Though you probably haven’t heard of Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi, you’ve more than likely heard them. After reaching notoriety in the US with the theme song to Cartoon Network’s “Teen Titans”, the J-pop duo managed to land their own cartoon. Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi: The Genie and the Amp isn’t the group’s first foray into the world of video games, but it is their first outing on the DS.

Using a combination of 2D and 3D, Genie and the Amp looks the part by capturing the show’s minimalist style. Each level is big, colorful and lacking of major details. Ami and Yumi’s character models have a cel-shaded 3D look that fits with how they look in the show. Compared to the girls, enemies and levels don’t look quite as good, but still manage to get across a fun look.

As far as music – well you have the theme song, which is always a big plus. Since the show’s (and game’s) premise more of less revolves around music, I was expecting a little more on the audio side. Music isn’t annoying or particularly bad – it just isn’t all that memorable. In all honesty, you’re likely to not even notice the music most of the time seeing as how your guitar is your weapon of choice.

Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi: Genie and the Amp is loosely based on an episode of the show and finds the group locked in the studio trying to find a new sound for their next album. Hoping to help inspire the girls, their manager Kaz gives them a stack of old instruments and equipment. After kicking an old amp, Yumi frees a genie who decides to help them by transforming their tour bus into a time machine and taking them through history in search of inspiration.

The girl’s adventure through time takes them through a number of side-scrolling, pseudo-3D levels. Level layouts are straightforward, but allow for movement forward and back, though the additional movement isn’t really used for much other than avoiding enemies. You begin by selecting either Ami or Yumi, but can switch between the two at any time. There’s little noticeable difference between the two, so switching them out is mainly to give yourself an extra health bar when one gets low. Most of your time is spent beating up enemies and breaking items to collect yen, power-ups and sushi ingredients. At certain points during a level, you’ll have to face your fans, which doesn’t really do much other than stopping your forward progress and forcing you to fight off a horde of enemies. There’s little to gain by completing these areas, causing them to feel like cheap attempts at lengthening gameplay.

Between levels, you can use the sushi ingredients to improve your character’s stats. After selecting certain ingredients, they’re rolled up into a sushi wrap and enhance whoever eats them.

Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi: Genie and the Amp provides two difficulty levels: Easy Listening and Hard Rock. Expecting the game to play like most kid-aimed games. I immediately jumped into Hard Rock and was quickly humbled. I then went back to Easy Listening and found a much easier game and eventually built up enough of an understanding of the combat system to go back and rock the Hard Rock level.

Combat is what separates Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi: Genie and the Amp from most side-scrolling brawlers. Displayed on the DS’s bottom screen are a set of guitar chords. Tapping on each string produces a basic attack, while quickly tapping chords of two or three strings together produces more complex attacks. Strumming all four strings unleashes a special desperation attack. You’re allowed only a few of these per level, so it is best to save them for when you really need them.

On the surface, the combat system is cool, and it is for the first few minutes you’re using it. The novelty does, however, wear off quickly – to the point that you’ll eventually find yourself using the face buttons to attack rather than the touch screen. Also, combat isn’t all that complex, and it is possible to complete most of the game by simply tapping on one chord. Still, considering the game’s target audience, this isn’t a bad thing.

All in all, Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi: Genie and the Amp isn’t a bad game as long as you are part of the game’s younger target audience. Older gamers, even those with not a whole lot of gaming experience under their belt, who are fans of the show may find the game a little too repetitive.