Reviewed: August 15, 2003
Reviewed by: Loki

Publisher
THQ

Developer
Natsume

Released: June 11, 2003
Genre: Action
Players: 1
ESRB: Teen

5
6
5
4
5.7

Supported Features:

  • Cartidge Save
    • THQ is back once again to take a stab at the Buffy franchise. Those who played the GBC version several years ago still might not be over the scars of that dreadful release and unfortunately not much has changed in this new game.

    Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Wrath of the Darkhul King is the creation of Natsume, the Japanese studio responsible for the various Power Rangers games. While those games were met with mixed reviews there is no mistake that something went awry when converting one of the hottest TV franchises into handheld form.

    Features:

    • The whole universe from the TV program
    • 16 levels of vampires, demons and monsters!
    • Buffy will be able to interact with her environment, e.g. knock enemies into benches, causing them to break.
    • Weapon Combo System: Players will be able to modify and augment the weapons picked up during the game by combining them with specific items collected during the game
    • Puzzle solving elements in order to free captives who are to be used for sacrifices for the demon hordes.
    • All Buffy's friends will appear in-game and help her in her quest: Giles, Willow, Zander and Riley will give her the vital items.
    • Buffy's wardrobe: as the player progresses through the game they will receive new articles of clothing from Buffy's friends.
    There is a fairly solid story to backup the gameplay revolving around, you guessed it, the Darkhul King, an evil entity banished to another dimension. Naturally, he’s escaped and is resurrecting all sorts of undead all over Sunnydale. It’s up to Buffy to save the day. The entire cast is present even though Buffy is the only playable character. The rest of her slayer crew is seen only through digitized stills from the show that are regrettably the best part of the game.

    Gameplay is of the traditional side-scrolling type where you move Buffy along punching and kicking countless walking dead. Combat is simple with input from the A and B buttons handling simple combo attacks. While Buffy has a modest assortment of weapons at her disposal you rarely need to use anything other than punching, kicking, and a stab with the numerous wooden stakes available throughout the levels.

    I was actually impressed with the number of weapons and the ability to combine them to make bigger and better weapons but there was never anything in the game that really demanded their use. It was just as easy to pummel your way through the game. And that is about the extent of the gameplay. Sure, there are a few very minor puzzles that involve flipping a switch to open a door or pushing a crate to access an upper level, but there is nothing here to tease your brain or test your reflexes.

    The graphics aren’t terrible but they are below average, even by GBA standards. The backgrounds are colorful and the sprites are moderately detailed but they are animated stiffly and nothing really flows together. Combine that with some horrible collision detection that makes combat unreliable and you have a very mediocre experience.

    The only thing that truly stands out are the digitized clips from the actual show. These are the best part of the entire game and might just make the cartridge a worthwhile purchase for a true diehard fan of the now-cancelled series.

    Doh! First Simpsons Road Rage and now this. What is it with licensed products that refuse to use audio samples from the show. They’ve obviously paid for the license so use it. Anyway, there is nothing here other than the still images to let you know this is even a Buffy game. The sounds effects are generic and the music is pretty lame and hardly sets up a thrilling atmosphere.

    I kicked and punched my way through Buffy in about 6 hours and I see no reason to replay. There is no multiplayer and no bonus items to discover. At best, this is a one-day rental.

    Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Wrath of the Darkhul King is regrettably a poor way to celebrate the end of one of the hippest shows on the WB/UPN. What little gameplay there is on this cartridge is mindless and not very fun. Save your money and apply it toward the Buffy season box sets when they release on DVD.