| Introduction
Midway is undoubtedly best known for their arcade
conversions, with recent releases for the GBA being
Defender and Mortal Kombat. Dr. Muto is a little more
original though, and this handheld version completes
an all-console release (Playstation 2, GameCube and
X-Box) for the game. Challenging the Sonics and Marios
of this world is no mean feat, and gamers are not renowned
for picking out titles without a recognizable license
or a character they are familiar with. So the big question
is, does the elusive Dr. Muto have what it takes to
woo the majority of GBA (and GBA SP) owners, or is it
destined to join the growing number of "shelf fillers"
in your local gaming outlet?
GamePlay
The game challenges you to take on the role of Dr.
Muto right after he's accidentally destroyed his home
world in a rather unfortunate experiment. It's now up
to you to collect various components over four very
different and hostile worlds in order to produce a Genitor
Device. This probably sounds like every other platform
game you've ever encountered, but what makes Dr. Muto
different is the introduction of the Spliz Gun. This
allows you to transform your physical being into five
very different forms, which are essential for traveling
through the various levels. You start off with only
two--Dr. Muto and a rather energetic mouse. I don't
want to give too much away here, but the ability to
change really is where this game becomes less like a
platform game and more like a puzzler. The other three
forms are unlocked later in the game once you've collected
the necessary DNA, and discovering where and when to
best use them throws up some real challenges.
The puzzles themselves are wonderfully diverse. They
don't only involve the flipping of switches or finding
keys that we're all so used to. You do need to do some
flipping and finding of course, but as this is mostly
confined to the earlier levels, it actually provides
a well-thought out learning curve for gamers unfamiliar
with the genre. Solving later puzzles is all about working
out just how things work in the strange world of Dr.
Muto. The solutions are by no means obvious to start
with, and most of the game follows the experimentation
and exploration theme, allowing the developers to throw
some surprising gaming aspects into the various worlds.
This is also the case with the various end of level
bosses, the first of which took us at least five attempts
to find his weak spot and actually defeat him. It's
just not as straightforward as with most titles of this
type, meaning that you can try almost anything.
Finally, the game also features one of the best save
features we've encountered for some time. A battery
backup automatically records your progress in one of
four slots at the end of each level, and with some thirteen
stages to complete, you're unlikely to finish the game
in a single sitting. It shows what you've collected,
along with the percentage of game completed, which is
a great help in a number of ways. The inability to name
your saves is bit of an oversight though.
Controls
The control is simple and intuitive and if there's
ever a game that needs it to be just that, Dr Muto is
it. This is mostly due to the fact that you occasionally
need to move a character with pinpoint accuracy whilst
carrying an item, then drop it and quickly change into
another form, all in a matter of seconds. Fortunately,
it's all very responsive, and if you need to the restart
a series of platforms because you've plummeted into
the green slime below, it's generally due to your own
misjudgment of the situation as opposed to any fault
with the controls.
Graphics
Visually the game looks great, and it's immediately
apparent that the developers have lifted many of the
visuals from the various console versions. This produces
some of the best-animated characters I've seen on the
GBA. Everything moves in a realistic and humorous fashion,
well in Dr Muto's world anyway. This is also evident
in the backgrounds, which are tremendously detailed
but have managed to retain a clarity essential when
dealing with the smaller items and pick-ups. Everything's
then wrapped up with some wonderful presentation visuals,
also inspired by the console versions, which explain
the game's plot.
Sound & Music
The audio elements seem to have utilized the same
source material as the visuals, and as a result, Dr.
Muto sounds great. It starts off with a great futuristic
rock theme, and continues with a selection of similar
incidental music throughout the game. In addition, there
are some incredibly inventive sound effects accompanying
the various forms Dr Muto can transform into. These
are altered depending on your environment; for instance,
the sound underwater has a slightly muffled quality
to it. If you find it all a little overwhelming, a simple
trip over to the options menu allows you to switch off
either the sound effects, music, or both, although why
you'd choose to do that is anyone's guess.
Final Comments
It's always difficult to port a console game to the
GBA, as titles tend to lose the vital elements that
made them so enjoyable in the first place. Fortunately
Digital Eclipse have done an outstanding job, and like
the recent Nightfire from EA, Dr. Muto manages to retain
most of the stuff that transforms it from an average
platform game into an enjoyable one. There's little
in the way of replay value though, so once you've rectified
Dr. Muto's disastrous mistakes there's not much left
to sample. The first play through however, is both rewarding
and very enjoyable, and for that reason alone it deserves
every serious gamer's attention. Game publishers are
reluctant to market any unknown license and Midway should
be applauded for taking a chance on an entirely original
character and my advice is that you should too.
|
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