Sunday 4 December 2011

Game On #5. The Adventures Of Tintin: Secret Of The Unicorn

Rockets Ahoy! Andy Serkis stars as Captain Haddock in The Adventures Of Tintin...

Blistering barnacles! This week's Game On dives headfirst into the world of treasure hunting and amateur sleuthing, focusing on the PS3 tie-in to Spielberg's fantastic The Adventures Of Tintin (2011), a world-traversing blockbuster which finds Hollywood's premier popcorn pusher back on top form...

If it weren't famous for being a nation of romantic chocolatiers, Belgium would be best known for Tintin, Hergé's iconic junior journo. Along with his loyal dog Snowy, Tintin has embarked upon perilous quests across the world - Egypt, Tibet, Soviet Russia - to find lost treasures and solve ancient mysteries. The fresh-faced adventurer has been beloved for over thirty years now, and 2011 finally saw Steven Spielberg realize his dream of putting the quiff on the big screen. Secret Of The Unicorn finds The Bearded One back on form, seemingly revitalized by the freedoms of motion-capture technology, which still hasn't caught up with the director's considerable vision. The Morocco chase is undoubtedly the finest action sequence I've seen this year, and the film moves at a breathless clip through vibrant landscapes and daffy plot convolutions, each as nonsensical as the last. I've got high hopes for Peter Jackson's upcoming sequel (he should sort out what remains of the dead-eye problem) but for now Tintin fans will have to tide themselves over with this PS3 tie-in, developed by the brilliant French company Ubisoft, who in the past have brought us classics such as XIII and Assassin's Creed...

The cover art for Ubisoft's The Adventures Of Tintin (2011)...

Most people approaching Secret Of The Unicorn will be doing so expecting a few hours of clean, accessible platforming fun, and that's exactly what they'll be getting - the game's linear, retro levels can be sped through in under three hours, and a lack of multiplayer options means that you'll soon be heading back into the world of Skyrim. But while those hours last it's actually a surprisingly engaging little title, boasting a refreshingly stripped-down narrative in the age of Modern Warfare, whose epic production values seem (worryingly) to be dictating the direction of the gaming industry...

Anyhow, let's get to business! The plot of Secret Of The Unicorn is almost identical to that of the film, save for the odd exclusion of that dastardly bastard Sakharine as the main villain. The game's visual design is perfect, and I'd definitely recommend playing it on the highest definition possible; Ubisoft have replicated the aesthetic of Spielberg's blockbuster with a loving attention to detail, and its bright palette definitely adds to the charm of each environment. Indeed, every surface - water looks especially good - has a sheen which'll charm the socks off of most Tintin fans. The character design is less consistent, with some jerky movement and off-kilter dubbing frequently providing an awkward distraction from the action. Tintin controls well enough in-game, but the cutscenes can look too much like an upgraded PS2 title, and the stilted voicework makes the animation appear all the more unpolished.

But, what of the gameplay? Secret Of The Unicorn adopts an old fashioned side-scrolling style of platforming (imagine the 1989 Apple incarnation of Prince Of Persia) where we view each environment flat and head-on, and Tintin has to work his way across, up and down it. Simplistic puzzles and buffoonish enemies will block your way, but these are easily defeated and ensure a fluid playing experience. The goal of each mission is clearly defined, and working your way to its end is refreshingly free of quick-time gimmicks and flashy distractions; it's retro in the best possible way. Yes, it's too easy, but it's also addictive and fun, and those three hours are a guaranteed good time for even the most experienced of gamers, who'll whisk through its story on a weekend rental. The driving/dogfighting mini games are less successful, with the latter feeling particularly stiff and tired, but the game survives them. If you can pick it up cheap, it'll certainly entertain, and most importantly Ubisoft have crafted a platformer which remains faithful to Hergé's beloved source...


Next week's Game On finds us back on the PS1 for The Italian Job...

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