| Introduction
You always know when summer is getting close as in
addition to it getting warmer Disney release their latest
big screen offering and here, courtesy of Ubi Soft,
we also have the game of the movie. Moving away from
the usual classic fairy tales the story centers on a
Hawaiian girl who adopts an unusual pet who is actually
a notorious extra-terrestrial fugitive from the law.
With such a, let's say, original story line we're obviously
hoping for a equally unique gaming experience and not
the usual less than inspiring ones Disney seem to churn
out. Let's hope they've learned a little... or maybe
not.
GamePlay
Actually categorising this title was incredibly difficult,
as the gaming style seems to change from level to level
as does the character you play. The game starts with
you playing as Stitch and is a kind of platformer with
a great deal of shooting involved. Assassins from both
the air and ground will attack you and it's important
to kill all of them as some may carry bonuses. These
could be health, an extra life or even more powerful
ammunition. After a few levels of this you'll be taken
onto your end of section boss after which the play turns
to Lilo. There are a few levels starring Stitch, which
will no doubt please shooter fanatics everywhere. It
certainly did me.
The Lilo sections seem to carry a little more puzzle
solving and stealth and as a result usually take a little
longer to complete. There's an added problem that not
everything can be killed, which as Lilo doesn't have
a gun would probably be quite difficult anyway. Instead
you'll have to discover secret passages, sneak past
sleeping aliens or even throw anti-gravity switches
allowing you to walk on ceilings. Later on in the game
you'll also have to rescue hostages who reward you by
giving you valuable information. Once you've rescued
all of them you'll discover the way out.
In addition to simply controlling Lilo and Stitch
there are also a fair few futuristic vehicles that you'll
need to get to grips with before you complete your adventure.
Firstly there are the spaceship sections, which resemble
a Tempest like shooter but which pose little problem
and so most gamers will race through them. There's also
a tank, which walks on all fours and provides armor
from various enemies but best of all is the anti-gravity
unicycle. This is also armed with a gun and can use
both the floor and ceiling and without giving too much
away let's just say that it's an essential part of the
equipment needed in order to succeed.
Controls
Almost everything in this game utilises the full
GBA layout including the shoulder buttons and although
not too taxing, a tutorial of some description would
have been a great help. You will generally have little
trouble, as everything is both intelligent and responsive.
There are neither long jumps nor any of those seemingly
impossible situations thus leaving the player to fully
enjoy the gaming experience without being consumed by
frustration as so often happens in platforming.
Graphics
This is undoubtedly one of the best looking games
I've ever played on the GBA and the journey from movie
screen to handheld console has never appeared so seamless.
The animation is wonderful and although this is the
least you should expect from Disney you can't help but
admire the attention to detail. The backgrounds and
environments are also excellent and then there are the
extras. Completing the game and exploring all areas
will give you access to four movie clips which although
rather short are still entertaining. There's also a
photo album, which, once full, contains a wonderful
collection of stills from the movie, well worth searching
the levels for.
Sound & Music
Although when you first start this title up you're
greeted with an appalling GBC type soundtrack once in
the actual game everything improves a lot. For example
the first few levels are accompanied by calypso style
music and as you're actually on a beautiful sunny island
it's actually very fitting. This is also one of the
first titles on the GBA that uses the audio for dramatic
effect so when a section is accompanied by some haunting
music you know something bad is about to happen. The
sound effects are also up to scratch and everything
is accompanied by 'cartoon' style audio.
Final Comments
Lilo and Stitch is almost the perfect movie tie-in
title except for one major flaw - it's a little on the
short side. What there is though is quality gaming with
wonderful graphics and animation and some of the best
level design I've seen for a long time. The problem
is that advanced players will have beaten the game in
no time at all and this includes finding all the extras.
Younger players, and I mean very young, will find it
a little more challenging and, as that's who it's undoubtedly
marketed at, it has to be viewed as a success. If you
loved the movie you'll adore this game everyone else
should give it a look just to see how movie tie-ins
should be done.
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