In the land of Malaria, evil scientists from all over come together once a year to compete in the Evil Science Fair. But behind each evil scientist is a hunchbacked Igor to pull the switch. But one Igor has a dream to be an evil scientist himself. In Igor: The Game, based on the recent animated movie, play as Igor as he overcomes all odds to enter the Evil Science Fair. The Igor game for the Wii is a typical movie-based 3-D platformer, but the DS version is, surprisingly, a puzzle game!

Igor: The Game (Wii)
The Wii version is a typical 3-D platformer. Play as Igor or one of his three monster creations, and switch between them at any time when needed. Each character has his or her own strengths and abilities. Igor’s undead rabbit friend can jump high, while his Frankenstein-ish creation Eva can bash down walls. Visit locales from the movie and embark on various fetch quests and other tasks.

Play control is easy to learn as each character has only a jump, attack, and special move button. Certain characters’ moves can get past particular obstacles. Graphics are barely passable as last-gen and the music is annoying.

Up to four players can play at the same time, and they can jump in and out of the action at any time. This makes Igor a good game for the whole family to play. But only kids who really liked the movie or are just fascinated by spooky stuff will probably be interested in playing Igor: The Game.

Kid Factor:
Igor: The Game on Wii is rated E for Everyone with an ESRB descriptor of Mild Cartoon Violence. And the violence is very mild. Players just bash robots and monsters until they disappear. Reading skill isn’t necessary as most of the game has spoken voice. A few very young kids might be a little frightened by the spooky settings. The simple gameplay and four player support is a plus.

Igor: The Game (DS)

Usually when a movie-based game hits the DS, it becomes a tired 2-D platformer. But not the DS version of Igor: The Game. Surprisingly, the DS version is a puzzler. In this game, Igor’s creation Eva has been kidnapped and he must build a new monster and enter it in tournaments to find Eva’s captor.

Igor on DS is best described as a combination of Puzzle Quest and Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo. Players start out by creating a Frankenstein-like monster with a head, arms, legs, and torso. Later on, you can equip your creation with better and tougher parts and limbs. Then you venture forth onto a world map where you can buy items, fight other monsters, and enter tournaments.

The battles play out like a puzzle game. Falling blocks enter a well like Tetris, but the gameplay is more akin to Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo. When you clear enough of a certain color of blocks, tap on the screen to initiate a monster attack. Deplete the enemy’s hit points before yours go down to win. Collect and use special potions to gain an edge, and gather spoils from battles to beef up your own monster.

Only problem with the DS Igor game is it takes a lot of repetitive puzzle battles to power up enough to win in the tournaments. But at least the developers took a more creative approach to movie license games. You can even battle other players’ monsters nearby if they have a DS and copy of the game.

Kid Factor:
Igor: The Game on DS is rated E for Everyone with an ESRB descriptor of Mild Cartoon Violence. Really, the only violence is when a monster attacks another with a punch or kick. But since that happens on the top screen, you probably won’t even see it as you’ll be more focused on the action on the bottom screen. Reading skill is a must as all the text and instructions are in text only. Because of the slightly complex RPG elements in the gameplay, Igor’s puzzler is best suited for older kid gamers. But anyone who enjoyed Puzzle Quest and Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo may want to try this one out, too.

Tags: Game Reviews