Atlantis: The Not-Quite-So-Lost Game Translation. Review

Atlantis: The Not-Quite-So-Lost Game Translation.

It’s interesting that Tomb Raider and Atlantis are tussling at
the box office, since Atlantis for the Playstation is basically a Disney-fied
Tomb Raider, sans the boobs. Hey, it makes much more sense than that
idiotic PC first-person shooter Atlantis.
This version offers up some kid-friendly adventuring that’s ripe for the little
Atlantis nut, though not very enticing for the over 12 crowd.

The story comes straight out of the movie theaters and follows a band of adventurers
in their search for the lost city of Atlantis. So if you haven’t seen the movie,
then think of this game as one giant interactive spoiler.

The levels are relatively rote with a linear flow, balancing puzzles with action.
The puzzles are typical, often involving finding, say, a gem and knowing to
place the gem in a slot elsewhere in the level. Other puzzles involve utilizing
the 6 different characters.

Different members of your Atlantis crew have different abilities and
uses. Using the radios littered about the level, you can switch to the other
characters available. At specific “hot zones,” an exclamation mark will “ding”
above your character’s head, signaling that one of the characters has a task
to complete. If there’s a lake of hot magma in front of you, just get Vinnie
the explosives expert to blast an ancient pillar into a handy dandy bridge.
Or if there’s a different colored spot on the ground that looks mighty suspect,
assign Gaetan Moliere, the Mole, to dig away. I must note that watching this
Mole guy waddle around with his dinky little legs is a hoot. But somehow, I
think most people will still prefer to stare at Lara’s backside.

The level design does harbor some bits of originality here and there. One sequence
involves working your way through a completely dark room with nothing but a
flare gun to light your way. The fired blasts of the flare act as moving light
sources which offer much needed illumination. Why couldn’t the entire game be
this innovative?

The high points of the game take place during the vehicle stages. They’re
simple but with the right amount of action. One of the vehicle scenes involves
shooting this impressive, well-animated Leviathan, and then hightailing it away
through some tunnels. Another one of these stages takes you across a collapsing
highway amidst an attack of blazing fireflies. The vehicle stages are just cool.

The Atlantean creatures aren’t too keen on explorers and will try to smack
or spit on you. Their AI is pretty limited; they either run at you or lob something
damaging your way, but your offense is equally inane. Stand in place, look towards
your foe, and lob a few of your character’s weapons at it. This game could have
benefited from some Zelda target locking. I think even kids will ask
for a little more action to this adventure.

At
the very least, there are some pretty wacky death animations in here. A monkey
monster will clutch his chest and spin around. A multi-legged worm will turn
over and kick his feet up at the sky. Good to see that someone out there has
a sense of humor.

This game is very easy and too short for me, but I think it’ just about right
for its intended age level. The radios in the levels double as save points,
meaning plenty of chances to save. Plus, the game deluges you with lives and
health to keep it easy.

The characters are cel-shaded and the environments follow suit, implementing
a solid toon scheme to match the movie. Outdoor environments look dull and lifeless,
but when the game ventures into dark caverns, the graphics hop up a notch. The
flickering of lit torches and the shimmering of the water adds some spice.

Like all games based on Disney movies, there are movie clips between levels.
The video has been edited down to meet the size limitations, and, like the entire
game, it all seems to be geared towards people who have already watched the
movie.

Following suit, the music has been taken from the film, which is good since
it’s above average and fits the game well. And there are truckloads of audio
clips from the movie, with a good substitute voice for Michael J. Fox’s Milo
character.

Atlantis for Playstation is a decent game, and if I were a 7-year-old
high on the movie, I’d have a decent amount of fun. The graphics, sound and
design might not thrill older gamers, but we’ve seen a lot worse.