Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams

In Tak 2, you take control of the title character, Tak, who just happens to be an apprentice shaman, who’s having some very bizarre dreams.  Tak dreams of a princess being held captive by creatures that feed on her dreams and he learns from a being called the Dream Juju that he must rescue her.  Adding to the plot is that the nightmare portion of the Staff of Dreams has been stolen by a dark Juju allowing nightmare creatures to spill into the real world.  This is the basis of the game as you set out to stop the evil, dark Juju and to rescue the princess.  While the story is not overly original and furthers the idea to impressionable youth that all princesses are in constant danger of being kidnapped and completely inept at protecting themselves, the gameplay, visuals, and trademark Nickelodeon humor more than make up for it.

For the most part, the gameplay is pretty standard platformer fare.  You’ll traverse the various game worlds battling crazy creatures and collecting all manner of collectibles ranging from health items, to special collectibles tied directly to game progression, to ingredients for new Juju potions which open up various new items, characters, and mini-games.  While this sounds like virtually every other platformer under the sun, Tak 2 does manage to offer new wrinkles to the same old platform formula.  Tak 2 features a healthy roster of unique creatures and characters that you must dispatch, each one often times requiring a very specific mode of attack or combination, which goes a long ways towards keep the gameplay fresh and un-repetitive.  Button mashers or those that like to fall into the rut of repeatedly pulling of the same attacks over and over will struggle here. 

Tak 2 also features a heavier emphasis on puzzles than most platformers do.  A large portion of the puzzles in the game revolves around the use of Jibolba, Tak’s mentor shaman.  Jibolba has morphed himself into a flea, which hitches a ride on Tak as he completes his adventure.  While not too many would appreciate the company of a flea, Jibolba proves to be a very useful flea.  As Tak traverses the game world he’ll encounter all manner of wildlife, a veritable flea heaven.  By switching into first person mode Tak can fling Jibolba at the animals, which allows him to choose whether the flea will merely agitate the animal or actually bite the animal, which causes it to fall into a slumber.  Using this ability is key to many of the game’s puzzles.  For example, agitating the squirrels in Tak’s world causes them to begin flinging acorns in rapid-fire action at anything that moves, which is beneficial for attacking swarms of enemies.  But on the flip side, you may find yourself unable to pass or to lead another animal to the desired position with all of those acorns flying, which is when biting the animal to cause it to fall into a deep slumber, comes in handy.  There are several animals within the game for Tak and Jibolba to interact with in this manner, which helps keep the puzzles firmly planted within the context of the game and the actions of your character.  In addition to controlling Tak on foot, there are numerous sections in the game where you’ll have to guide Tak down a raging river in a barrel or atop the back of an angry boar.  These sequences are well implemented and do a great job of keeping the game fresh.

Outside of the main game, several mini-games are also offered.  There is a healthy roster of games available right out of the package, while others must be unlocked within the main game.  The mini-games offered are nicely varied and tend to have more in common with games like Fusion Frenzy, rather than say Mario Party.  The mini-games tend to focus on the frenetic and are nice little diversions, which become even more fun when another joins in the action.

The graphics in Tak 2 are pretty dog gone impressive, especially for a game of this sort.  The game environments generally either convey the jungles of Tak’s world or the dreamscapes of his sleep, which it accomplishes with a degree of skill that any gamer can appreciate.  The jungle worlds are incredibly lush, detailed, and just flat out beautiful to look at.  There is just so much to look at that you’ll find yourself pausing periodically to take it all in from the lush vegetation to distant waterfalls, it does a great job of conveying a whimsical jungle world.  The dreamscapes are equally impressive, creating a trippy looking world that looks like it would be at home in a Salvador Dali painting.  The edges of the screen constantly morph and move, while the movements of Tak leave behind a suitable, blurry trail.  The dreamscapes vary from pastel covered landscapes to dark, foreboding environments run amok with the stuff of nightmares.  While the environments are certainly the stars of the visuals, the character models are also very well done.  Each of the characters feature a suitably comedic, deformed appearance in line with the material.  The creatures that Tak battles feature some really good character design and a lot of variety from one species to the next.  The animations of the characters, as well as the environmental effects, are all stellar and smooth.  Before I move onto the sound department, I’d be completely remiss if I did not mention the sequences of Tak floating down the raging rivers.  Games too numerous to count have featured sequences not unlike these, but I daresay none have captured it as well as Tak 2.  These sequences are drop dead gorgeous, especially in the moments after Tak reaches the bottom of a waterfall.  Holy Cow, did they ever nail that.  These sequences are very impressive and you’ll no doubt find yourself dragging others into the room to see these.

As is the case with the other THQ/Nickelodeon games, the sound featured in Tak 2 is extremely solid.  The voice acting and the humor delivered are of special note.  The voice actors do a great job of delivering their lines and their comedic timing is impeccable.  Besides, any game that features the vocal styling of Patrick “Putty” Warburton is A-Okay in my book.  The music while not necessarily memorable is suitable and what one would expect from a game that takes place in a tropical jungle and in the land of dreams.  The music does a fair job of reacting to the action/mood of what’s taking place on the screen, never distracting the gamer from the task at hand.

In the end, Tak 2 is a very welcome surprise in the mold of games such as the original Jak and Daxter, the original Crash games, and the latter day Rayman games.  It does have a few problems such as camera issues that pop up from time to time and the length of the game is woefully short, plus the gamer is provided with unlimited lives, which respawn at the point of death, but when taken as a whole, this game is just too good and charming to ignore.  The gameplay is solid, always working to stay fresh and interesting, the graphics are among the very best the genre has to offer, and the humor conveyed in the game is classic Nickelodeon.  For anyone who enjoys a good platforming romp you can certainly do worse than Tak 2.  Fans of Nickelodeon programming, will also find a lot to like here.  While nowhere near perfection, it definitely comes much closer to the ideal than it does the other end of the spectrum. 

Gameplay: 8.2
The normal platforming mechanics are all here and work flawlessly.  The game features a lot of puzzle solving, which thankfully fits naturally into its world and it also features a nice array of monsters demanding varying strategies and skills to defeat.  The levels featuring Tak rocketing down wild river rapids are some of the best yet of this kind.  The game also offers a nice selection of mini-games playable outside of the main game, which are surprisingly fun and addictive.

Graphics: 8.7 
This game offers graphics on par with the best that the genre has to offer, which was very surprising.  Everything from the environments, to the character models, to the animations is outstanding.

Sound: 8.5
Like the rest of the games spawned from this partnership the voice acting is stellar.  Anyone who enjoys a little humor along with their gaming will appreciate the writing here.  The music is fitting and representative of the environments and situations you’ll find yourself in. 

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
While having unlimited lives that respawn right where you lose them, as well as an abundance of health replenishing items makes things a little easier than some would like, there are sequences in the game that will offer a surprising degree of challenge for even veterans.

Concept: 8.0
Tak 2 offers a well designed and well executed game experience, whose parts conspire together to create a platformer that feels more “complete” than most in the genre, thanks in no small part to the writing and the acting.  They lose some points for the tired “captive princess” story, but they more than make up for it with the different wrinkles introduced to the platformer formula.

Multiplayer: 7.0

Tak 2 offers a nice roster of mini-games to play with two players that are fun, frenetic, and addictive.  However, these games are of the variety just begging for four-player support, which would have pushed this aspect of the game to the top.

Overall: 8.3
Tak 2 is a very solid, enjoyable platformer that will surprise gamers with its unexpected quality.  It’s a bit on the short side of things and the camera can be a little tricky at times, but overall this is a nice, shiny package worthy of your consideration.  Gamers of all ages and experience levels will find a lot to like here especially the fact that it strives to separate itself from usual platformer fare.  Tak 2 is a very welcome surprise.