| Introduction
I first encountered Urban Yeti over a year ago in
the European Computer Trade Show (ECTS), and although
it looked very promising, it was a very early version,
and therefore likely to go through a number of changes
before its release. One thing that did hit me straight
away was that it was a bizarre concept for a game, and
I've yet to see anything approaching its original theme.
Gone are the normal platformers, movie tie-ins or
well known franchises that we're so familiar with and
well, we get an unknown big hairy creature instead.
This in itself means Urban Yeti has to be that much
better since it will be unable to hide its flaws behind
a license, which so often happens in GBA titles. Could
this be a groundbreaking title featuring original and
quality gameplay? Let's see...
GamePlay
The start of the game places you in the middle of
a city with little idea of what you should do next.
A little exploration soon enlightens you on the situation
and you quickly discover that Urban Yeti is a kind of
animated adventure linked by several mini-games.
For example, the first level involves you searching
for a newspaper so you can find a job to earn enough
money to cover the toll bridge charge. This will take
you to one of the mini-games, where you must work in
a cafe until you reach the required amount of cash and
then it's over to the next section. You may feel entirely
lost to start with, but exploration and piecing together
the various hints and tips really is the key to the
whole game.
One unique gaming aspect in this title is the clock,
which runs throughout the game. Time affects not only
the change in lighting, but also certain other events;
you'll find that some of the shops and cafes are only
open at certain times so being in the right place at
the right time is essential.
The mini-games are great fun, and resemble classic
arcade themes that have been given a graphical makeover.
In the first of these, Urban Yeti is serving food in
a bar and must make sure all the customers are happy.
The quicker they are served, the greater the tip they
leave and as soon as you reach $4, your shift is over.
The problem is they become more demanding, and if you
don't have what they want, you get punched and obviously,
no tip.
There's also a Toobin'-type section, which has you
floating down a river, or sewer system in this case,
avoiding all types of nasties and a Chicken Packing
Factory where you must throw 30 chickens in the packer
before time runs out.
My favorite, and the most challenging, was the Frisbee
section. Here you must render the other players unconscious
before they get you. This has you bouncing your Frisbee
off the walls and other players, but to make matters
more difficult, the surface is incredibly sloppy and
unpredictable. You only have three chances to do this
and since it's over ten levels you'll probably need
more than a few stabs at it before you're even close
to success.
Although Urban Yeti does have a password system,
it's remarkably user-friendly. This is because it uses
meaningful eight-digit words for the various levels,
so rather than recording these you should actually be
able to remember most of them. This works because your
code only records the level and not your health or how
much you achieved. Players who complete the game are
also rewarded with the 'ultimate' code, which unlocks
everything, including all the mini-games, giving Urban
Yeti much needed replay value.
Controls
Taking control of your Urban Yeti couldn’t be simpler,
and even when the action switches to one of the four
mini-games the interface remains remarkably intuitive.
It's also very responsive, although you're never required
to perform any jumps or other tricky maneuvers that
could challenge your Yeti in any way. Basically, the
Yeti acts as a kind of animated cursor, taking you from
one challenge to another. It all works well in the context
of the game, and since that's all it's required to do,
it's successfully implemented here.
Graphics
Most of Urban Yeti takes place in a kind of overhead
Grand Theft Auto-type of environment, and while this
is fine initially, things change a lot once too much
is happening onscreen. Everything then becomes rather
choppy, and there were some occasions where I actually
became trapped and had to restart the entire level.
There are also some minor problems with the various
sprites, and it would have improved the graphics a great
deal if a little more time had been spent on their design
and animation. The mini-games are a huge improvement
on the outdoor locations, with far more pleasing overall
visuals, resulting in a more enjoyable gaming experience.
All in all, a mixed bag that does its job, but the GBA
has witnessed better in its short history.
Sound & Music
As with the visuals, the sound has its ups and downs.
There are some great samples of the Yeti screaming,
and the various city noises such as cars, trains, etc
are very pleasing. The problems arise with the overall
quality, as some of the audio has been sampled at a
very low rate for space-saving reasons. While it all
works reasonably well, you can't help thinking that
it could have been better.
Final Comments
What Urban Yeti offers Gameboy Advance owners is
an original gaming experience and a theme far from what
you'd normally expect. Even if this was a terrible game
(and it's not), the developers at Cave Barn should be
applauded for taking such a risk and producing a title
that utilizes all the best aspects of addictive and
satisfying gameplay. What's more, there's pretty much
all types of games here to satisfy everyone's needs,
and although the game is a little bit on the short side,
it's fun while it lasts. The developers are using the
same engine for their latest project, and with a little
more visual polish and tweaking they could have a real
winner on their hands. As for now you really should
check out Urban Yeti; you may be pleasantly surprised.
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