When I was a kid, I remember a cartoon called Captain Planet.  It was made in the late 80’s/early 90’s and was all about saving the environment, which was a common theme at the time.  But I thought the cartoon was dumb.  But then, I was probably at that age where I thought everything was dumb.  No, no, I still think that cartoon is dumb.  Anyway, in the show, an Earth guardian spirit named Gaia gives five multicultural kids each a power ring based on one of the four elements (Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water), and the fifth kid gets a ring with the power of “Heart.”  I don’t know about you, but I’d feel cheated if I were that fifth kid.  Anyway, the kids then use their new powers to stop “Eco-Villains” and when the going gets tough, they can summon a super powerful hero named Captain Planet.  As much as I disliked the cartoon, I remember it being heavily promoted at the time.  And references to the show crop up from time to time, even now.  I remember reviewing a Cartoon Network fighting game where Captain Planet was a secret character, and a new cartoon called O.K. K.O. had a Captain Planet episode.  And now there is a mobile game based on the franchise, too!  And it’s an…endless clicker?!?  Oh no!  Captain Planet: Gaia Guardians is free-to-play on iOS and Android devices, but reviewed on iPad here.

The plot of the game is just as dumb as the cartoon show.  Eco-Villains have teamed up and invented a “Junk Ray” which turns ordinary garbage into monsters.  Now they plan to pollute the world with their army of litter critters, and it’s up to Captain Planet and the Planeteers (the five kids) to stop them.  As an endless clicker, the game is notoriously simple.  The five kids appear at the bottom of the screen, but you just start out with one.  They’ll automatically zap the garbage monsters with their rings, but you can tap on the screen to help them whittle damage.  After a while, another Planeteer will jump in and help out.  Defeated monsters earn you coins, which you can use to level up your Planeteers’ attack power.  You’ll want to do this as much as you can, because every so often you’ll have to defeat a boss.  These bosses have time limits to defeat them, and if you don’t make it, you’ll have to start the fight over again.  When you win, the Eco-Villains will summon Captain Pollution, and you can tap on the screen to have Captain Planet pummel him for even more bonuses.  Then the cycle starts over again with a new baddie and more Planeteers will join you.

Luckily, even when you aren’t playing, the Planeteers will still zap garbage and earn coins, so you actually get rewarded more for NOT playing, which I never understood in a game.  You can also play a mini-game where you tap on defeated garbage monsters in a junkyard and Captain Planet will recycle them for more bonus currency.  You can also earn crates which you can open over time, and you can spend some of the currencies you get on an island to make trees and other things grow, which gives you rewards over time, too.  As an endless clicker, I got bored of it pretty quickly, but they do a great job with the comic book style recreating the feel of the cartoon show.  They even have that theme song you’re probably singing in your head right now!  There are ‘save the Earth’ tips on the bottom of the screen, but the text is too small to read so it kind of defeats the purpose of having them.  But if you are a Captain Planet fan, it may be worth the download just for the hokeyness of it all.

Kid Factor:

You zap garbage monsters with power rings, but that’s about as violent as it gets.  If you’re OK with your kids watching the cartoon show, they’ll be OK with the game, too (is there a way to still watch the cartoon show now?).  Reading skill is helpful for the text, but not necessary just to play.  Parental supervision is recommended for the in-game purchases.

Tags: Game Reviews, Television