Dan Geeks Out: Video Game Review #428: Geronimo Stilton in the Kingdom of Fantasy

Geronimo Stilton in the Kingdom of Fantasy

PSP

Nostalgia Factor:

Mop Up Duty has certainly taken me to some new and unexpected places when it comes to video game history, and Geronimo Stilton in the Kingdom of Fantasy might be one of the most unexpected places yet.

Geronimo Stilton is a popular book series for kids. I have never heard of it. My wife has never heard of it. We have a toddler, we go to the library all the time, and we're constantly finding new books and new series to read to the kiddo. That's why I find it a little weird that neither of us have heard of these books.

Most likely, I still would never have heard of this series if it wasn't for Mop Up Duty. I was perusing a list of games that were released in 2013 that I had never played before, and this one caught my eye. I was looking for something quick and easy to play through. This is a game for kids, so I figured it would be both of these things. Plus, Mop Up Duty is all about playing and experiencing new games that I likely never would have played before. This is a game that I NEVER would have heard of, much less played, so it definitely fit that criteria.

I figured: why not? Let's check this game out and see if I've unearthed a relatively undiscovered gem.

Would this game turn out to be a hidden gem that has escaped all media attention for ten years now? Read on and find out!

Story:

Geronimo Stilton is a humanoid mouse, who lives in a house. He goes up to his attic one night and discovers a music box that whisks him away to a world of fantasy. There he encounters Scribblehopper the frog, who enlists him on a quest to save the fairy princess.

Geronimo's quest leads him through a world filled with mermaids, witches, ghosts, giants, dragons, trolls, and more. He must pass through seven kingdoms, doing tasks for its denizens before he is granted access to the next area of the game. Along his way he picks up several helpers, which they name "The Order." The Order arrives in the fairy kingdom and defeat the evil witch who is trying to take over.

Geronimo goes home and The Order parts ways. The end.

Overall it is a very simplistic story, filled with cutesy characters and quirky little side adventures. You can really tell this is based on a series of children's books. If you are an adult playing this game, you aren't going to find anything too interesting about its story. If you're a kid, however, you'll probably love this. I might come back to this game someday to show my kiddo when he is old enough.

Gameplay:

This game is entirely made up of minigames that you must complete in order to advance the story. There are over 60 of them in total. These minigames consist of things like puzzles, slide puzzles, finding hidden images, counting shapes, spotting the differences between two pictures, hitting buttons in rhythm, solving logic problems, and answering math questions. This is a game meant for kids, so most of these puzzles are not too overly difficult. I don't know what this says about me, but there were a handful of minigames that I did struggle with immensely. I kept having to try them over and over again before I finally got them right. A few I had to look online for help solving. For a kids game.

Not my finest moment.

Each minigame you complete unlocks a little bit of the game's story. Although the game does give you the illusion of freedom by allowing you to pick which area on the map you'd like to visit next, but things are very guided and linear in this game. And it has to be, in order to tell the book's story.

Each kingdom follows the same standard formula. You arrive in the kingdom. Your first minigame is assembling its map. Then you have a few areas on the map you can visit. You'll eventually meet a character that wants you to find something for him, but it is broken up into pieces. This opens up a new area on the map, with new minigames to complete. Each minigame you finish, you collect one piece of the thing you are looking for. Collect them all and bring them back to the character in question.

He'll unlock the path to the ruler of that particular kingdom. You have to do some quests for them before they allow you passage through the kingdom and into the next kingdom. Then you start things over again. Find the map. Put it together through a puzzle minigame. Talk to new characters. Find things for them. Get permission to move onto the next kingdom. So on and so forth through seven kingdoms you go.

Occasionally you'll encounter characters that you have to give key items to in order to advance the game's plot. Some of these key items can be found through standard gameplay. Others can be purchased using guilders, Geronimo Stilton's in-game currency. You get guilders depending on how well you complete the game's puzzles. Complete one on your first try, you get ten guilders. If you fail and have to do it again, your reward drops to seven. If you fail again, the reward drops even lower. The lowest it gets is one guilder.

You can also collect extra guilders through special minigames, which are marked on the in-game map. These minigames are the way to go if you want to rack up guilders fast in order to make a purchase necessary to advance the plot. Some of these special minigames include Tetris and Breakout clones which are quite fun to play.

That's really the whole game. Playing minigames, collecting guilders, and advancing the game's plot. Eventually you get to the end, rescue the fairy princess, and save the day. I'll say the same thing I said about the game's story in regards to its gameplay: if you're a kid, you're probably going to think it is fantastic. As a parent, it is something I'd want my child to play. It's wholesome, it's entertaining, it's educational. And for a kid's game, it is not annoying in the slightest.

Looking at this from the perspective of an adult gamer... it's alright. I didn't dislike my time with the game. I didn't think it was stellar either. It got a bit boring and methodical after a while. But it always kept me going with its creative minigames. Overall this was an above average experience, but not by much. I think that will likely be reflected when I gave this game my final grade.

Graphics:

This is a good looking game. It is like a children's book come to life. I could easily see this being adapted into a cartoon, and the cartoon would look exactly like the graphics in the game. My wife even commented on the game's visual style as I was playing it, which she never does. Even she, an ardent non-gamer, was impressed by the game's look.

Sound:

Not only does this game look like a Saturday morning cartoon, it sounds like one as well. I have to give props to the voice acting, as it fits the characters and the tone of the game like a glove. The music is nice too. It is very upbeat and appropriate for the magical world of the game. Absolutely nothing to complain about here. Well, except for the fairy princess's voice sounding exceedingly creepy.

Overall:

I didn't expect much from this game, but it delivered a fairly fun and fresh experience. I think if I was a kid, I would have absolutely loved this game. In fact, I can't wait to show it to my two year old when he is old enough to play games. It's cute, it has a fun story, and it keeps your mind working. Perfect for a small human.

What did I dislike about this game? It's very formulaic. Many of the puzzles are repetitive. There is little challenge to be found for most of the game. You have to grind for guilders. You never really control your character fully, you just pick stuff from menus and then play some minigames. For adult gamers, Geronimo Stilton leaves a lot to be desired. But at the same time, it still occasionally impresses.

This is a good game. I'd even say a slightly above average game. You are not missing anything if you decide to skip this one, but if you do - you'll probably kinda like it.

THE GRADE:

C+

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1982 reviews:

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