Frantix
Score: 70% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Sony Online Entertainment Developer: Killer Game Media: UMD/1 Players: 1 Genre: Puzzle/ Platformer (2D)/ Action
Graphics & Sound: Frantix is fruit from the “Gameplay Over Graphics” tree, so those looking for photorealism need not proceed further. Those looking for gameplay-driven fun will find that the graphics are really quite good, especially as a sidebar to the “meat” of the game. The argument could be made that graphics and sound need to serve a (good) puzzle game and are really only there to enhance the flow of each screen. In this sense, Frantix scores well. On first glance, you’ll find the top-down perspective easy to work with, and there are adjustments possible to zoom in or rotate for better angles on any particular challenge. The ability to zoom never really seemed useful, but rotating the screen is critical to working through most puzzles. Each of the puzzles you work through in Frantix requires a lot of running around and it is usually small visual clues that help you find a solution. Even though the variety in visuals isn’t great, the level of detail in each object and the motion effects are really nice. Sound is often underrated as an important element of gameplay, and the cues in Frantix for when you should jump, run, or walk are often hidden in what might seem like background noise. The actual music is definitely a sidebar, but the combination of event-related noises and soundtrack give some atmosphere to what might otherwise be plodding.
Gameplay: We all know that video gaming is more than just twitchy reflexes, and that even seemingly mindless shooting games require some modicum of strategy. Puzzle Games have evolved into several subgenres, all of which are based on the idea of bite-sized challenges that require major mental mojo or twitchy reflexes. Some require both. Remember the first Oddworld game? Basically a long sequence of puzzles, stitched together by a great story. Frantix doesn’t have a strong story, but that doesn’t prevent it from being a good title. The “pick up-and-play” factor is actually very high, because controls are simple. You are thrown in through a tutorial that goes over the different obstacles you face in each level, and as you proceed in the game a level will be comprised of combinations of obstacles. Pushing blocks, dodging enemies, tripping switches, and throwing bombs are some of the fare in your quest to collect crystals and rack up a high score. If you need more than that, you really are out of luck. Don’t complain that the game doesn’t offer more, because it’s made to be a puzzle game. There are a huge number of levels, and the gameplay moves you from level to level to avoid tedium. The characters are window dressing, but you can switch them out if you have a favorite. Heck, if you want a break from the game you can even watch a short animated feature included on the UMD, which plays into the story... sort of.
Difficulty: More than anything else, the difficulty of a puzzle game is what ultimately makes it good or great. Frantix scores well in this regard, and I noticed something as I played through level after level. Usually, if I was frustrated, I was doing something wrong. The best example is a level called “Ghost in the Trap” where you have to run away from an enemy through a series of traps. You can only stop his progress by turning to look at him, so I found myself running and turning, and running, and turning. Getting the timing right was really frustrating until I realized that I didn’t have to run away the minute the trap released me, and I could catch my breath as long as I was facing the ghost. Also, while some levels have multiple solutions, others require quick, decisive action. I liked the variety in levels, and only a few became frustrating because of difficulty moving the character or tight countdowns. I wasn’t a big fan of timed levels. I also wasn’t a big fan of action-oriented puzzles, because the control on the game felt sticky and imprecise. The best moments (and the majority of the game) were found in those “Ah-hah!” levels that were incredibly obvious once you decoded all the steps required to solve them. If there had been more of these, and less of the twitch-reflex levels, Frantix would have been a stronger title.
Game Mechanics: Learning to play this game is as simple as picking it up, which always ranks high on the list for a portable title. The controls are simple, either using D-pad or analog stick. Both were a little sticky, so the D-pad was preferable since you don’t really have any need to go diagonally or in small increments. Otherwise, you are using shoulder buttons to move the camera or buttons to change the viewing perspective. The former, you’ll do frequently; the latter, hardly ever. There would have been good reason to add some kind of split-screen or collaborative system to Frantix, but nothing like this was present. What is a good solo experience would have been a better party game or two-player affair. The whole production feels solid but not superb, and not for lack of material. The number of levels to navigate through is dizzying and, as mentioned, the presentation and gameplay is solid. The truth about Frantix is that only a small number of people are really turned on by games like this anymore, since the whole puzzle genre has been mitigated to “mini-game” status. The appeal of this type of gaming is undeniable, but most gamers don’t seem to have the patience (or gray matter) to sit down and really enjoy the experience. In this case, those in search of an entertaining title could do much worse than Frantix.
-Fridtjof, GameVortex Communications AKA Matt Paddock
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