Closing Comments
My biggest problem with Tak: The Great Juju Challenge was that I got nothing out of it. I sat and played through it, and picked it up on occasion over the weekend as well, but I don't remember almost a single moment of it. I fought a couple of bosses that I punched until they died, I wandered aimlessly around stages looking for hidden sticks to light, there were some cart races that I didn't bother trying for first in when I didn't have to, and every once in a while, I would blow on the screen to make a chicken-suited guy float around. It it's all pleasantly decent 3D platforming play, but there was nothing to carry interest and inspire you to play through. Kids who are up on their Tak after going through the console games may understand more about the characters and story that I got to know from the game's snore-inducing text script, but they'll probably be just as bored to have exciting scenes and silly encounters play out with such lacking enthusiasm. Maybe next time, Tak.
3.0 Presentation
You don't get this much from critics, but next time, more cutscenes! A little production value would have gone a long way here.
8.5 Graphics
Lush and colorful, with expansive worlds and detailed characters. Not a lot that's special, but everything is done well.
7.0 Sound
A nice, thumping MIDI soundtrack, but where are the voice-overs?
8.0 Gameplay
Handling Tak's movement with the D-Pad works fine, and the combos are fun to play with while fighting. Except for the bosses, though, not much was fun to fight or hop on.
6.0 Lasting Appeal
A little multiplayer could have gotten more fun out of the minigames, but the real appeal loss is just that nothing's worth going back for in the game except the minigames.
6.2 OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)
