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Another
week, another multi-format 3D Platform title, and there is nothing
like a Platformer to incite absolutely no excitement whatsoever. But
wait, it’s Tak, the star of last years under-rated gem Tak
2: The Staff of Dreams. Tak’s previous outing proved that
the 3D Platform genre is still fun,  even without the presence of any
bandicoots, hedgehogs or plumbers. Keeping with the same humorous
style as the earlier titles, THQ have released Tak: The Great
Juju Challenge for the PlayStation2 and GameCube. The mention of
a THQ Platform title has alarm bells ringing, but given the high
standard of Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams, perhaps we can give
Tak the benefit of the doubt?
Tak:
The Great Juju Challenge revolves around the adventures of not
only Tak, but also his ever hilarious friend, Lok, as they attempt
to win the favour of the Juju Moon Goddess by competing in the Great
Juju Challenge. The two are incorporated into the game in a similar
manner to Ash and Sam in Evil Dead: Regeneration; Lok acts as
the pair’s warrior - complete with large wooden hammer - and Tak
takes his place of the group’s magic user. Each of the characters
has a selection of moves unique to themselves and a range of
weaknesses which can be countered through the use of the other
character. For instance, Lok can climb and throw explosive barrels
and Tak, but can not swim, and not because he is scared of the
water, but because fish hate him: a point amusingly explained in one
of the games many excellent Cut-Scenes. Tak, on the other hand, is
able to swim, throw magical projectiles and utilise a variety of
magical abilities, but is not strong enough the put-up much of a
fight or carry anything with any degree of efficiency. The
characters receive extra abilities throughout the game that fit with
their style and the use of both of the characters skills in tandem
is required for the later puzzle sections. Tak: The Great Juju
Challenge also features an Upgrade System to increase the
durability, strength and magic of the two characters but does feel a
little underused and tacked on.
All
of the games puzzles can be solved through a combination of the two
characters abilities and in general, are fairly linear, rarely
original and not particularly hard. Which is just as well really,
because Tak: The Great Juju Challenge is dissimilar to the
average Platform title in that the time you take to complete every
Level directly affects your progress through the game. The game
comprises of four Worlds, most with three Levels which can be
replayed as much as you like. As you progress through each Level you
accumulate Points from the collection of Bugs and Crystals, and through the amount of time you have left on the
 clock. At the
end of each World you are entered into a Dodgems-style tournament in
which you must attempt to ram other players to attain points. The
team with the highest amount of Points chooses their vehicle first,
then the second and so on. The team with the lowest amount of Points
at the end of this round is then eliminated and the remaining teams
advance to the next World. On paper this seems like a decent
variation on a tried and tested genre, however in practice Tak:
The Great Juju Challenge is inherently flawed. After the first
World the chances are that you will run out of time before you have
completed the Level you may be playing, despite the availability of
Hourglass Pick-Ups that increase the time on the clock. The game
allows you to continue when you do run out of time, and you will,
but you will receive significantly less Points at the end of the
Level. Experienced players would assume that despite a large Point
deficit, there is still the possibility that a win in the critical
Dodgems round could be accomplished. However the game inflicts the
player with a minimum Entry Score, meaning that you will almost
always have to do each Level twice which feels very repetitive and
ultimately, is not that much fun, although the animal-riding
sections are mildly amusing.
Tak:
The Great Juju Challenge does have one saving grace in respect
to this, it features a decent pick-up-and-play Mode similar to LEGO
Star Wars: The Video Game which makes Level repetition slightly
less mind-numbing, although does not seem entirely fitting with the
game due to the lengthy period when player will have to wait around
on a Pressure Switch or the like.
Tak:
The Great Juju Challenge was completed in a shorter-than-usual
development cycle, and it shows. The game lacks some of the polish
of the earlier titles, although still remains decent in respect to
the average PlayStation2 game with only a few occurrences of Polygon
Pop-Up and Cross Pollination. The Levels are fairly linear in their
design (complete puzzle, advance, complete next puzzle…) and
occasionally are often quite unfortunately dark and uninteresting.
However some, such as the HUB and some of the later Levels, do boast
impressive visual design. The Character Models and enemies are also
of a good standard helping the Tak series retain its
trademark cute-style. In-keeping with the standard of humour of the
series Tak: The Great Juju Challenge features some of the
funniest  Cut-Scenes you will see for a while, backed-up by some
great voice work, especially from Patrick Warburton, the voice of
Lok. In-fact, Tak: The Great Juju Challenge maintains a good
sound quality throughout and everything sounds like you would assume
it would in Tak’s slightly surreal world. The music is also pretty
good; the earlier Levels comprise predominately of tribal beats, but
later give way to guitar solos and riffs.
Tak:
The Great Juju Challenge may not be the sequel many of us hoped.
It is however much better than some of THQ’s recent handheld
Platform attempts, namely The Incredibles: Rise of the UnderMiner
and Spongebob Squarepants: Lights, Camera, PANTS! and is not
a bad game, despite its flawed premise. The time limit can make this
title fairly hard, especially for its young target audience and the
Checkpoint System does occasionally mean that you will have to walk
back quite a distance, much to your displeasure. However, the game
will offer a decent, lengthy challenge to the average PlayStation2
gamer and the inherent cute humour of the title means that, despite
being a mild disappointment, Tak: The Great Juju challenge is
still a game worthy of purchase for fans of this regularly poorly
performing genre.
 
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