Muzzled - Wallace & Gromit's latest game is good, but far too short and easy!
Written: Jun 30 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: It's good while it lasts...
Cons: ... but it doesn't last long...
The Bottom Line: Episode 3 of Wallace and Gromit's Grand Adventures is a nice game, but too easy and not long enough.
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| captaind's Full Review: Wallace and Gromit's Grand Adventures: Episode 3 M... |
Muzzled! is the third episode in the Wallace & Gromit: Grand Adventures series by TellTale Games. The games are 3D third-person adventure games featuring the famous claymation characters, with the player controlling either shrewd mutt Gromit or absent-minded inventor Wallace at different points in the game. Control is via keyboard and mouse, though the keyboard can be used on its own. The method I (and most people, I would think) prefer is using the keyboard to move the characters around, and the mouse for item selection and inventory management. Though this method did grate on the nerves a little at first, I'm quite used to it now and find it quite satisfactory. (If this is the first episode you play though, expect a bit of annoyance at first.) There is a tutorial which is quite annoying but does help you get used to the interface.
The plot is typical hare-brained madness... a newcomer by the name of Monty Muzzle visits town. A smooth talker and instant hit with most of the locals, he's aiming to set up a dog shelter for the local lost mutts in the area, hosting a funfair to raise the funs. Though all the humans seem to be taken in by him, Gromit soon smells a rat... but will he be able to prove that Monty Muzzle is not the man everyone thinks he is?
The graphics are good, with characters and sets that look like they could have come straight out of one of the films. Wallace and Gromit are both portrayed well, though Gromit narrows his eyes more and rolls them less than in the films. Ben Whitehead does a very creditable job of voicing Wallace (he's the official Aardman Animations stand-in for Peter Salis), and all the rest of the voice cast do a good job as well. There are some fun sound effects and a lively music score to help proceedings along. Aesthetically it's very pleasing if not amazing.
The puzzles involve talking to people and using various objects on things to achieve the desired result, as with all adventure games. There are some decent puzzles in Muzzled!, but the game's biggest problem is that it's far too easy. With a very limited number of locations, characters and objects there are not a huge number of combinations of things to try; in addition the dialogue contains a lot of clues, perhaps too many, as to what you need to do next. (This is with the hint system turned off completely, in case you wondered.) Coupled with the fact that it's an episode rather than a full-length game and you don't end up with much playing time - I'd be very surprised if it took anyone more than 2 hours to complete, and to be honest I can't think of any puzzles that too me more than a minute or two to solve.
Having said that, while there's not much to this game, it's still very enjoyable. The combination of good aesthetics, a simple but engaging plot and lots of humour make it a very agreeable couple of hours. Unfortunately this type of game has very limited replay value. It really comes down to whether you think nine dollars (just over a fiver in British money) is worth paying for a game that you'll complete in a couple of hours. Since it is very enjoyable I'd say yes... just about. Normally speaking I'd expect much more game play from any game, even a cheap one. Oh, and the ending is very funny - setting up an intriguing season finisher in episode 4 when it comes out.
System Requirements:
Operating system: Windows XP / Vista (Vista64 unsupported)
Processor: 2.0 GHz or better (3 GHz Pentium 4 or equivalent recommended)
Memory: 512MB (1GB recommended)
Video: 64MB DirectX 8.1-compliant video card (128MB recommended)
Sound: DirectX 8.1 sound device
DirectX®: Version 9.0c or better
Well, those are the official system specs - but I ran it on Vista 64-bit and had absolutely no problems with it!
Related Reviews
Wallace and Gromit's Fright of the Bumblebees for PC
Wallace and Gromit's The Last Resort for PC
Wallace and Gromit movies:
A Grand Day Out
The Wrong Trousers
A Close Shave
A Matter of Loaf and Death
Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Recommended:
Yes
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