Fans of the popular Cartoon Network TV show, Pet Aliens, are in for treat with the release of Pet Alien game for the Nintendo DS. This game brings a colorful, extremely enjoyable experience to fans of the show and to just the casual game player who enjoys puzzle games to pass the time.
The story is based on a group of five aliens that need to rescue their young friend Tommy who has been captured by the "Robotix". Robotix are working to create the largest zoo in the galaxy. Little did they know that when they took Tommy, he had a group of aliens in his home and are ready to jump in to rescue him. Lucky for the aliens, Tommy has managed to leave some clues behind which will be useful to help find him.
In the game. you play as one of the aliens working through a set of floors on the Robotix space shuttle to find Tommy. Each floor is broken down into a set of levels. Each level presents a unique puzzle with various scenarios to go thru. The goal is to collect all the energy crystal in the level which will allow you access to a teleporter to the next level. Collecting these crystals is not an easy task as you will need to use your brain to stop laser beams, avoid robots, and get over mines to get these crystals.
As mentioned previously, the game features a range of aliens to play as within the game. Each of the aliens has a special power that let them perform certain tasks.
"Dinko", a speed demon, allows you to run quickly in a single direction for a certain time.
"Gumpers", a brute of an alien who reminds me of the Transformer Grimlock, can smash crystal cubes or semi-crushed walls.
"Scuffy", apparently the smartest of the aliens, has the ability to use his tongue to collect items and can also squeeze through tiny spaces in the wall.
"Flip", a bird-like creature, can fly for a limited time over mines and conveyor belts and other objects in the game.
"Swanky", the last of the alien, has some incredible strength which allows him to move boxes around which in turn can be used to block lasers, trap robots, etc.
You can change between the different aliens as you play. There are different blocks located on the floor of the levels that allow you to change to either a certain alien or any of the aliens depending on the block type. You can use their different abilities to gain access to the various crystals that are placed within each level.
A neat little feature is the observation camera, which allows you to preview the level before playing. This can be helpful in determining what moves and abilities you will be need in advance.
As you defeat the mini-bosses within the game, you unlock mini-games to play, which are available from the main menu.
There are 5 mini-games which you get to defeat the bosses within the games.
BurpnFarts. The game is a modernize clone of the old, but popular Simon game with farting sound effects instead of the more traditional sound. There are 4 other games which you get to play as defeat the bosses with the games.
Hop or Top, where you need to track the barrel with the crystal in;
DayDream, where you need to avoid falling meteorites;
Slurp-Attack, where you need to collect crystal as they fall from a lighthouse;
Asteroid Run, a fast-paced game where you need to collect crystals within an asteroid belt and avoid bombs.
These are great collection of mini-games and I recommend that you finish as much of the game as you can to play them.
Another bonus within the game is that after you complete 5 levels successful, you are granted access to a new picture within the gallery. These are highly colorful CGI renders of various shots showing off Tommy and the aliens. I was impressed by the quality of these even on the DS screens.
This game is one of the most colorful and well designed games I have played on DS. I could not have been more pleased with the rendering of the levels and aliens creatures you play within this game. The graphics were crystal and sharp and I did not notice a single flaw within the game.
I have never seen the cartoon that is based off of on Cartoon Network, so I was not certain that the music was based off something in the TV show or not. Regardless it is rather snappy tune and adds an extra dimension to gameplay. The sounds are also nicely done with exploding robots, laser beams, and teleport sounds.
Overall this is great puzzle platform which I found myself playing for hours at a time which is a feat considering my limited attention span. You will not strain your brain defeating these puzzles but a kid would find these challenging and provide hours of entrainment for them.
