The Smurfs 2

The Smurfs 2 film sets the right scene for a video game offers - there's no question about that. The loveable little blue folk with charming personalities make great characters to play with. The colorful universe and whacky adventures that surround them certainly shape a game's foundations without much effort. It's all handed to developers on a platter.

Yet still, it's almost like studios have taken on development jobs knowing it's a film game. They think, 'well, we can put minimal effort in because the publisher isn't going to care anyway.' First glances of The Smurfs 2 game seem to show that statement as correct. There doesn't look as if anything will be offered apart from the barebones minimum of platforming gameplay.

Paint the Town Blue

If the film reviews are anything to go by, we expect this game to not be any better. The silver screen media was critically panned, being inept even for children's comprehension. Maybe a little immersion in The Smurfs 2 universe is going to be a little better? Not if it feels like a subpar copy of a traditional platformer, it's not.

We know this game wasn't designed for adults - but The Smurfs 2 gameplay really tries to question the intelligence of younger children. The platforming, side-scroll mechanics are all stripped down to make the game easy - but something is too accessible to a point where it's a downright bore. Even kids would have no struggle in breezing through this game.

Of course, the visuals look pretty - but animations are stiff, and the simplistic controls don't facilitate any kind of strategy. The Smurfs 2 asks its players only to walk through the game so they can say they've offered something for the money you've paid. Even the boss fights are boring, predictable, and uninspired.

With the platter of lore and colorful inhabitants of The Smurfs universe at the developer's disposal - you'd think they could conjure something a little more unique. What we have in The Smurfs 2 is a carbon copy of a famous platform game, just with narrative and characters replaced with ideas from the film. You feel even children could point this out.

How Many Feeling Blue Jokes Can We Make?

The number of Smurfs jokes in parallel with feelings is nearly endless. The Smurfs 2 game serves as just one sort of comical relief - lackluster in every aspect. This isn't to say that the gameplay wasn't expected to be cheap and deficient, but it is a sad representation of the state of film games. Nobody gives a damn as long as we can get a finished product to market.

Pros:

• Visuals look nice and line up with the film

Cons:

• Simplistic platforming gameplay with elementary controls scheme
• No challenges whatsoever through the game
• Feels overly dumbed down for children