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Based on the Disney animated feature, SCEA's Treasure Planet for the PS2 follows the adventures of a kid named Jack as he travels the universe in search of Gold Drubloons and the mysterious Treasure Planet itself. Contrary to expectations, this is a surprisingly good platform title that offers some cool weapons, interesting mini-games and some interesting play mechanics. The game's lush environments accurately reproduce the look of the movie, creating an impressive look to the game. The game offers a good mix of action and strategy, and can be quite challenging. This is a nicely produced title overall but will it appeal to adults as well as kids? We jump on the Solar Surfer and find out. In Treasure Planet, you are Jim Hawkins, a lonely kid from a broken family who sets out on an epic adventure to find the elusive world of Treasure Planet where the riches of the mythical Captian Flint are rumored to be. Along the way, Jim will explore many different planets, face off with robotic enemies, and find some surprises. Each level has a portal and it's here that Jim can consult his map. If you have set enough Beacons, Jim can leave the planet at this point and visit a number of different worlds. The game is a fairly standard platform adventure where you have to traverse large areas over-run by space pirates. Jim can jump over gaps, battle enemies and collect loads of items. This is where your companion Morph comes in handy. Morph is a surprisingly cute lump of clay that can change form depending on your situation. You can use him in a number of ways, such as becoming a hammer that can smash treasure chests. In some areas, he'll find a special area that he can stand on that will give Morph Cyber enhancements that are time-limited and need to be used quickly. These power-ups take many forms such as jet packs, Gliders, Speed boots and a powerful set of Arms that allow him to do things he otherwise would be able to do. For example, he can use Morph's "helping-hand" to pull a heavy lever that opens locked doors, or can smash heavy red boxes. The implementation of these is excellent and they work well with the rest of the game. In order to get to new worlds, Jim will need to reach and activate a certain number of Beacons that are scattered around each area. These are important for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that they'll point the way to new worlds and eventually Treasure Island itself. The game offers plenty of action as you face robots, space pirates and other baddies intent on keeping you from the mythical planet. There's plenty to keep you occupied because each level is divided into several smaller quests. Plus there are mini-games such as chasing a rival ship, and escaping from a black hole. These help to increase the gameplay variety and break up the action effectively. Mastering all the ins and outs can be quite a task in itself and this approach increases Treasure Planet's longevity.
Treasure Planet's controls are tight and intuitive and players should have little trouble, climbing, moving, and jumping through the levels. Players will also find that implementing many of the Cyber enhancements only requires a single button press, making for an intuitive experience. Likewise, performing most actions and interacting with other characters is simple, requiring only a single button press. The remarkably streamlined interface is smartly designed, allowing you to focus on the action without fumbling with the controller. Praise is also due the game's excellent level designs are challenging and interesting but never overly complex. This helps you understand where you're headed, though some of the angles used are a bit awkward. Luckily, players can spin the camera around for a better viewpoint, though this can be annoying during the heat of battle when facing multiple enemies. The flow of Treasure Planet is excellent, gradually introducing the new skills and abilities painlessly as you progress through the game.
Treasure Planet is one of the rare licensed games that benefits from it's source material without feeling exploitative. While it's not as hard as you would like it to be, given the child-oriented subject matter, it's understandable that the developers set the difficulty level relatively low. Treasure Planet is a solid game that offers plenty of action and challenge. There's a good mix of puzzles and action, making for an engrossing and surprisingly long quest. The controls are tight and responsive, though the camera system isn't as seamless as it could have been. While it isn't the most difficult or innovative title on the market, Treasure Planet is an excellent title that plays well while effectively capturing the spirit of the film.
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As
he progresses through each level, Jack can collect several types of items that
will help him. These can be found in each level in treasure chests and he can
earn them by defeating enemies. The most important of these are the Gold
Drubloons scattered around each level, and collecting 100 of these finishes the
level. He'll also find Green health icons which can partially or fully restore
his health indicator and can enhance his strength and abilities by knocking out
opponents. Each world is massive and new areas can be unlocked as you progress
through the game. In addition to the Space Pirates, you'll meet other people who
want to help you. There is a robot cook named B.E.N. who also acts as the ship's
navigator and will help you find Treasure Planet, if he can remember what to do.
John Silver is a veteran space captain who's half-man and half machine with huge
cyborg arms who guides Jim on his journey. Finally, the good Dr. Doppler is a
bit eccentric but he does know many of the secrets behind the mysterious beacons
and maps. You can talk to each of these characters along the way and many of
their advice and hints will be quite helpful as you journey to Treasure Planet.
While the first few levels are a little slow, things pick up dramatically once
you acquire the Solar Surfer and begin to glide through the levels on it's
wings. Using it isn't that difficult, since the controls and presentation of
this device are very similar to what you'd face if you were traveling on foot.
The Surfer allows you to explore a large area much faster. In addition, the
Surfer unlocks some cool mini-games such as timed races and stunt contests as
well. The Solar Surfer can perform tricks such as rolling and spinning, making
it a really cool addition to the gameplay that gives Treasure Planet a distinct
feel all it's own.
Visually,
the game is exceptional and benefits from the creative design of the movie.
While flying ships in outer space may not be the most believable concept,
Treasure Planet brings the concept to life brilliantly. The developers at
Bizarre Creations deserves a lot of credit for capturing the movie's look and
feel perfectly, making this one of the more enjoyable results of the Disney/Sony
partnership to date. The smooth character animations are excellent and the move
with a smooth grace throughout the game. As an added bonus for fans of the
movie, Treasure Planet includes several areas and ships that weren't seen in the
film. However, the basic plot and characters are faithful to the source
material. Treasure Planet's score was lifted from the movie and the music's epic
feel complements the action perfectly, underlining the game's points of
interest. Additionally, fans of the film will be happy that many of the same
actors reprise their roles for the game. As expected with a film-to-game
crossover, there are several DVD style extras in the game including trailers and
behind the scenes vignettes. Overall, the production values are excellent and
the PS2 is more than up to the task of transporting players into this fantasy
realm.