Ozzy & Drix (Game Boy Advance)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 1.5 stars Poor
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 3.5 (1.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Frank Provo
• Reviewed on: 03/03/2004
• Released on: 12/16/2003
• Originally published on GameSpot: Ozzy & Drix (Game Boy Advance) Review

Games that look three-dimensional but play in two dimensions can turn out wonderfully. Klonoa and Viewtiful Joe are prime examples. The overall design just has to be diverse enough to keep players interested long after the glitz and glamour of the 3D visuals wears off. The environments and characters in Ozzy & Drix on the GBA are vibrant and lively, and the varying camera angles do a great job of conveying a solid 3D world. Past these cutting-edge visuals, however, there's nothing left but a simple run-and-jump platformer--and it's a bad one at that.

The concept behind Ozzy & Drix is pretty cool. Ozzy is a white blood cell, and Drix is a flu tablet. They're two tiny cops living inside a full-size human being. All of the blood vessels and organs contained within the city of Hector are represented as freeways and skyscrapers, and the citizens that live there are the cells, amino acids, and chemical compounds that keep Hector alive. In the game, Ozzy and Drix get called to action when an evil virus named Strepfinger kidnaps the mayor and brings together a group of menacing germs to attack the city. Your job is to hop and jump through Hector's body and battle these germs at the end of each level.

Developer Raylight Studios has come up with an impressive 3D engine here. Ozzy, Drix, and the dozen or so enemies are heavily animated, and the scenery (for the most part) is large, easy to see, and full of perspective. There are a few situations where the game flexes its 3D muscle to rotate a large structure, such as a gland or a tooth, which really helps to give the player an idea of what it's like to exist inside a human body. After every boss encounter, you'll also get to watch as story scenes that use the game's 3D graphics play out.

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