Where The Wild Things Are is a fairly straightforward movie tie-in game. Containing some basic art influences from the film, as well as some general story themes, you control Max as he explores the island of the Wild Things, completing tasks and solving adventures, in an attempt to earn their trust and become king, as well as to save their world which is rapidly being destroyed.

The game is a fairly straightforward action-RPG (a la Baldur's Gate or the Marvel Alliance franchises - although don't expect that same level of quality), with a lot of hacking and slashing, and some puzzle elements thrown in. The story line follows Max as he initially lands on the Wild Things island, begins to explore around, and eventually begins missions with the beasts themselves. The action is geared towards a younger audience, as the main tension is really just hitting flying bugs and blobs of tar and muck. So its kid-friendly in terms of violence and skill level, but the mood of the story is dark. Much like the film, the game has a dark pallor, and the plot of the planet dying makes it kind of a depressing journey. On the upside, you don't "die" in the game, so at least your kids won't have to bear the trauma of repeatedly killing young Max. He just needs to "refresh" every now and then...

The gameplay is divided into two sections. The main section consists of the levels that you go through, solving mini-adventures and progressing through the story. And the ancillary section is the Wild Things village, where you can regroup in between main levels, unlock extra points and health, and just overall take a breather. The main section has very clearly defined routes and there's not a lot of free-world exploring. You have set objectives and it more or less forces you to stay on course. It's not a bad thing, but this is just to say that this isn't a completely open world with unlimited play options. The village section allows more or less free roaming, and you can browse the entire area with unlimited time or health dents, although the village itself isn't overly big.

Article Author: David R Perry

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