As we slowly advance to 2020, we realize that some things in the gaming industry must now be treated as "fossils". The remains of a glorious era or not, and it rarely appears here or there reminiscent of the industry's past. Numerous design flaws such as large blank maps as with the huge open Red Faction universe and other ancient mechanisms that have remained in the past.
Jumanji's movie reminds us of this. There was a time "not very far away" as many films were released and at the same time games were released for them, as companies attempted to exploit all of the film's momentum commercially. In fact, the vast majority of these games were defined by the medium - at best - which makes the good of them very rare and an example of this is Wolverine.
We would like to say that the new Jumanji game draws inspiration from the latest Jumanji movies, but any use of the word “important” in the current text is personal. Here we are dealing with a classic case of "linking the movie" with the game, which does not even come close to the movie, although two years have passed since its release, and will be followed by another title, Jumanji: The Next Level, expected to be released in December.
The entire game comes in four limited areas / arenas with an inspiring design that players must cross with their team to put jewels in the statue and win at Jumanji. They are linear areas with no surprise or impressive design at all, simply connected to 4-5 yards which players will cross, open two doors, shoot other enemies, reach the end and ... that's it.
These areas have different aesthetics that distinguish each other like a forest or mountains, and they are small enough to receive great attention, as does the game. There is no platform at all, I think one of the designers was laughing as he thought that the small fires and chainsaws that we avoided twice at each stage were to present even the least challenges. This means that the gameplay consists almost exclusively of character movement and shooting, which was only expected at best functional.
But it is not enough to give a sense of control in the arenas, as hordes of enemies come on a team that tries to stick to a certain point. This is the entire game, the two arenas where players concentrate in one place to charge the totem, while enemies try to stop them. Players can choose between the four characters, who are the film's heroes. First and foremost Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Dr. Braveston, Kevin Hart as Franklin Finbar, Jack Black as Professor Sheldon Oberon and Karen Gillan as Robbie Roundhouse.
It is imperative, if we have to say that Jumanji succeeds in something, it is the portrayal of the main heroes so you can get to know them easily. Each hero has different weapons and abilities, which help to differentiate when facing the waves of enemies, but the problem is that the game's battles are colorless, lively and chaotic, and this appears in the most intense battles, so that the distinction between the heroes and their identities on the battlefield does not exist.
Artificial intelligence literally doesn't exist, and the closest game we can compare to is the legendary kamikaze heads heading towards the player in Serious Sam. Of course, there are no battles with bosses, no dialogues, shows or at least anything that points to the makers' efforts. But what amazes me is that not much has been done to at least present a nice atmosphere, some humor, or any contact with Jumanji films other than the traditional ones. Of course the game as a whole is a funny game, it is something ...
Jumanji introduces everything - these few killers - in the first half hour of the game. The whole game is brief in its beginning. But this is an opinion about the game, and I am old enough to not be able to enjoy this kind of games, what about the opinion of the kids that produced the game in the first place for them, I played Jumanji again with my nieces 4 and 6 years old, and as soon as they saw her start until she shouted Each of them wanted to start before the other, I gave them the controller and I watched them closely to see how much they enjoyed it and their eagerness to move to the next square to meet more enemies and capture the jewels and you would be keen to take any break at all.
After observing them in several sessions of the game, I was assured that the game is directed to a specific category and age and not to all players as the game indicates, yes the game is fun, entertaining and interesting, but I do not have, of course, but for young people who will enjoy their experience.
