Rise of the Guardians Review

Rise of the Guardians Game Info

First five minutes…

It is clear from the cover of the game who the target market is for this game. If you have seen the movie and you are over twelve years of age you already know this isn’t going to be the most challenging game. However from the get go the music and illustrations transport you to this magical make believe world you once believed in as a child.

Gameplay:

You are able to play as Jack Frost with the help of Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and the Sandman. A fun feature is that you are able to swop between the five characters as you wish. This helps you preserve life and allows you to change up a rather monotonous gaming style. The styling of the menus and map are simple and child-like which makes navigation around the worlds easy and upgrading your character is a breeze. All you need to do is earn skill points which you then appoint to a specific skill. Some of which are strength, defense and speed. Gems are available for purchase for each guardian which gives power-ups allowing for extra damage or letting you generate health over time. There are different missions and collectables in each of the five worlds which are guarded by Pitch’s AKA The Boogey Man’s shadow minions. After a few of these battles the fighting style gets a bit tedious with only three combat buttons which you push repeatedly. Another rather frustrating non-feature is that you cannot pan around or zoom in as you run through the different worlds which makes the whole experience feel very constricted.

The impression given is that this game was not created for the hard core or even moderate gamers. It is based on a children’s movie after all. Keeping that in mind the game play is ideal for beginners. You are not bombarded with fast moving images, enemies, complex missions and are able to take your time to explore and get used to the entire gaming experience. The graphics and general design of the levels and characters is very rough and the jagged edges remind you of games you played 8 years ago or more. The saving grace while playing is the music. The score is quaint and bubbly and is a major component in pulling you into the fantasy of the game. With an afternoon of dedication you can complete the game within 3-4 hours. Though once completing the story mode of the game a horde section is unlock which does increase the games playability.

To buy or not to buy?

Rise of the Guardians is an adequate game however it doesn’t have the grab factor that keeps you coming back for more. There is or was a lot of potential to have created something more compelling for both young and old, beginner and advanced. I was a huge fan of the film and really would have liked a little more from this game. You spend most of your time doing the same thing over and over, attacking the same enemies with the same characters and the same powers and weapons. This makes the whole experience very bland. On the positive side it is a great game to help the kids or newbies get used to the controller and hand eye coordination. So it could be seen as a small investment toward the future of your children or significant others gaming career.

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