Phineas and Ferb: Across the Second Dimension (Nintendo DS) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

It's somewhat risky; in the current economic climate, developing any new TV property and while some cartoons do manage to get a second series (or even to the end of the first) many disappear without a trace. Of course everyone wants to have the same success of SpongeBob Squarepants or even The Simpson's but it's not always easy to work out just what the general public actually wants. One thing they did desire was Disney's Phineas and Ferb, which has been incredibly popular for the channel since it debuted in 2007. This game is loosely based on the film of the same name but given that this is the third DS game, featuring the duo, is it worth a look?

Gameplay

The gameplay here begins just after the events of the movie with Phineas and Ferb (along with a handful of other characters) managing to open a portal to another dimension. This allows the boys to work their way though a number of arcade based levels over five very different worlds. At least different cosmetically, and this is where the problems begin. It all starts out well, of course, and you'll be able to play one of three characters: Phineas, Ferb and Perry, each of whom have their own abilities. You'll have to play as each of these to solve a variety of problems (although all of these are reasonably straightforward) whilst also battling it out with all manor of nasties. There's even a handful of touch-screen mini-games which pop-up throughout the worlds. This all sounds fair enough and it would be except that almost every level plays out exactly the same even featuring the same enemies. If this all sounds tedious, it is, and the only aspect of the gameplay you'll end up looking forward to is the 'bonus' levels, which are generally hidden in the middle of each world. It's here that the gameplay changes completely and you'll get to play everything from side-scrolling space shooters to chariot races.

During each level you'll have the opportunity to 'take over' one of the many robot creations which all seem to be in need of repair. This triggers one of three incredibly boring touch-screen games, which must be completed; in order to put the mechanical beasts 'back together again'. After this minor distraction you can climb on board and crash though the remaining part of the level with no worry of harm what so ever. As with a great deal of this game, there seems to be very little point to all of this and while it should have been one of the games high points the fact that it is proceeded by one of the impossibly dull touch-screen interactions makes it yet another gameplay chore.

Controls

Across the 2nd Dimension employs the type of tried and tested control system we've come to expect from a platformer. Fortunately these all work really well, which is refreshing for the genre although, ironically, had this been a little weaker, it would have significantly lengthened the gameplay whilst also cranking up the difficulty level at the same time.

Graphics

Developer Altron have pulled off a reasonably impressive 3D engine here and the characters and environments remain very true to the TV series. There are even several different areas to explore including Halloween, Toy Shop and Music Worlds. Sadly, most of these use the same visual assets so expect to see similar level and puzzle designs with a different appearance. This isn't unusual in handheld development but the Altron have done little here to even attempt to cover up this fact.

Sound

No doubt due to cart or time restrictions, players are treated to a couple of tracks both of which are on a very short loop so be prepared to be humming them all day or begin to turn slightly mad. Elsewhere there's a handful of dialogue from the main players with the odd phrase muttered repeatedly throughout the game.

Dual screen

In order to use the touch-screen the developers have included three stylus driven mini-games, which are generally activated, should you have to open a door or re-build a robot. The main problem here is that these 'games' struggle to be engaging for just one go and certainly don't stand up to the 20 or 30 times you'll have to play them before completing the game.

Final comments

Before I even begin summing up, it's important to remember that this is aimed at a younger audience so the fact that the difficulty level is pitched at the less experienced gamer can be forgiven to a certain extent. What can't be overlooked though is the gameplay and had this been a 'tech demo' it would have been perfectly acceptable. The problems arise when you spin one idea out over a five-hour game and, should you manage to actually complete this, you'll genuinely feel like you've battled the same enemies and solved the same mini-games over and over again. To make matters worse the majority of enemies are incredibly dumb reducing them to simple obstacles as opposed to anything approaching a challenge. It's a shame too as the game does at least look good but as we are always warned throughout life 'looks aren't everything'.

Pro: Visual Style Retains a Wonderful Cartoon Style.
Con: Repetitive Mini-Games and Enemies, Very Easy to Complete.
Final score: 5.1

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