Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi (DS) Review
Posted by Natalie Shoemaker on 01.29.2009
If you want to play with fungi you can dig deep in between your toes or pick up Mushroom Men for the DS.
Title: Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi
Publisher: Gamecock
Developer: Red Fly Studio
Genre: Action
Players: 1
Rated: E for Everyone
Alongside their Wii title Mushroom Men: Spore Wars Gamecock decided to release a DS game of the same concept, but differing story. Here the player is taken on a mini-tale of the rising fungi and their survival in the ever-changing wilderness.
Gameplay
Beginning the games the player has options as to what kind of mushroom soldier he would like to play as. There’s the Heavy who is able to take a lot of damage and dish it out. His focus is primarily strong melee attacks, but later on in the game the Heavy can obtain “spore powers”, which is the equivalent of magic and ranged weapons. Then there is the Scout whose focuses on ranged attacks and quick maneuvering. The only catch is he takes damage easily, which may make getting pass the first level a challenge. The last class the player can choose is the Sage who focuses on (yup you guessed it) “spore powers” (magic). The Sage seems to be the developer’s choice of the middle of the two extremes.
The interesting thing about choosing a class is even though they have their specialties in the end all three classes obtain melee weapons, magic, and ranged attacks. The only real difference between the three is how many hit points they have and how much stronger they are in their specific field. Out of all of them the Heavy seems like the best choice because he has the most hit points and strength in melee attacks—the only drawback is he can be a little slower than the other two.
After you pick a class it’s time to begin battling the beetles and other insects that threaten the mushroom way of life. Along the way your mushroom tribe has joined forces with the Amanitas—a mighty group of fellow mushroom men—who want to help you squash the evil Queen of the beetles. But along the way you hear possible whispers of treachery afoot… As you may be able to tell the story is predictable by trying to throw you for a loop, but falls flat on its face. The dialogue could have been done better with speech bubbles, but instead tacks on images that are dark and it’s difficult to tell which mushroom is talking.
The controls are funny and not funny “haha,” funny weird. Jump is the left or right bumper, melee attack is A, and ranged attacks as well as spore attacks are using the stylus. Not exactly the most comfortable hand position. The bottom screen mainly acts as your game screen and the top shows your inventory/menu. Switching between the two is a little button. When in the inventory the player can combine items they have picked up along the way to create crossbows, swords, and various cocktail grenades. The inventory screen also offers an index of enemies with a list of weaknesses as well as an experience screen. Along the way the player will pick up XP in the form of green slim tubs (it reminds me of Ninja Turtles, perhaps that’s how these mushrooms started to become sentient). The XP the player accumulates allows them to up their stats in spore powers, strength, health, and more.
Lastly, Mushroom Men is a 3-D side-scrolling puzzle-platformer. The puzzle part is the oddball out of this group. Rather than a puzzle being something to figure out and mull-over it is announced and very obvious. While on your mushroom journey there will be a green and blue puzzle piece floating in mid air. Once selected via the stylus you’ll have an allotted amount of time to put several unrelated objects together. There is no instruction, no idea what the end result is supposed to be, it’s merely guess and check. The puzzle isn’t too complicated, just confusing as to why it’s even there.
Sound
One of the great parts of this game is the music. It has this Twilight Zone feel to it with something else mixed in. Throughout the game it goes off that variation of Twilight Zone meets a 1960s alien movie.
The sound effects are also something to take note to. When assaulting an enemy beetle they will make, what can only be described as a short squeak. Then when killed the squeak becomes slightly long and low as if saying, “Nooo!”
There is no voice acting although that’s a rare sight for the DS, but it has been done.
Graphics
The looks of this game are disappointing. It’s understandable that there is only so much the DS can do, but there are things that can be done to soften the sights for the eyes. Mushroom Men provides us with the same dingy browns and greens. The whole environment is rather mundane to look at and the mushroom men seem to blend right in.
The graphics as a whole are what would be expected out of the DS, but the designers could have added more color while still making it look natural.
Lasting Appeal
There is a multiplayer mode, but saying that for a DS game doesn’t mean much unless you’re an avid convention-goer. The story is predictable and the game is relatively short. It should be admitted that it’s easy to pick up and put down if you’re someone who’s looking for a quick play, but nothing that’s going to draw you in. But there’s no reason to play this game twice or even once, unless your 7.
Fun Factor
Depending on your mental age this could be lots of fun or just a bore to get through. It’s fast paced story-line would suggest it’s for the more ADD at heart and it’s easy enough for a younger audience to pick up.
The character design and concept is kooky enough, but to say it’s fun to play would be wrong. Someone could pick this game up, put it down, and forget about it. There’s nothing to want to draw you back in.
The 411
Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi felt like a port to the DS. The story wasn’t full it felt like a side story from the bigger game that’s out for the Wii. It was like Assassin’s Creed or Prince of Persia ports they made for the DS.
Not to say this game won’t delight small children, but there are games that can delight small children and adults. Mushroom Men is not one of those games that succeed in capturing all audiences. The writing was horrible, the use of the stylus was enjoyable, and the music was the only above average thing of note within this whole game.
Mushroom Men seems like it might have been an attempt at complementing Ninja Turtles—adding some green glowing ooze and something ordinary becoming extraordinary.
Graphics
5.5
Color choice could have been more vibrant to make the game look more fun rather than dull
Gameplay
6.0
The use of the stylus for the range and spore attacks were fun, but the way all the other buttons were situated felt uncomfortable.
Sound
7.0
The music in the game was by far the strongest aspect of this game
Lasting Appeal
5.0
No reason to replay.
Fun Factor
5.5
There is nothing that draws you to the game. The story isn't compeling and the combat isn't all that exciting
