Platform Games have suffered from cute and cuddly, to the strange and just plain bizarre characters. Ty the Tasmanian Tiger could be considered of the cute and cuddly variety which indicates maybe a game for the young and something us adults would be better off avoiding.
Not in this game as I will explain….
In the wacky outback of Australian delights and mystifications (well wacky in this game), Ty has set about on a noble quest. He finds out that his family were battling with the evil strange looking Dodo Boss Cass. His family by doing this were sucked into a portal where now they reside waiting for our hero Ty to collect the scattered 5 magical talisman.
Ty cannot manage this by himself, so luckily enough he has a few friends to help him out with new weapons and guidance. For Ty his defence is his assortment of Boomerangs which he can chuck at enemies and with the wonderful aim that Ty has comes all the way back for yet further throws. Rather then just one set of Rangs, Ty can collect additional Rangs for use under water, zooming in on enemies and all sorts of other trickery. For closer proximity encounters Ty has a vicious little bite on him to get past those little critters in the way.
Ty must also find Golden Cogs, Ty’s Bilbie friends and Thunder Eggs. Ty’s friends are locked in cages so it is left to you to look under every stone and in every cave that may be snuck away behind trees, under waterfalls and in hard to reach platforms. Also around are crates with goodies in. These are the other items you need to collect. Requiring 300 orbs to allow access to yet another hidden Thunder Egg for you to collect. Also hampers with health in although Ty is quite resilient against enemy attacks.
Rather then giving you huge levels and no idea where you are, there is little chance of you getting lost and frustrated as a map is provided to aid your quest for each level, however it does not reveal the locations of your caged friends or the Golden Cogs you seek. Taz Wanted has a similar look and find attitude, but Ty the Tasmanian Tiger is a much more fun affair with vast surroundings wherever you look and wildlife jumping and running around your feet.
For another Multi-platform game from Electronic Arts, the game has stood up very well on the Xbox with some extremely vast views and intimidating terrains. Although the game sports a cartoony feel, the game will attract even the more mature gamer as this is challenging enough to satisfy most people. With so much to find and a good selection of levels, Ty will keep even the most experienced gamers interested in saving Ty’s family.
In each level there are other tasks as well as just the searching of items. When entering a level you are guided to your tasks such as helping someone who has broke down to climbing a huge mountain to send someone home. If you come to an impasse you can exit the level and try the other unlocked levels to keep the interest going for much longer.
From the very start Ty is guided through his control system and other neat little things Ty can perform. The game also autosaves your progress with dodgy looking toilets indicating a save point, interesting to say the least. All the time the game is set at a fairly brisk pace jumping, dodging and throwing those lovely Rangs at the strange and wonderful enemies.
The music is what you would expect of a game like this but still of a high standard and surprisingly not too repetitive considering the length of time you can spend on one level. The character voices are also very good with a strong humorous and entertaining performance making the characters come alive.
The only thing that might put people off is the constant phrases like “G’day mate” thrown in every time Ty enters a conversation with one of his buddies. This actually isn’t annoying for me, and just provides more entertainment with the over Australian enthusiasm this game shoves at you from all angles.
I was very surprised with this game. After playing other 3D platformers on the Xbox like Taz Wanted and Blinx: The Time Sweeper which were heavily lacking in all round fun gameplay, Ty has performed admirably ensuring longevity and interest.
Conclusion
With over 15 levels of Australian wilderness to explore and within so many items and entertainment to be had, Ty the Tasmanian Tiger has shown me that the good old fun caper around a wacky yet not too original concept can bring many hours of pleasure for young and old alike.With over 15 levels of Australian wilderness to explore and within so many items and entertainment to be had, Ty the Tasmanian Tiger has shown me that the good old fun caper around a wacky yet not too original concept can bring many hours of pleasure for young and old alike.
[xrr rating=4/5]
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