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### Crocodingus In Cube Island [NDS]

#### http://www.madpxl.com/crocodingus/

#### Reviewed By Dudley

Publishing deadlines being what they are, it's cold, horrible and a little bit white here in the UK as I'm writing this. That's why it was really nice to have Crocodingus boot up to a lovely sunny, almost green hill zone inspired title screen. It's like its summer again, not a British summer of course but summer nonetheless. Does the game leave you feeling sunny as well though? JOIN ME.

Well what we have here folks is effectively a puzzle game, where you, as the Crocodile with the stupid name have to finish each of the 10 levels by collecting all the bananas scattered round the environment. Crocodiles of course are known for their love of bananas, ask Wikipedia, just give me 10 seconds...

Those levels are quite attractive, as you can see from the screenshots. Pxlteam have got a full 3D world running on the DS here with a flawless frame rate and they can be rotated freely at will. This will be handy since you have a very limited set of moves at your disposal. Crocodinus can't jump, can't shoot, all he has is the ability to walk towards your stylus and a limited range spinney attack to dispose of the very few enemies in the level.

So as a game this is all about route finding, your first problem is crates, introduced in the second level. You can push them, but not pull them to open up the pathways you need to get to those bananas and the optional stars. Since you do need all the bananas to finish a level then a mistake is costly, especially as you'll later need those boxes to fill gaps between sections that would be completely impassable otherwise.

And actually that's where the game starts to fall down a touch, the controls are a bit woolly. The 3D perspective means that it's not always obvious where exactly your stylus IS on the game world and given the only moves available to the croc are to move in one plane, it's criminal you can't just use the d-pad like a normal person. This is a game where the use of the touch screen not only doesn't add anything but also actively detracts. Having to restart a level that took you 5 minutes of wondering around because the controls made you accidentally push a block slightly too far to a location where it isn't recoverable is needless pedantry, especially from a handheld title.

Handheld title is another key here, there's too few levels and they're far too long in most cases. For a five-minutes-at-a-time title they should have been split into many more smaller levels (or at least employed checkpoints). It's actually quite a time investment to do a level and the whole thing is a little dry so, even with the jaunty music, you won't really want to bother. Later the game introduces some slightly dumb enemies and 'new environments' which are pretty much just palette swaps and it doesn't seem worth it somehow. Crocodingus is both technically admirable and visually appealing but the game underneath just isn't compelling enough.

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Crocodingus In Cube Island initially captured my attention because it looks absolutely gorgeous. With its winning combination of retro 3D low-polygon models and stylish pixel art the design is really fresh and as a result the game stands out from the majority of other DS homebrew titles available. However, (as pointed out by Dudley above) underneath the commercial-quality presentation there's not really a lot on offer, and what's there is a little rough around the edges.

I had really high hopes for this one, but the control method ruins it for me. I can forgive the fact that the later levels are perhaps a little too long-winded to comfortably play though on a handheld device, as I can also ignore the obvious omission of a small 2D map in the top screen (which would have made the game far less frustrating to play) - but as for the stylus only control method? Well, I'm sorry Madpxl, but that's a game killer in my opinion.

Dudley and I don't often agree - and I would have probably been a little more generous if I had set the scores - but unfortunately Crocodingus In Cube Island is a great concept for a simple game ruined by an unsuitable control method. If d-pad support had been incorporated then the game would be a far more enjoyable and intuitive to play, but as it stands it's both tiresome and at times frustrating. However, I sincerely hope that this negative review doesn't put MadPxl and his team off from producing future games as their talent is undeniable; the basic idea is sound and the audio and aforementioned graphics are excellent. Better luck next time lads!

J. Monkman

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Graphics: | 83%
Sound: | 63%
Game Concept: | 70%
Gameplay: | 60%
Lasting Appeal: | 30%

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