Rio (Nintendo DS) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

When the original Toy Story was released, some years ago, I'm not sure anyone could have predicted just how popular (or lucrative) CGI movies would become and every major studio now appears to have several in production annually. Rio has been doing some impressive box office business and you can no doubt get toys, t-shirts, stickers and just about every franchise opportunity known to man featuring the various movie characters. The fact that we get a game tie-in is a little more predictable although the majority of these turn out to be generic, uninspiring platformers. THQ have been a little braver, this time around, and opted for a rhythm game but is the result and hit or miss?

Gameplay

The DS version of Rio is probably best described as a rhythm-based platformer set against a carnival background. The gameplay takes its inspiration from just about every rhythm game you've ever encountered and as you control Blu (a parrot) you'll be challenged to take out a variety of enemy's whist also avoiding others. Keeping momentum is essential as you'll also have to keep up the all-important rhythm and missing too many beats will cause your progress meter turn from blue to red forcing you to replay the level. During all of this you can also pick up extra points by collecting flowers or entering a kind of random dance-off with a small yellow chick (we don't know his or her name though). To get the maximum points you'll be required to hit every note with spit second accuracy which isn't nearly as easy as it sounds. Doing well on each level rewards you with a collection of stars although even if you aim for perfection, Rio is a very short game indeed.

To give you a little more value for your money there's also a selection of mini-games and while most of these are nothing special there are one or two highlights. Running of the Bulldog, for example is simply an edited version of the main game with a Bulldog taking on the starring role. Monkey Madness is a lot more fun but not due to the gameplay but rather because success forces monkeys to be propelled into the DS's screen which would have been incredible in 3D. The remainder is given over to a virtual pet parrot although you'll need to spend some considerable time with this before bonding with your new friend. We prodded ours with the stylus and talked to it though the microphone but it appeared to show very little interest. There's also a dancing game, which allows you to use your own face thanks to a rare use of the DSi's camera but this isn't nearly as interesting as it sounds.

Controls

It's all touch-screen, which is pretty unique for a movie tie-in although not so much for a music-based platformer.

Graphics

Rio is definitely not the prettiest title we've encountered this year and the various models seem to have been 'lifted' from the movie making them appear grainy and pixilated. They are also quite poorly animated and you'll occasionally feel that you are playing a flash game and not a commercial DS title. The backgrounds are a little better and you will get to see a generous amount of screens taken straight from the movie itself, just don't expect to understand what's going on.

Sound

If you happen to like the sound of a Rio Carnival then you're likely to enjoy the majority of the music on offer here. Cleverly, the developers have linked the music to your performance so missing the beat will cause the soundtrack to 'drop out'. Outside of this there are a handful of generic sound effects, which are activated when you collide with someone or something.

Dual screen

As this is a rhythm game it was always destined to be a touch-screen interface and like Elite Beat Agents this mostly involves tapping the screen at the correct moment. For the majority of the game, this is when one circle gradually shrinks to the same size as the one underneath it. Hit this at exactly the correct moment and you'll be awarded top marks. This is all easy enough to begin with but becomes increasingly more difficult as the game progresses especially when you add the various platforms into the mix. There's also a handful of other rhythm based pursuits but the on-screen instructions, which accompany these, make it almost impossible to work out what you are required to do and most of your time spent with Rio comes down to trial and error. This can be as simple as 'swipe here, tap there' but actually figuring this out is a challenge in itself. We have, of course, seen this type of thing before but given that this is aimed at the younger gamer, things could have been a little clearer.

Final comments

While this is an admirable attempt at bringing something new to the movie tie-in world it just doesn't quite hit the mark. It's too sort, the presentation is average and the instructions make for a frustrating experience. It also lacks variety and while we're well aware that the theme of music is prominent in the movie, it would have been nice to see a few mini-games, which offer a different challenge from the main game. Instead, these just feel like mindless fillers and you're unlikely to be revisiting these games on a regular basis. Overall then, only for huge fans of the movie and, even then, only at a budget price.

Pro: A Least it's not a Platformer
Con: Poor Graphics and Animation, Confusing Instructions, Very Short
Final score: 5.1

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