Phil of the Future
Score: 90% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Buena Vista Developer: Buena Vista Media: Cartridge/1 Players: 1 Genre: Family/ Puzzle/ Action
Graphics & Sound: Shoots and scores! This is a nice looking title that follows the adventures of Phil of the Future as he tries to save his family from being exposed as the time-traveling imposters they really are. The highlights include a clean, clean interface that helps make navigating easier and doesn't get in the way of enjoying the scenery. There are lots of locations to explore and each of them features detailed, colorful backgrounds with interactive elements. Phil and Keely have the most gadget appeal, while Curtis is the acrobatic one. Switching between characters doesn't change the look of things dramatically, just the gameplay. Even so, you can often see things in the environment that only one of the characters can access, making for some neat puzzles that play off visual cues. There isn't much in the way of exciting sound or music, but the sound effects are good. You'll appreciate Phil of the Future more for its visual panache than its soundscape.
Gameplay: Saving the world from the blahs sounds more difficult than it really is. Sorry, that's Blahs with a capital B, folks. Somehow these pesky critters have escaped the laboratory and Phil's dad is worried that the whole family is going to be exposed in the ensuing craziness. Phil of the Future takes the case and heads out with a Capturator designed to suck up pesky Blahs. Phil finds that the mess created by the Blahs may provide him with the necessary distraction to clean them up, gather parts his dad needs to fix their time machine and still make it home for dinner. The Capturator is just one of many gadgets that Phil employs on his hunt for the rampant Blahs. Townsfolk affected by the Blahs tend to just stand around and do nothing, so they won't be much help. Phil can't go it alone though, so he'll enlist plenty of help from NPCs and also from his brother Curtis and sister Keely. Phil's dad will coach and assist him along the way with extra gadgets and tricks that help clean up the most aggressive Blahs. Blahs come in various shapes and sizes. Switching characters is an important piece of the gameplay and this also provides a waypoint system in case you succumb to the Blahs and need to start over. During the course of the game, you will open up mini-games that play into the main story, but are structured around more arcade-style gameplay.
Difficulty: Seeing the credits roll on Phil of the Future will require more persistence than twitch reflexes or gray matter. This doesn't mean the game is boring at all. It is calibrated to a younger audience and requires some reflexes for jumping, climbing and timing actions. Capturing Blahs is a two-step process. Blast them with the Capturator until they dissolve into a little puddle and then suck them up for the capture. Jumping over Blahs is an option as well. The newest gamers may find some frustration in the later stages of the game with stronger, more aggressive Blahs. The climbing actions that Curtis uses take more coordination than just jumping over Blahs, but nothing in Phil of the Future will thwart the young gamer who has some occasional help from mom and dad or an older sibling.
Game Mechanics: More than the gameplay, menu navigation may initially challenge younger gamers. There is plenty of reading in the game which is also something to consider from an "age appropriate" perspective. The menus play a big role in the more gadget-focused characters of Phil and Keely. Knowing when to use a gadget is one thing, but then you must go into the menus to activate the gadget before it can be used. It might have been better to use a contextual gadget picker in a lower difficulty setting. Something where a gadget could be activated by pressing a single button in the right place during the game. Other than hints in the dialogue, there is not much to indicate where you need to use a particular gadget. Older, more experienced gamers will enjoy the challenge of fitting the right gadget and character to the appropriate obstacle. There is a simplified save system thanks to the game being autosaved at the points where you switch characters. Switching is such an integral part of the action that you will never be stuck replaying a lot of the game. Phil of the Future is a good investment for any younger player who likes a mix of action and puzzles. The story and characters are true to the show which makes this a natural "must buy" for kids that tune into Phil of the Future on Disney. Not only does Phil of the Future make nice, creative use of the license, but it ends up being a fun game in its own right.
-Fridtjof, GameVortex Communications AKA Matt Paddock
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