Orbital
Media and Southpeak Interactive have recently released a pair of
interesting role playing titles for the Nintendo DS and GBA. Taking
players on a magical musical journey, Juka and the Mononphonic Menace is
an interesting GBA title that mixes spells, magic and sound to create an
endearing RPG with an appealing cast, strong storyline and interesting
gameplay mechanics. The futuristic Scurge: Hive on DS has some
similarities in terms of presentation, but there's a greater emphasis on
shooting and action, making it feel very different. Both titles are fairly
interesting and solidly produced, so look inside for our reviews to find
out more.
Playing Juka and the Monophonic Menace
on the Nintendo GBA immediately brings back memories of simpler times.
There aren't elaborate cinemas, overbearing graphics or a post-modern
drenching of angst, instead a focus on core gameplay elements prevails.
Juka's basic storyline takes place in the world of Obla where the ancients
left behind a number of Musical relics and machines that have lent the
land prosperity and happiness through the ages. These have gone largely
undiscovered until the Drak Alchemists discovered the, and used them to
make the settlers' lives difficult. The game follows the adventures of its
young protagonist as he explores a colorful world in search of ancient
musical relics that will release the land from the darkness that's been
tormenting it. Finding these also opens up additional abilities that you
can use later on in your quest. Juka's gameplay is fairly straightforward;
players can use their magical staff to release notes that cause enemies to
fall immediately. Along the way, you can find elements which you can then
use to make spells in your bag. At first you have a limited number of
spells, but as the game progresses and you gain more elements, you can
decide which ones to use. These spells can be used for a variety of
functions such as making an opponent fall asleep, opening doors, or to
rejuvenate your health. It's an interesting system that's easy to use and
understand, while giving players plenty of flexibility in how they want to
attack foes.
As far as RPG's go, Juka is solidly
entertaining, though not as challenging as you might think. The game's
pacing is fairly good and the action unfolds quickly with real-time
battles taking place in a variety of locations. You'll face a variety of
enemies throughout the game, including some impressive bosses, but the
game's light, breezy appeal makes it fun and accessible. There are a
number of side-quests and mini-games as well, which keeps things
interesting. Juka's quest is fairly engaging throughout, though the
overall size and length of the game is a bit shorter than you'd expect it
to be. From a presentation standpoint, Juka's top-down perspective is
adequate with decent animation and visuals to make things more
interesting. A fun soundtrack and interesting music adds to the enjoyment,
giving this a polished overall feel. Straightforward controls and
interfaces make the maps and menus easy to navigate as well, meaning it
should appeal to younger players as well. While it might seem a little bit
dated to some, Juka's overall feel and presentation recalls the classic
NES Zelda titles more than modern RPG's, and this back to basics approach
makes for an appealing and engaging title that should appeal mostly to
younger players.
While Scurge: Hive shares some
superficial similarities to Juka, the game appears on a different platform
and has some features that Juka doesn't offer. Set in outer space, this
sci-fi game casts you as a bounty hunter named Jenosa Arma, who's
exploring through the galaxy when she suddenly finds her ship over-run by
a nasty alien infection called the Scurge. Unfortunately, they have also
infected you bio-suit, which can have some unpleasant consequences. It's
up to you to find out why they have attacked your ship and to destroy the
enemies who come at you from all directions before the infection destroys
you as well. An unrelenting pace and a variety of different weapons adds
to the fun, though no one is likely to confuse this with Metroid, though
there are some obvious similarities. Scurge is more of a traditional
RPG/shooter hybrid. This isn't necessarily a bad thing since this simple
approach makes things easy to get into. The game's top-down angled
presentation is fairly easy to understand, and most of the gameplay
involves going from one area to the next in search of the next group to
destroy. Players can also collect numerous weapons power-ups, health
upgrades and other extra items throughout their journey.
Scurge's plot unfolds at a nice pace,
though most players probably won't spend a lot of time worrying about the
story. The controls are likewise fairly easy to understand, with fairly
simple movement and shooting mechanisms. Menus and HUDs are also decent,
allowing you to see your character's status and weapons they have
inventoried. This lets you focus your energy on the battles at hand
without having to spend a lot of time flipping through options screens.
Along the way, players will be able to find eco and other items to
rejuvenate their health. This is very important, since the infection
constantly saps your strength and power. The enemies tend to attack in
groups and these clusters can be dangerous if you don't have patience.
Scurge also makes good use of the DS double screen, with a cool map
navigational menu that allows you to see where you are and which areas you
need to clear out next. It's a fairly simple and straightforward game as
well, with a greater emphasis placed on shooting and destroying, with some
minor RPG elements thrown in as well. As you navigate and move through the
later and larger areas, the game begins to open up nicely, with a large
area to explore, different types of enemies and additional items to find.
Scurge: Hive isn't the deepest or most challenging game, but it does offer
gamers plenty of action for their money. It's a fun title that offers some
relatively intense action at points, particularly during its boss battles,
but it's nothing too taxing. Scurge is decently produced and enjoyable,
making for a solidly entertaining title on the DS that should appeal to
younger and more casual players.
Juka Grade: B
Scurge Grade: B
