Tak: The Great Juju Challenge

You land in the pig sty and are covered in the Pupanunu pig sty poo-poo, but don’t tell anyone. At least that is the request of the Shaman who has summoned you to watch the Great Juju Challenge, a contest that draws teams from the width and breadth of the land with the winners securing the favor of the Moon Juju for the next 60 years.

But for a team to enter the event, they have to first secure a Phoenix feather.

Ok, Ok, it’s not that hard to do. Merely follow the feathers, take the advice offered to gain familiarity with the controls and gain that feather to enter the Challenge. Of course, when Tak shows up with Lok (think David Putty from Seinfeld or The Tick from the Fox series and you have both the voice and the attitude – Patrick Warburton, who is terrific in the role of the pompous near-do-well Pupanunu warrior), the Moon Juju is less than thrilled.

Tak explains it simply: “He was available.”

And so begins the pending THQ/Nickelodeon action game, Tak: The Great Juju Challenge. The title is slated to ship in mid-September. Way Forward is developing the game for the Game Boy, Altron for the Nintendo DS, and Avalanche Software for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube.

GameZone was fortunate enough to get a sneak peak at the title and what a joyful romp this is. Filled with the typical snide remarks and comments, some slapstick-style humor, the game is a visual treat. The world is lush and colorful, and the animations are delightful and fun.

The Great Juju Challenge marks a bit of a departure for the series. This is a multiplayer (1-2 players) co-operative title, but solo players will find it easy to jump between characters during the course of the action. There are also new shaman upgrades, which will allow players to customize Tak and Lok with new abilities and spells, and new enemies (the Rokkers) as well. Oh, and good news for all you long-time Tak fans, Tak’s chicken suit is back (and Lok gets a lobster suit - which is sort of funny it itself since fish don't like Lok, though lobsters are not technically fish).

The game itself features time-based missions, puzzles and hot-button combos to trigger a variety of attacks. The attacks will vary for the different characters. When you start the game, Lok uses a hammer and Tak a long stick-like sword. The square-circle combo will trigger an overhead smash for Lok that is a ground shaker, while the same hot button combo will have Tak spin and do damage to any monsters around him.

The challenge itself is made up of missions, some of which are timed. During the timed missions, you will find power-ups to increase the time you have, and side quests, which can add prestige to you, granted by the Jujus. And sticking to one of the two characters is not advised. For example, those who remember the previous Tak games will remember that some obstacles have to be blown up. Tak can carry the explosive barrels, but at a rate much slower than Lok. Furthermore, Tak has to ignite the barrels by whacking them, whereas Lok can toss them and they explode on contact.

While not the biggest mental exercise in the gaming world, this is very much a title that asks players to be aware of the abilities of each of the principle characters and use them to full advantage.

Tak: The Great Juju Challenge is a solid two-person game that offers fun and a modicum of challenge. This is a game that puts entertainment to the forefront and should be a treat for fans of both the Tak series of games or fans of fun cooperative gaming.