Reviews

Fighting Crime, Trying to Save the World — A Review of Powerpuff Girls: Defenders of Townsville

A decade after the series has ceased airing, The Powerpuff Girls remain a global staple of pop-culture, so much so that even Christian Bale has been recorded singing the show’s infectious pop theme. With the planned revival of the franchise, led by the recent one-shot special, Powerpuff Girls: Dance Pantsed,it makes sense that Cartoon Network wishes to drive momentum by reintroducing the characters to other mediums. However, in the realm of video games, licensed properties are a bit of a sore spot.

Gamers have a love/hate (mostly hate) relationship with licensed properties and it is therefore remarkably difficult to convince them that a licensed game isn’t just the latest cash grab on the market. It is with all understanding that Defenders of Townsville has both excited long time fans and simultaneously elicited their skepticism.

Allow me to assure you that the game’s developer, Radiangames, have created a title that strives to reverence the source material while offering a compelling experience. Is the game executed flawlessly? Not really, but there are enough well done elements that no one need fear that the Powerpuff license is being misrepresented. So let’s get into exactly what this game delivers so that you the reader may determine if Defenders of Townsville is for you.

Plot

The premise for this game is simple. Mojo Jojo has invented a new weapon, the “Disremember Ray,” which gives the Powerpuff Girls amnesia, causing them to forget how to use their “ultra-superpowers.” It is up to Buttercup, whom is the least affected by the weapon, to recover her powers, memories and free her sisters so that they may defeat Mojo Jojo before he can destroy the city of Townsville.

Gameplay

PPG:DoT is hailed as belonging to the Metroidvania genre of games —  a portmanteau of Nintendo’s Metroid and Konami’s Castlevania —   in which the player explores and charts a massive labyrinth while combating foes and discovering secrets. Although this title bears a number of similarities to the Metrodvania tradition, I find it difficult to include it in said genre.

The game’s plot sets up the players’ goal for the duration of the game. Players traverse a series of enemy-filled rooms in order to regain lost memories and powers so that they may have a final showdown with the game’s antagonist.

Players begin the game with Buttercup not even remembering how to throw a punch. As players progress through the map, they will gain flight and all manner of energy projection attacks in order to restore the girls to full power. As such,  most of the focus is on gaining powers as opposed to map exploration.

The map design is quite simple. All power ups, reachable or not, are within the players view. Add to this the fact that the map contains markers that inform players of which rooms have uncollected power ups, and one can see why I have reached my given conclusion about the genre label.

Once players gain the ability to fly (which happens within the first two minutes of the game), the play style shifts from the professed Metroidvania style to a mash-up which falls somewhere between a bullet hell and a multidirectional shooter. The most apt description I can manage is to compare Defenders of Townsville to Treasure’s cult classic, Bangai-Oh, with respect for the fact that PPG: DoT is far easier and more forgiving of player error than Bangai-Oh ever is.

If there were an option to walk rather than fly, then this title may have fit more comfortably in the genre to which it claims to belong. However, the compulsory flight mechanic puts exploration on the backburner and the projectile attacks thrust players into a shoot ’em up dynamic. This is in no way a bad thing, but with the Metroidvania label being bandied about, players could wind up upset over unmet expectations. With that, I advise that anyone considering the purchase of this game treat it as if it is a shoot ’em up and not a Metroidvania game.

Once players have unlocked the remaining Powerpuff Girls, they will have at their disposal three types of attacks which are capable of being charged up for a massive assault; a laser beam, an energy blast and an attack unique to each girl. Blossom projects fire, Bubbles projects ice and Buttercup projects a shockwave.

Shrewd observes will note that in the animated series Blossom’s unique power is ice based; Bubbles’ is sonic based, while Buttercup lacks a unique ability. Why Radiangames chose to switch around the girls’ power sets is unknown, but it does not negatively impact the gameplay experience.

In addition to each girl having a unique attack, the way the girls wield their powers will vary between them. Blossom’s charged attacks are fired simultaneously from her left and right side. Bubbles fires her charged attacks in a concentrated burst, while Buttercup unleashes her charged attacks in a wide sweep. It is necessary for players to play to the strengths of each character depending upon the layout of a given room,  as only certain powers can clear certain obstacles.

Speaking of enemies, players will not find much variety in enemy attack patterns. Certain enemies attack physically by colliding with the character, others fire beams directly toward the character, and others release energy attacks in a circular spread. Some enemy shots can pass through walls and obstacles, while others do not. With hyper-flight equipped, evasion of enemy fire becomes a simple enough task. For all else, there is a dash deflector which allows players to absorb most forms of enemy fire by simply dashing through the chaos.

Players will have to accept a single health and power bar for all three characters: a seemingly curious design choice. Still, the game is quite forgiving, so a shared set of meters doesn’ really put players at a disadvantage. There are an ample number of save rooms across the entirety of the map, and save rooms restore both health and power. Even novices should be able to complete this game within four or five hours.

Controls

PPG: DoT began life as a PC game and was eventually ported to iOS and Android. The implication for mobile gamers is that this is a game designed with physical controls in mind. The question then is how well this game adapts to a touch screen interface, to which I answer, “Not that well. ” I would be a liar if I said that this game plays well on a touch screen. But I’d be just as much of a liar if I told you that the game is unplayable on a touch screen.

The game begins with a only a virtual joystick. New virtual buttons appear as additional abilities are unlocked. By the time all of the basic abilities are obtained,  the screen is inundated with a virtual joystick, an attack button, a dash button, a power swapping button and an icon on the top of the screen which allows you to switch between the Powerpuff Girls. As a consequence of the cluttered display, screen space is at a premium.

I do wish to acknowledge that the developer made an observable effort to address the limitations of a touch screen. Buttons are of varying sizes so that players are better able to distinguish which onscreen controls serve which function. Buttons are also spaced apart to limit accidental button presses. The two areas in which the controls are most lacking are the opacity and the color scheme. The buttons are ghost-like against certain backdrops, and the faded pink color scheme only contributes to this hindrance.

Although the controls are no worse than any other traditional game that is given virtual controls, this is a title in which Moga support should have been available at launch, especially considering that the PC version has Xbox 360 controller support. It would seem that the developers are aware that this game plays best with a physical controller, but still decided not to address that same concern with the mobile port.

Presentation

The aesthetic of this game, both visually and aurally, is without a doubt where this title shines the most. The game launches with the familiar sound of Bis’ Powerpuff Girls theme song (Bis is the Scottish indie band which composed and sang the theme for the animated series). The rest of the game’s score is redolent of 90s era video game music, which at first seems uncharacteristic given the property upon which the game is based, but seemingly appropriate considering that this game is designed to echo the games of yesteryear.

Players are given two visual styles to choose from. The first look is from the modern era Powerpuff Girls, based on the recent CGI animated special. The second look comes from the classic era of the series. Depending upon which style you choose, the game’s cut scenes and in-game look will adjust accordingly.  In terms of accuracy, the game looks as if it is a lost episode from the series itself.

Adding to the nostalgia are the returning voices of the original cast, including all three Powerpuffs, Mojo Jojo, The Mayor and even the Narrator. It must be said though that there is limited appeal to the voice acting in this game. As exciting as it is to hear familiar voices, the script offers very little in the way of dialog, leaving players to listen to the same sound bites repeatedly.

Radiangames is an independent developer and this game is a small project, so it isn’t as if a great deal of the budget would be devoted to recording a bevy of one liners. Still, a bit of variety would have been appreciated so that I wouldn’t have to hear Bubbles frequently exclaim, “You get a punch, you get a punch AND you get a punch!”

Though the visual design of this game borrows heavily from the animated series, which itself employed minimalism, the game does little to break away from that mold. As a result, the robot foes and the backgrounds can appear uninspired from a gamer’s perspective.

That said,  the game is still visually slick, appearing to be ripped straight from the television screen and placed right on your touch screen.

Fun Factor

Despite the qualms I have listed, Defenders of Townsville is still an enjoyable title in and of itself, and not just because it is linked to the Powerpuff franchise. Though some of the areas are small and void of much combat, the larger rooms allow the game to shine as a frantic shoot’em up.

The varying play style of each Powerpuff keeps things interesting and the few boss fights present in the game add to the excitement. When the screen gets covered in a hail of enemy fire, the game turns into a rather satisfying romp.

Breakdown

Pros:

–     The game’s presentation is faithful to the source material, including the original voice cast and art assets which look nearly identical to the show
–     With a four hour play time, the game is just long enough to be interesting and just short enough to keep it from being repetitive
–     One of the few games which manage to make the player feel like the superhero they are playing as

Cons:

–     The game lacks support for a physical controller
–     In-game dialog is very repetitive
–     The map design and enemy design are at times a bit plain
–     Not actually a Metroidvania style game, despite being claimed as such.

Final Score: 3/5

Fans of the franchise may find themselves more enthralled than others. Defenders of Townsville is a solid game that manages to do a number of things well. Defenders of Townsville is easily the best Powerpuff Girls game yet.

Share This

You Might Also Like