Planet Monsters-- never heard of
it? Neither had I when it was presented to me. I sat there and pondered while reading the
information about it when I noticed an image of a rabbit wearing a carrot suit. That suit
had a symbol of another carrot with a circle with a slash through it proclaiming down with
carrots. Right there I was hooked on playing it. Not to be outdone by the quirky nature of
the design, Planet Monsters packs solid game play that will keep you challenged as you
progress. If
you have ever played the Bomberman games, Planet Monsters should be somewhat familiar to
you. You play a furry little creature competing against four others of your species to be
the last one standing at the end of a level. There are eight worlds to play through in
order to beat the game. Not only do you have to worry about the other three players, but
also the constant generation of animals as well. Each stage of a world is laid out with a
labyrinth of blocks which you can kick in order to either move them out of the way or to
dispose of your enemies. At the end of each world you have to fight a boss in order to
proceed to the next world. The bosses consist of mutated animals.
To add some
elements of strategy there are some weapons and items added to the mix. There are goo guns
and bombs for attacking. For more defensive strategies there are springs to jump over the
blocks and crevices and clocks to stop time. Getting the hang of the game can take awhile;
those who are easily frustrated might not make it that far. Those with patience will be
rewarded with forty levels of strategy to play with.
There are
some multi-player functions to play if you can find people with their own copies of Planet
Monsters. First is the single level and the other multiplayer game is a championship mode.
In the championship mode you select a number of levels, how many rounds that will be in
each level, and finally how long a round will last.
In keeping
with the whimsical and cartoonish elements of the game, the colors are bright and rich.
The character designs themselves would make Hanna Barberra proud. Each animal shows a
transition from the cute cuddly one that you meet in the first levels to the monstrous
bosses at the end of the world. The game also moves at a nice speed that does tend to slow
down a little when too much is happening on screen at one time. To keep the pace going is
a soundtrack with a fast beat to it. The music is lively, so it fits with the theme of the
game. Some of the bells and whistles, while adding another depth to the game, can become
annoying after a while.
Even though
the game is complex when adding in the various strategies that will be used, the controls
themselves are set up for ease of use. Its very simple; the A button is used to kick
blocks around, the B button is used to activate the various items and the shoulder buttons
being used to cycle through your inventory. Planet Monsters is a game that is easy to pick
up and the controls are easy to use.
Planet
Monsters is a pleasant addition to the Game Boy Advance library. With easy controls and
deep game play, any age should enjoy picking this game up and playing for a while. For
some this game will be short lived, but for others it will last a lot longer. Planet
Monsters should be given a good look--and not just at the characters--but the whole
package. Just because a game might look kid-like does not necessarily mean that it is a
game just for kids.