Wow, 2 reviews in one day... hopefully THIS one gains more attention from at least 10 people. I swear, the things I actually put effort into... -_-
Graphics 8 Sound 8 Addictive 7 Story 7 Depth 10 Difficulty 7
Review Rating: 4/5
Submitted: 07-09-14
Review Replies: 2
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