It's hard to say how much crossover there is between the
Napoleon Dynamite demographic and the typical DS player. At this point, I would like to imagine that
Napoleon Dynamite has gone completely viral, which may explain why we're seeing a 2007 game for a 2004 movie. The style of play here is mini-game mania. We've seen lots of mini-game collections, and games for kids tend to overuse this mechanic. The worst sin is the collection of mini-games that involve similar mechanics like seek-and-find over the course of five or ten games, plus a few variety games tossed in for good measure. This often comes with licensed games looking for the shortest path between Movie and Game.
Napoleon Dynamite The Game takes a totally different approach and finds the perfect balance between Movie and Game. Gamers will be pleased to know that each mini-game has some real integrity, with or without the DS touch-screen controls. All games play out in the
Napoleon Dynamite universe, which is a markedly weird place. The great thing is how everything weird is just weird in the context of adult life - when we were in middle-school in the 80's, we all knew at least one of these kids. Speaking as someone that was probably 80% Napoleon, complete with fanny-pack, it all just feels so right.
There are only two ways to play Napoleon Dynamite The Game, but still plenty of depth and challenge. The so-called Notebook Mode lets you withdraw into Napoleon's private world of hungry llamas, hot dance moves, playground games, and ninja survival. The point in Notebook Mode is to just experience life as Napoleon and succeed in each game to move on to the next. Later, you'll be able to launch any of the mini-games in Survival Mode as a bonus feature. Other bonuses include unlockable content such as character costumes that add to the fun factor, but don't do anything special in relation to the way you'll play the mini-games. The difference between the two modes is that Survival is exclusive to a set of games that you'll first have to unlock in Notebook Mode. Playing survival is all about enduring as long as possible with the odds mounting against you as the level of difficulty increases. The replay value of Napoleon Dynamite The Game is somewhat limited without multiplayer options, but anyone that loved the movie will want to keep this and break it out periodically for sheer cult appeal.
There are far too many mini-games to detail each one and they are too diverse to lump under blanket categories. The idea of a three-second mini-game is not at all what the developers set out to create. Most of the games have multiple levels and are demanding in that they each expect you to learn two or three new control schemes. At first this can be disconcerting and a bit frustrating since you only get a few seconds to scan the controls before beginning a game. The end result for me was excitement and anticipation of each new game; other players may be frustrated and lose interest if they can't get the scores they want or master the controls. In defense of Napoleon Dynamite The Game, the control schemes are pretty simple. Usually it's not much more complex than pressing a few buttons at the right time or manipulating the stylus as a touch-screen control. In most of the game, it was even optional to use the stylus, so players don't have to feel trapped. My favorite mini-games were those that translated touch-screen mechanics into interesting (and relevant!) concepts like the Toy Drag game. This was straight out of the movie and not something you might think translates to gaming all that well. It ends up being a lot of fun to play as you drag the toy around behind the school bus, trying to cause maximum devastation. Other games like Trampoline Jump or Football Toss involve well-timed taps on the lower screen, so don't rank as well in originality but are still much fun. My vote for the best sequence is tied between Save Nessie and Pegasus Flight, both awesome with a very retro feel about them. The quality meter is high when you realize that licensed games have in the past been satisfied to submit something like Pegasus Flight as an entire game while Napoleon Dynamite The Game offers it up as part of a big collection of sweet mini-games. Life is good.
