Rango

When Behaviour Interactive were given the keys to create a game based on Paramount’s new CGI animated movie Rango, it was safe to assume they had an uphill battle to win video game fans over. Most movie-based games – especially animated ones – end up in the bargain bin at your local department store. However, the team at Behavior Interactive seemed more than up to the task with Paramount’s Rango.

Rango: The Game: The Half-Sequel

The plot of the game picks up right after the end of the first movie, which was a bit surprising to be honest. If you’ve played a movie-based game or two, you’d know that most games usually just try to follow the plot of the movie. It’s easier that way, or so you would think. Having to create a new plot is tough work, especially one that keeps a player interested along the way.

Rango is now settling in as the Sherriff of the town Dirt alongside his friends when his friend Slim brings in a can of what seems like a meteorite. Suddenly, Slim is gone in a flash of light. This moment reminds Rango of when his girlfriend Beans’ father disappeared in a flash of light after investigating a similar meteorite crash site years ago. Thus starts Rango’s journey to finding all the pieces of the meteorite and rescuing his friends.

The story ends up running around 4-5 hours in length, even on the hardest difficulty. It’s quite impressive that the team at Behaviour Interactive was able to make an entire plot out of an IP that hadn’t even released yet at the time of the game’s creation. If you’re a fan of the movie, there’s no reason you won’t be just as much of a fan as the game’s story.

Enter the Chameleon

Rango the game’s gameplay reminds me very much of Gex from Gex: Enter the Gecko or even Ratchet from Ratchet & Clank. You’ll progress through the game’s nine stages jumping, double-jumping, and fighting the various gangs who are out to find the meteorite pieces themselves.

Combat has two phases to it. You first start with Rango performing melee combos on enemies. The melee combat is easy to learn and the camera and controls are fluid. Later in the game, you’ll unlock the popcorn gun. This comes with auto-targeting, making it even easier to take out any gang members that get in your way. You’ll earn sheriff stars from defeating enemies, destroying barrels and crates, and mining from veins you find randomly. These stars can then be used to upgrade your combat skills and power ups, making Rango even more of a threat during combat.

What the game does really well during its short campaign is that it’s not afraid to mix up the gameplay. Aside from its platforming and combat, there’s also stages where you’ll be grinding rails, riding Rango’s roadrunner Excelsior, guiding bullets in first person mode, and even playing a mini-golf like mode. You never feel like you’re doing something for too long, which is really needed in a short game such as this one.

Like Playing the Movie

From what I’ve heard, the team at Behaviour Interactive were able to use assets directly from the movie. This clearly shows when watching cutscenes and even when playing the game. For a PS3/Xbox 360 game, it’s quite beautiful to look at, even in 2021. Rango and all his compatriots look and move just as they did in the movie, adding a level of immersion not experienced in most movie tie-in games.

The music did happen to repeat itself sometimes, but overall, it fit the western theme perfectly. The voice actors don’t seem to be the same from the movie, but I could be wrong. If anything, they’re really close. Although some characters such as Bad Bill seem to only react with grunts and laughter rather than actual dialogue, signaling they may not have had time to record lines for all characters.

Pros:

• Tight controls during platforming and combat
• Gameplay varies throughout the game
• Graphics are almost identical to the movie

Cons:

• Short campaign at only 4-5 hours
• Very easy, even at the hardest difficulty
• Not much replay-ability