W.I.T.C.H. (Game Boy Advance) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

I'm quite fortunate that most TV tie-in games are already known to me thanks in part to the endless repeats on satellite television. W.I.T.C.H. on the other hand was slightly different and even a search on the Internet delivered only a handful of results. W.I.T.C.H. is however incredibly popular throughout Europe. It started life as a magazine and it now has books, a fan club, a TV series and of course this GBA title. The series basically follows the lives of 5 fun loving girls; Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin as they discover that they aren't your average teenage girls… They are, in fact, all elemental Guardians entrusted with the protection of Earth from the evil Phobus, who is trying to conquer it. Nothing unusual there then?

Gameplay

The game's main objective has a great deal to do with the storyline mentioned in the introduction but if you're still a little confused let's just say this a good vs. evil type affair with the girls' main aim being to bring harmony back to the two opposing worlds. Simple eh? WITCH is an acronym of the girls' names and they do have a something in common with the broom-flying, pointy hat wearing ladies as they can all do magic and fly. The magic in question changes from one girl to another although usefully all five girls can levitate as long as their health bar is intact. Less health means less time in the air, which can occasionally be disastrous. Health is also required for your magic and repeatedly activating your mode of attack will drain you and so leave you open to all manor of problems.

The levels take place in chapters and in the first of these you get to play as each of the girls and utilize their various abilities to solve problems. Irma, for example, has a water jet that is wonderful for extinguishing fires whilst Cornelia con conjure up a flowered vine, which can climb into small areas and reach valuable objects and you can solve some problems by trading with Blunk (you'll know him when you meet him) although he'll generally want something incredibly difficult to find in return. In the second chapter things become more complicated as you not only have to select the right character for the job but also occasionally combine magic with another girl in order to produce a more powerful spell. I'm sure this is all run of the mill stuff for fans of the show but I can't help thinking it may get a little too difficult for other gamers especially when you consider this game only has a rating of 3+.

Controls

While the control method is basically the same throughout the game it does change what it does considerably from girl to girl. This isn't really a problem as each level in the first chapter features quite an extensive tutorial on how exactly to use your powers. Some of these powers are a little frustrating though especially when they must be used to progress through the game. One in particular (when playing as Irma) allows you to surround yourself with an aqua field. The problem is this has the same properties as a balloon so when you attempt to enter a small space (which you'll have to) you simply bounce around the screen. We were almost about to throw the GBA at the wall when we finally got through but be warned: it takes patience and a great deal of determination.

Graphics

Not too bad although some of the characters could do with a few more frames on animation to stop them looking like cardboard cut outs. The highlight for fans will be the abundance of stills lifted from the series but whatever happened to FMV cut scenes?

Sound

There's no speech from the TV series so everything feels rather generic. This happens a lot with these kind of games but this title in particular is instantly forgettable in the audio department

Final comments

Initially W.I.T.C.H. appears to be just an average platformer with a tad too much text for its own good but spending time with the games shows that it's much more complex that that. You could argue a little too complex, not to mention samey, for its intended audience but fans of the show will relish in the way in which the various characters have been brought to life on the GBA format as well as the obvious challenges. Gamers will also no doubt enjoy the opportunity to play as all five of the girls which is always a plus and you may recall that the original Matrix game suffered because you could only control minor characters. That said I'm not entirely sure whether this has enough mass appeal to attract young gamers who haven't heard of the TV series its based on but if it's a challenge you want then W.I.T.C.H. can certainly deliver.

Pro: A Lengthy, Challenging Title.
Con: Can Become Repetitive.
Final score: 6.5

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