Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit 2005 Published by: Konami America   Developed by: Frontier Developments   Buy It Now

Platform: Xbox, PlayStation 2

Genre: Action

Number of Players: 1 or 2

Right off, I will say that I am totally unaware of Wallace and Gromit. Never seen any movies or what have you, never played any games, I have no idea what Wallace and Gromit is all about, until receiving this copy of The Curse of the Were-Rabbit for review.

The game is based on the movie of the same name that was recently released, and that in itself would generally set off alarm bells. However, my time with the game has shown that this is one of the few that actually gets it right. Although the game is pretty simple and surely geared toward kids, it features some clever dialog and nifty gameplay elements that will have adults enjoying themselves with the game as well. “Casual” and “charming” are two words that would describe this game well.

Wallace and Gromit have started a pest removal business, and none too soon it seems. Just as the big vegetable competition is about to take place, there is a sudden outbreak of rabbits. They swarm about endlessly, and Wallace and Gromit to tackle the job and remove the pests, using various clever items and abilities. To make matters worse, at night, the rabbits turn into mean, menacing creatures, giving the heroes a greater challenge. There are no shotguns or poison pellets here, though. Wallace and Gromit remove the unwanted pests in a kinder, gentler way. Lack of blood and gore make this a kid friendly game all the way.

Gameplay entails going from one area to another, finding inhabitants to talk to, who will eventually give you a job which mostly involves removing rabbits. Use the bun gun, a sort of vacuum kinda gizmo, to scoop up individual offenders and take them back to a holding area, or you heard the pests en masse toward vents that pop up from the ground which whisk the rabbits away. Control is tight and intuitive throughout the game, and you have various moves such as wall jumps and double jumps, and you also have limited control of the character you are not playing. The other character will help you out by using items or helping you get to areas you can’t reach alone. In addition to the main characters, there is a third playable character called Hutch who helps you out as well. The time of day determines which character you use- Wallace for the daytime, Hutch for night, and Gromit works twenty four seven. While the game does not really innovate or bring anything new its genre, it is primarily geared toward young’uns, so the fairly straight forward gameplay and forgiving control scheme are apt for the game.

Graphically the game closely resembles its claymation source material, to great effect. Levels are lively and colorful, and the character animations are superb. The sounds and voice acting are just as well done, giving the game a well rounded and immersive feel. Fans of the duo will feel right at home playing the game.

I had a pretty good time with Curse of the Were-Rabbit, and considering that this is a movie licensed game from source material that I am totally unfamiliar with, I would say that is a good achievement. The $40 price tag suggests that this is not a AAA title, but it’s not a budget title, either. I think it’s a good price point for a game that will appeal largely to fans of Wallace and Gromit, and especially to kids. In a time where all we see about games in the media is how they are turning our kids into a bunch of oversexed thrill killers, Curse of the Were-Rabbit is good title for parents to buy for their kids, without having to worry about bad influences. It’s a solid title, and good clean fun.

-Ed-