Previewed: May 14, 2008
Previewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Activision

Developer
Vicarious Visions

Release Date: June 3, 2008
Genre: Action
Players: 1
ESRB: Everyone

In the Kung Fu Panda video game, players embark on an epic, action-packed adventure as they master the specialized Kung Fu fighting styles of Po the Panda, the unlikely hero, his teacher Shifu, and the legendary Kung Fu masters, the Furious Five: Monkey, Tigress, Viper, Mantis and Crane.

I have to admit I don’t play my DS as much as I used to, and it was only a few weeks ago that I just came off a weeklong run of playing Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword, which totally renewed my affections for the DS. Now, Vicarious Visions and Activision bring Kung Fu Panda to the handheld with highly entertaining and challenging gameplay, intuitive controls, and loads of humor.

Kung Fu Panda uses a combination of stylus input and D-pad controls to move Po around traditional side-scrolling levels while quite literally drawing your jumps, body slams, and a growing number of kung fu moves. The game slowly eases you into the action by adding a new move to your arsenal then reinforcing what you have learned by creating environmental and enemy challenges appropriate for your new abilities. Later in the game you’ll need to combine everything you have learned to execute powerful combos or travel across some sinister environmental puzzle screens.

The top screen is used to map out your progress, with each “scene” of a particular level being represented with a box. When you leave that scene your panda icon will move to the next box. It’s a great system to keep track of where you are, where you are going, and how much is left. On some occasions a particular scene will have multiple exits, but this is not to be confused with branching gameplay or story arcs. These alternate exits are scripted into the story and the gameplay.

Unlike the console versions of Kung Fu Panda where you actually get to play as various members of Furious Five, the DS version allows you to learn a primary ability from your friends. You can use Monkey’s ability to grab and launch objects or even yourself. Double-tap on an armored enemy to activate Viper Crush and squeeze the enemy right out of their armor or quadruple your jumping distance with Crane’s flying ability.

Each of these moves are awarded once you have rescued the appropriate member from their captor, the evil Tai Lung, who is bent on obtaining the Dragon Scroll and becoming the ultimate warrior.

Visually, Kung Fu Panda is full of rich and wonderful colors and some surprisingly authentic (or perhaps stereotypical) Chinese architecture. The characters are delightfully designed and animated. The side-scrolling nature of the gameplay allows for a view distance that favors larger-than-expected character sizes so you can really appreciate the detail.

The level designs are much larger than you’d think. Some of those boxes on the top map translate into multiple horizontal and vertical screens you must traverse and most screens have at least a few enemies or some trap or puzzle you must solve. There are jumping puzzles, timer puzzles, and combinations of the two.

What surprised me the most about Kung Fu Panda on the DS was that every line of dialogue was spoken. I was trying to think of the last DS game that had an entirely spoken script and I think this may be the first, and it certainly doesn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated. And kudos to the guy who does the voice of Po…you really have your Jack Black impersonation (even down to the timing and inflections) down to a science.

So while the verdict is still out on the film, I can’t recommend Kung Fu Panda highly enough when it ships in a few weeks. It was a pure delight to play from start to…well, when I forced myself to quite and write this preview. Kung Fu Panda has all the action and moves as a console game, and puts it all in the palm of your hand.