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Cookie and Cream
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Graphics & Sound:
Way back in April of 2001, there was this game released called The Adventures of Cookie and Cream. It wasn't the world's easiest game to find, most likely you didn't pick it up unless you had already heard about it. But you should have, because it's probably the best truly cooperative, two player game ever. Six years later, its successor (really its clone), Cookie and Cream has been released for the DS.
Graphically, Cookie and Cream looks almost exactly like its predecessor. The characters look exactly like they did before, down to the flower pot and the umbrella on their heads. The monsters are the exact same, indeed even the scenery is the same. Just like the original game, the characters are nothing spectacular, but they are cute. They even cast shadows under them when they jump, which you will find to be a big help in figuring out exactly where they're going to land.
The music in Cookie and Cream changes with each world, so you never really get bored of it. It also speeds up when you're down to 20 seconds left on the clock. That speed up helps you to know when you better be hurrying or looking for a stopwatch. |
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Gameplay:
If you ever played the PS2 version, you're going to experience some serious deja vu when you play Cookie and Cream. The Story Mode is exactly the same worlds as before, and the levels are pretty much the same, from Cookie's point of view. At the first screen, you're given the choices of Story, Battle, Minigames, and Options. Choosing Options allows you to change the button configuration, turn the mic off and on, or erase your game data. You only have one game save available, so if you want to start a new game, you have to erase your current one. If you turn the mic off, it will change some of the puzzles that Cream is given since some of them require the mic.
So if you choose Story Mode, you have the option of single or multiplayer. Multiplayer can be played with 2 players on one cartridge or 4 players on two cartridges. With two players, you play co-op, four players you play two against two. Either way, single or multiplayer, it's the same game, only as a single player, you control both characters. When you start a new game, the only option you have available is Jungle World. Each world you encounter will consist of four normal stages and a fifth boss stage. Beating Jungle World will unlock two more worlds for you to play, Music World and Desert World. After that, you only unlock one world for each world you clear. Each Stage, you start at a beginning and move forward on a path, avoiding obstacles and enemies to get to the goal.
When you get tired or stuck in Story Mode, take a break and play Battle Mode. You can play over the wireless connection with someone near (30 feet or so, no more than 65 feet away from) you or if you have the USB Wi-Fi connector, you can play against someone online. |
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Difficulty:
There's one thing from the original PS2 version that I really miss, the help roosters. Before, there were these roosters that when you were stuck on a problem, you could ask them and they'd give you help. Now, all you've got is a help button, which really isn't that helpful. One puzzle for example, you're just given this screen filled with sand, and you have no clue what to do. The help just shows that you blow in the mic and tap the screen. Eventually, you'll find that while you're blowing, you're tapping to brush away the sand because somewhere under there, there's a button to push.
But since they took away a good help system, I guess they give you the Continue option to balance it out. If you run out of time, instead of having to start the whole level over, you can choose to continue. Yes, it will hurt your final score because it adds up all the time you took over all the continues, but it's a really nice thing to be able to finish the level when you've died five times only a few steps from the goal. |
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Game Mechanics:
Cookie and Cream isn't the easiest game to figure out how to play. There's two different sets of controls, one for Cookie and one for Cream, and it's a completely different experience for each. As Cookie, you're playing the platformer part of the game. You don't use the stylus at all. The D-pad moves you around the screen and the shoulder buttons or the (A) button lets you jump. Oh, and if you need to grab onto a rope, jump and hold down the jump button until you want to let go of it (they don't tell you that anywhere). Don't forget to collect the stopwatches as you go, as silver stopwatches add 20 seconds and gold ones add 50 seconds onto the clock, and don't stand still for longer than 10 seconds or so, otherwise a monster will come after you. It doesn't hurt you, but it does steal your time.
As Cream, you're playing more of a Warioware type game. Solely using the stylus (and sometimes the mic), you solve many, many different puzzles as quickly as you can to activate whatever Cookie needs to continue on. If you get stuck, you can tap hint, but on quite a few puzzles, it's really not that helpful. Playing multiplayer, Cream will also have a flying thing come after him. When it's on the screen, Cream can't work on the puzzles, so you'll need to tap it to shake the maracas and run it off. Now all this might not sound very hard, but believe me, the higher levels especially can be very difficult. Some of them are nearly impossible in single player.
Ever since I played the first one, I've been waiting on a sequel. While Cookie and Cream is more of a remake just on a different system, it's very enjoyable to play. Hopefully we'll eventually get a true sequel.
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-Cyn, GameVortex Communications AKA Sara Earl |
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