Reviewed: December 12, 2005
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
THQ

Developer
Heavy Iron Studios

Released: November 25, 2005
Genre: Action
Players: 1-2
ESRB: Everyone

6
8
8
6
6.8

Supported Features:

The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer picks up just after the movie (and the first game) ends. You know…where Cliff…err… I mean the “Underminer” burrows from beneath the earth and stakes his claim to the planet.

Now, instead of playing as the Incredible family you basically play as either Mr. Incredible or Frozone, switching between the two characters in real-time or even playing the game cooperatively with a friend.

With the focus on both heroes comes a much greater emphasis on working as a team. Mr. Incredible has his super-strength to pick up and throw and smash objects while Frozone can…well…freeze things. His obvious limitations in super powers also limits his overall usefulness in the game, but you still must use him to overcome the challenges put in front of you.

And therein lies the game’s greatest weakness. Rise of the Underminer practically demands to be played with two people. Sure, you can bounce back and forth between the two characters but that is like trying to play ping-pong with yourself by running around the table.

There are some balancing issues as well, beginning with the two characters. Frozone is easily the weaker of the duo so whoever ends up playing him will be acting in the role of a support character or sidekick. Frozone is usually most useful by freezing the enemies so Mr. Incredible can knock them around – not too exciting.

There are also some balancing issues with the levels and their difficulty including some seriously difficult boss fights that will probably have the target audience calling for parental or older brother or sister assistance.

Other than that, Rise of the Underminer is a fairly straightforward action romp with a few puzzles tossed in to mix up the combat and level destruction. The enemy is neither intelligent nor overwhelming in numbers so the game gets predictably easy until those aforementioned boss fights.

One new element that is really nice and should have been in the first game is an RPG-lite element where you earn experience points during combat. These points are split equally between the two characters even if one does all the work. You can then spend these points, either during the mission or between the missions to upgrade your health and super powers.

The character design is sharp with fantastic models, detailed textures, and fluid animation. There are plenty of special effects including fire, smoke, lighting, and some excellent frosty ice effects. The opening movie, menus, in-game presentation, and HDTV support all reflect a highly polished product.

The music is also extremely well done and uses the familiar themes from the movie including several new hero and villain cues that fit with the action-themed gameplay. The Dolby Digital mix brings it all together in a theatrical presentation.

There are some unlockables including artwork and the ability to upgrade your characters during the game also offers some minor replayability but not much. It’s definitely worth a rental and even a purchase when it drops to $30 or less.