40 Winks
Score: 88% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: GT Interactive Developer: GT Interactive Media: CD/1 Players: 1 Genre: Action
Graphics & Sound: 40 Winks hails from the creative minds of Eurocom and GT Interactive, and while it is no Mario-killer (or Spyro-killer, for that matter), it looks great and plays well enough to please its target audience. Bypassing some of the more typical issues of 3D, 40 Winks is still plagued by a terrible camera. It's almost as if an active camera was in the works, but never got added. Everything looks great, including some beautiful lighting effects for the characters and backgrounds. Eurocom obviously had no problem slinging polygons, but active camera is a definite must in a game like this. Game music is the cute stuff you'd expect in any product aimed at young kids, but all of it is well done. Background sounds like spooky monsters, lightning flashes and creaky doors add to the feel of each level, and some characters have that mumbly in-game speech we all learned to love in Klonoa. Cut-scene CG is truly great, and deserves special mention. Although there isn't a huge amount of it, the quality is high. Sadly, this game may be more fun to watch than to play, especially for older gamers.
Gameplay: 40 Winks treads dangerously close to Croc's turf by way of story and gameplay. The plot revolves around two little kids tucked into bed by Mommy with tales of the Winks (who keep their dreams nice) and the Hood-Winks (bad dreams, of course). Surprisingly, at that very moment, a plot is being hatched by NiteKap (the bad guy) and his accomplice Thread-Bear (the lovable bad guy) to capture all the Winks and give everyone bad dreams. So, as one of the two little kiddies, you embark on a quest to free all the Winks (guess how many there are...) and defeat NiteKap. But, let's face it: kids like a simple story. Unfortunately, the gameplay is equally simple, and compared with the plethora of activities found in recent kiddy games like Tarzan or Toy Story 2, 40 Winks comes up a little short. Rounding up all the Winks is fun, plus there are boss fights and speed races, but in the end it won't be much of a challenge for the seasoned gamer. And I do mean the seasoned 8 year-old gamer, not me. At the start of each new game, you can choose one of two characters. Both are sound asleep, and one of the neatest elements in 40 Winks is that instead of a
Difficulty: Though 40 Winks may pose a reasonable challenge for the 8-10 year old crew, it will only be a rental to the rest of us. There's enough gameplay to keep anyone busy over a weekend, but not long beyond that. Slippery edge-detection and weird controls may make even your 8 year-old throw her controller at the wall a few times, but all the basic stuff is manageable and easy to cope with.
Game Mechanics: Mastering the art of the butt-stomp is a true necessity for beating bad guys in 40 Winks. Along with a floor-slide and attack combo, the butt stomp will take you through most sticky situations unscathed. The 'extra' characters have some special moves, but they aren't much different from the little kids'. Gathering items from fallen enemies, treasure chests or the environment makes up a big part of your exploration, and butt-stomping buttons can open up secret areas or door-puzzles. A few of the special items include little moons that allow for a powerful
-Fridtjof, GameVortex Communications AKA Matt Paddock
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