Is the magic still with the Juju in Tak’s third outing?

With the release of the first title, Tak and the Power of Juju, it was hard to believe that a game designed mainly for a younger audience could be so enjoyable to play, not only for children but for older gamers as well. Even more surprising was the fact the title was based on a Nickelodeon franchise, though unlike other Nick games which are based off of their cartoon counterparts, Tak was first conceived as a game. Perhaps it is this fact that has allowed the series to enjoy great success with both gamers and reviewers, unlike so many other licensed children’s games. With any great gaming success it is only a mater of time before the inevitable happens and the sequel machine kicks into high gear. Now just a couple of years after the release of first title, and a little less then a year since the second, a third title has hit with Tak and the Great Juju Challenge. With three games released in such a short amount of time, is Juju still magical? Well, it depends on how you look at it.

Story
The stories behind the Tak games have always been a strong point for the series. A great story injected with humor that will appeal to both children and adults, The Great Juju Challenge continues to deliver what its predecessors have led fans to expect from the series. This outing finds Tak partnering up with the village warrior slash village idiot Lok, to represent the Pupanunu tribe in the Great Juju Challenge. Held every 60 years, the Great Juju Challenge places the greatest warriors from the tribes of the world in a competition to win the favor of the Moon Juju goddess. Through a series of races and challenges filled to the brim with obstacles, puzzles and other dangers, players will be on frantic quest to succeed and bring honor to the Pupanunu people.

The story behind the game is simple, but it is truly one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game. Told through a large number of real time cut-scenes injected throughout the levels, the story shines and keeps players engaged with its witty humor and memorable characters.

Gameplay
What sets The Great Juju Challenge apart from its predecessors is its gameplay. Not wanting to repeat what they did in the first two outings, falling into that cookie-cutter trap of so many other milked-to-death franchises have fallen into, Avalanche chose to take a completely different approach this time around. As the name of the game states, this title revolves around a series of challenges in which players must control their team of Tak and Lok, utilizing teamwork in order to succeed.

The realms of the game are large and varied, and for the most part constructed around the new teamwork approach. Right from the start players will realize Tak and Lok have their own set of strengths and weakness that they must learn to use in order to advance through the stages. For example Tak, being the shorter of the two, cannot jump as high or throw objects like Lok can. Using this example, there are many areas in the game in which these weakness will force players to figure out how to utilize both characters together to pass an obstacle. Take for instance a switch atop a high ledge that Tak must trigger. He is too short to jump that high, and on top of that, once he gets to the top how will Lok meet up with him? To overcome this, players must switch their control to Lok (done with the push of a button), pick up Tak and throw him up to the switch on the ledge. Once this switch is triggered, Take must be ordered to remain standing on it, which has raised a staircase bellow that will require the player to switch control back to Lok and guide him up the stairs to Tak. Whatever character the player is not directly controlling will closely follow the controlled character, aiding him when they are attacked and providing constant humorous banter between the two.

Players will utilize this kind of teamwork throughout the adventure and while this does add a new element to the series, the puzzles and obstacles you use this feature to overcome are mostly standard cookie-cutter platformer challenges. Push a button, get to a ledge, climb the vines; all standard elements but the teamwork element does give them new life. However anyone who has played through the first titles may have a hard time fighting that “haven’t I done this before” feeling, wishing for a bit more evolution in the gameplay.

While the basic moves of Tak and Lok are essentially the same, both characters have their own moves specific to them and throughout the adventure they will be granted new abilities. For instance Tak will be granted a grappling hook ability and Lok a healing spell after the first world is completed. This power-up system helps add more variety to the gameplay and provides the player with more abilities they must learn to master in order to advance through the game.