When
a friend recently asked me to recommend a game for his 7-year-old
daughter, I was at a loss. Video games these days are targetted at an
older audience and, hence, lay emphasis on violence and complex
strategies. Naturally, he wanted something more children-friendly.
While
browsing titles, we chanced upon the Bee Movie Game. It seemed safe for
the little one, but I decided to be a protective uncle and give it a
test run first: A feeble excuse to get my grubby hands on it, but my
friend had to relent after my tantrums proved I was the right man
(boy?) for the job.
The first thing that struck me was the menu: Playful, colourful and
easy, it’s simply perfect. The game starts off the same way as the
movie, with a clip of Barry Benson – the character you control. The
story is the same as the movie, where Benson decides to sue the human
race for stealing honey. Needless to say, hilarity ensues.
Kids’
games don’t have to pump up the graphics and be realistic; they just
need to look good by retaining the cartoonish simplicity. And Bee Movie
Game does that darn well. The simple backgrounds, exaggerated character
art and bright colours make this one a treat for the eyes, no matter
which side of 20 you are on.
The third-person view helps make
controlling your character a simple task, as you roam through the hive
in different cars or scooters, or simply take a gander flying around.
Now,
the hive is divided into two parts: One is the city where you live, and
the other is the Honex corporation, which makes all the honey for your
hive.
Since Barry is old enough now, you will get ‘jobs’ such
as a taxi driver, a delivery boy, a racecar driver and a mechanic in
the city. Similarly, in Honex, you have jobs such as filling up
containers and collecting tanks of nectar. Completing these lets you
progress in the storyline. And yes, the jobs are quite entertaining
themselves, and any kid would love them. (I would have admitted to the
same had there been no risk of being ridiculed by an entire office the
next day.)
You also get to fly around outside the hive,
pollinating flowers and zapping dragonflies and hornets, using a
pollen-collecting-gun. There’s also a neat feature called ‘Bee
Vision’, which lets you slow down time in a Matrix-esque way. But
here, instead of bullets, you’ll be dodging raindrops: Bees simply
cannot fly in the rain. Going from cover to cover in a downpour has to
be played to see how much fun it is.
Along the way, you can take
snapshots from certain vantage points to unlock special art in your
game gallery. Also, if you’re tired of Barry’s old bee suit, simply
change your attire at one of the wardrobe outlets. And oh, there’s also
a video game arcade, which lets you play a ton of old arcade games
right within the larger bee universe. A great idea, that one!
All
in all, Bee Movie Game doesn’t have many faults. In fact, to find some,
I would have to nitpick and compare it to high-budget games, and that
would not be fair. This game is pure fun, and it would be better left
with the feel and enjoyment it provides, rather than giving it
technical benchmarks.
If you are looking for a game that your kid can enjoy, pick this up.
Actually,
even if you want a game for yourself, this is a good choice. (Just
remember, if anyone asks, you’re “testing it for a friend”.)
Rating: * * * * 1/2
Price: PC – Rs 499
Requirements: Windows Vista/XP, 1.66 GHz processor, 512 MB RAM, 3 GB Hard Disk
Space, 64MB DirectX 9.0c-compatible video card
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