Adventure Time is a series that is simply begging to have a videogame based on it. While we’re all hoping that the upcoming Adventure Time game for the DS and 3DS is going to be the hyperactive maelstrom of colourful action that allows you to use your shape shifting dog as a veritable arsenal of weapons and gadgets, in the meantime, we have… an iOS point and click adventure game based on Finn, Jake, and the other residents of Ooo.
Adventure Time – Legends of Ooo: Big Hollow Princess has Finn and Jake putting away their golden swords and magic powers respectively, in order to run around the Land of Ooo, constructing the titular Big Hollow Princess, a Trojan Horse of sorts used to sneak into the Ice King’s fortress in order to save some real princesses.
While I’m not entirely excited about the game’s choice of genre, the plot still manages to capture the spirit of the show, as well as its appearance; Finn and Jake’s noodle limbs may be flailing around running on a series of simple item retrieval quests, but they’re still flailing around, and as I’ve stated before, an hilarious walking animation can redeem almost any adventure game.
Big Hollow Princess features voices from the show, but only those of Finn, Jake, and the Ice King. The banter between Finn and Jake is great, but not being able to hear Lumpy Space Princess, Starchy, or even the penguins’ trademark “wenk” is somewhat of a bummer. Additionally, all the dialogue appears on the bottom of the screen, accompanied by a large illustration of the character who is saying it, which is a nice touch, except that each character only has one such illustration, so they’re only able to convey one emotion therein; seeing Finn and Jake being grossed out by the Slime Princess while having smiles plastered on their faces was a bit odd.
Despite these omissions, there is a generous handful of characters from the show, as well as references to past episodes that players familiar with the show are bound to notice, though these same players are sure to raise an eyebrow at certain parts of the game, especially the one where the duo must retrieve something from the bottom of a well – oh, if only one of the two was able to stretch his arms to near-infinite lengths!
As for the gameplay itself, Big Hollow Princess is by far the easiest adventure game I’ve encountered during my time with Gamesugar. If the characters were any more obvious about the clues they gave about the location of the next item you need, they’d be winking at the screen afterwards.
In a way, however, the simplicity of the gameplay complements the source material; being able to almost instantly know what you’re supposed to do next nicely reflects the often frantic nature of the show. It beats the alternative of having Finn and Jake stand idle for a few minutes while you’re thinking of where you’re supposed to go next. Hints are available, but odds are that you won’t need any during the half hour or so that this game lasts.
While Adventure Time – Legends of Ooo: Big Hollow Princess may not be the Adventure Time game we were all hoping for, it’s still a moderately charming portable adventure. It’s something that could definitely hold a fan of the show’s interest, and for someone not familiar with the show, it’s still a fun bite-sized adventure game that takes a quick yet spanning tour of the show’s world and characters.
Cartoon Network
Publisher
Turner Broadcasting
System
iOS
Modes
Singleplayer
Release Date
June 7, 2012
Price
$0.99
*A copy of this title was provided by the publisher for review