Code Lyoko (DS)

Reviewed by

Frank Provo

on 06/22/2007

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Page 2

After you've gone back and forth between the real world and Lyoko a couple times, the allure of the different art styles wears off. You'll also start to realize that the game is constantly holding your hand and asking you to repeatedly do the same things. The pace in the real-world portions is slow with zero mystery because the map always shows you exactly where to go and what areas to search. Going from point A to point B and various points in between just to see a couple lines of dialogue gets old fast, especially when every subsequent story segment takes longer to play out than the one before. But in the 3D action levels, it's nice that each character has a unique set of attacks. For example, Ulrich and Odd feel like two very different characters because one uses swords, while the other uses a laser crossbow. There are also some tricky sections involving moving platforms.

The 3D levels look sharp. It's too bad the combat is repetitive button mashing.

Unfortunately, those tricky platforms are the only lively aspect of the 3D levels. Enemies spawn at predictable intervals and generally just sit there while you carve them up. Occasionally, you'll find yourself blocked by an obstacle that necessitates the use of a specific character's ability. That's a nice gimmick, but going back to a checkpoint for no reason other than to change characters just so you can run fast, lift a tree stump, or climb up a hill seems like a big waste of time. The developer tried to mix things up with touch-screen puzzles and a few vehicle-based levels. However, they're way too easy and also come across as a waste of time.

It takes about 10 hours to get through roughly 40 levels and 15 chapters while the game holds your hand the whole way through. Younger players probably won't mind the repetition and hand-holding, but if you're old enough to be surfing the Internet to read this review, you're probably too old to enjoy what the Nintendo DS's rendition of Code Lyoko has to offer.