Thor: God of Thunder
Score: 60% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Sega Developer: Red Fly Studio Media: Cartridge/1 Players: 1 Genre: Action
Graphics & Sound: Thor: God of Thunder is a polished title - at least when it comes to presentation. The visuals look nearly as good as the Wii version, and manage to pack in an impressive bit of sparkle. There are several times where I found myself marveling over one little detail or two. Unfortunately, the visual fidelity comes at the cost of varied locations. Except for a few bosses, you'll see the same bland enemies everywhere. Levels look cool, but offer little to look at. The first few levels are based around ice worlds, filling your screen with jagged swaths of blurry blue textures. You eventually transition to a fire area, which isn't much more than a red version of the ice world. The 3D effect is put to good use and actually adds some life to the game's worlds, but there's only so many times you can see the same piece of scenery before you lose interest. The only time you get something really different is when Thor travels to Earth, at which point you get to fight though a damaged cityscape. Even though I'm still not completely sure of the game's plot, I do like the motion comic vignettes used to help tell the story. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston voice Thor and Loki respectively, and do a pretty good job at it.
Gameplay: Thor: God of Thunder takes place sometime before the movie, helping to set up why Thor is such a renowned warrior and why Loki is so dead set on getting rid of him. Most of the story is told from Loki's point of view, detailing his scheme to trick Thor into taking his usual level-headed, well-thought-out approach after a group of ice titans invade Asgard. The story is, at best, hard to follow and at worst, non-existent. The narration helps to partially explain what is happening, though it isn't the most cohesive of plotlines. Not that Thor's gameplay really needs much of a story. The game is strictly a by-the-books brawler. Although Thor has access to loads of godly abilities and combos, most of the game is built around running around levels, single-mindedly mashing away at the attack buttons whenever you're near an enemy. It's entertaining for the first level or two, but quickly devolves into a repetitive mess of a game. Levels aren't very interesting and you're spending most of your time smashing the same groups of enemies with your hammer. Admittedly, the action isn't much different from God of War, yet Thor lacks the underlying substance that kept you coming back for more time with Kratos. There isn't much in the way of puzzles, and though you can search out hidden items like artwork or costumes, they are usually easy to find.
Difficulty: Thor: God of Thunder is incredibly short, clocking in at roughly 4 - 6 hours depending on how much time you spend searching through levels to make sure you find everything. Combat is typical of most brawlers. You have a basic set of light and heavy attacks, as well as a few ranged options, though you aren't likely to use those unless you're in a section where the game demands it. Basic moves can be strung together to create combo moves. To its credit, Thor: God of Thunder packs in numerous moves. Although the in-game text attempts to place a lot of emphasis on matching moves to specific enemy strategies, there isn't much strategy to combat. You can usually get away with repeating the same few combos.
Game Mechanics: As you bash your way though enemies, you'll eventually run across a series of "Feats of Strength" moments. These are little more than a series of QTE (Quick Time Events) that are incredibly easy to blast through. These same events show up during most boss fights, sometimes taking over a large portion of the actual combat. It's odd, but the few times you really want to bash away at someone, you can't. A few rail-shooter areas are tossed in, though these aren't much fun. As you work through the game you'll unlock God Powers, which are mapped to the touch screen. Once you get a handle on which combos build up your power meter faster, you'll likely end up relying on these powers to push through large portions of the game. The powers are, at first, satisfying to use but are quickly bunched in with the rest of the game's repetitive mechanics. Thor also suffers from a few minor control issues. Since there are so many ways to attack and move around the screen, the control setup feels really cramped. You're constantly moving your fingers between awkward shoulder-button combinations to attack while switching between the Circle pad and D-pad to get around. Considering how straightforward the gameplay is, a simpler scheme wouldn't be the worst of ideas. Thor: God of Thunder has a couple of pieces in the right places, but never does anything with them. A brawler starring the God of Thunder is probably the best fit for the license, yet there has to be something more to the gameplay beyond repetitious battles. If you're looking for a basic brawler, Thor is a passable option, but it may not hold you for long.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
Related Links: Buy Thor: God of Thunder at Amazon
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