Hop: The Movie Game is based off of Universal Pictures CG/live action family-friendly comedy Hop, which hit theaters on April 1st. It is as adorable as cute games featuring drum playing bunnies and evil chicks can be and would be a great addition to any child’s Easter basket this season.
Gameplay
The main purpose of the game is that you run around as Fred (played in the film by James Marsden), helping E.B., the Easter Bunny’s son, save the world of Easter from Carlos the chick and his minions. You’re also helping E.B. recognize his dream of being a rock star drummer. It has four different scenes – The Mansion, Hoff Knows Talent, Easter Island and the Candy Factory – and ten levels per scene. This is more than enough to keep a kid distracted in the car on your way to Grandma’s! There are four “guns” you use to dispose of the evil chicks and Pink Berets (bunnies wearing the aforementioned hat). The first is the one shooting gumballs. Eventually, you pick up the Marshmallower Gun, which slows the enemy down slightly and shoots out more than one piece at a time, allowing for maximum coverage. There’s also the Chocolate Squirt Gun which turns enemies into chocolate (which you need to stay alive) and the Cotton Candy Gun, which slows the enemy down so you can blast them with something else. You start off with the Gumball gun and work your way up. The others all have limited ammo that you have to continually pick up on your journey, but the Gumball one has unlimited ammo.
As mentioned before, the chocolate is your lifeline. The top screen has a chocolate version of Fred that gets eaten up when he’s hit by something. It fills back up when you eat chocolate.
I was frustrated by this game at first. Not because it was hard, but because I thought there was more to it that I was missing. I forgot to keep in mind that this is a children’s game and therefore plenty challenging for them without being hard on them if they “die”. Once I realized that the basic premise is to run around collecting Easter eggs and gumballing adorable woodland creatures into submission, I saw the appeal for the little ones. There are lots of mini games to be played as well, like Bowling for Chicks and Easter Egg hunts. The dialogue in the game is amusing and appropriate for kids, very lighthearted, and if I had a kid, I would have let them play it to give me their opinion.
There is a lot of repetition, but again, this is a children’s game and I think children need that repetition, with maybe just a change of scenery when they’re doing it so they don’t get bored.
Graphics/Video
Hop: The Movie Game is very colorful, especially with all the Easter eggs Fred runs around to collect. It’s not the most detailed DS game I’ve played, but it served its purpose.
The only real complaint I had with this game was the controlling (some would argue that this is the most important aspect, of course). In order to shoot, you have to touch the stylus to the screen with one hand while trying to maneuver Fred with the other hand, using either the directional pad or the “A-X-Y-B” buttons. While I could manage it, I can see where smaller hands that are maybe not as coordinated may have a bit of trouble. It just seems inconvenient in a game meant for children.
Audio/Sound Effects
There’s no real change in the soundtrack here, it’s the same loop. Also, the dialogue isn’t actually spoken – it just pops up on the screen for the kid to read, which is where the parents may need to come in, depending on the age of the child. Regardless, these are things that won’t matter to the targeted age group.
Overall
Hop will not be breaking any records as best game ever created, but it was sweet, amusing for kids and something that parents may even enjoy playing along with their children, helping them find hidden Easter eggs and where to go next. I think children are really going to like this one.
ComicsOnline gives Hop: The Movie Game 3.5 out of 5 chocolate bunnies
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