In what could be a first in the video game industry, a game has been released that takes less time to play all the way through than it would be to watch the movie it's based on. For The Incredibles debut on the DS, developer Helixe has taken this soon-to-be film franchise and slapped it into an awful 2-D platformer. At the very least, the pain is short thanks to the length, hovering dangerously close to the under two-hour mark.
Alternating control between two characters (Frozone and Mr. Incredible), players plow through levels in record time. As is expected with the dual character set up, each has their specific powers that need to be used extensively to advance. With level design as it is, it's a miracle the game is actually playable.
Annoyances fill this video game sequel to the Pixar film. For instance, only Mr. Incredible can flip a switch to open a door. Apparently, Frozone was absent the day they went through that in Superhero school. While switching between the two is painless, it's bafflingly stupid why they needed Frozone to be in the game at all aside from solving generic, blatantly obvious puzzles.
There is no room for exploration, as the solutions to open up a myriad of closed doors will lead you into every power up or bonus. The puzzles (if you can call them that) are almost always the same: Frozone freezes a platform, Mr. Incredible jumps on it to flip a switch, and the door to the next section opens. You'll never get stuck or find yourself in a situation you can't get out of.
The only real challenge comes from the off-screen enemies, or the ones that can shoot straight through the walls. Enemies are placed in multiple spots that are unreachable until you find a switch to get to them. Unfortunately, they're usually defending that too. It's an aggravating struggle to defensively jump around, avoid fire, and hopefully make it up to a switch. These represent the few death spots in the game.
There's a pattern at work here too. After clearing that meager test of jumping dexterity, you'll walk until the game stops you. A few robots attack, you finish the next puzzle, the screen stops, you fight, ad nauseam. It's unbearably boring and predictable.
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