Flushed Away
D3 Publisher
$29.99
The Nintendo DS rendition of Flushed Away is, along with the majority of often quickly produced movie-based titles, a side-scrolling platform game. You assume the role of Roddy and Rita, exploring an underground metropolis while trying to avoid the evil Toad and his henchrats. Most of the game is very routine stuff, such as sword swings, kick attacks, and jumping over obstacles, but there are a few levels where you will take command of Rita’s boat – the Jammy Dodger. However, similar to some of the other gameplay mechanics, the ship’s targeting is not very intuitive, and the first few times around you will take some major hull damage. You will also find that Rita’s bungee-cord swing move will cause equal frustration as you repeatedly fall to your doom in the rat-infested sewers.
Other than the thumb-straining time it takes to master some of these moves, you can finish the game in just a couple of hours. The three added minigames do allow for a change of gameplay by utilizing the DS stylus and microphone, but they are very basic and don’t boost the title’s lasting appeal. Besides some cool graphics and voiceovers, the game leaves you pretty unsatisfied. Unless you really enjoyed the movie, stick with one of the other DS platformers released this fall, such as New Super Mario Bros. or Mega Man ZX.
This article appears in December 1 • 2006.