Licensed games have a pretty poor track record, this is fact not an opinion. With a few rare and notable exceptions (the N64's crown jewel 'Goldeneye' being chief amongst which) games based around films, cartoons or otherwise (anyone remember the ironically titled McDonalds game 'Global Gladiators'?) are generally unpalatable, lazy cash-in's that would never have been green lit if they didn't star beloved franchise characters. Shrek Forever After (based upon the 4th and mercifully final film in the Shrek 'saga') is one such game, a complete mess of a warped RPG/Adventure clone which almost redeems itself with a few unconventional quirks but consistently brings the player back down to the swamp with clumsy controls, hackneyed design flaws and the most risible combat system of all time!
The game follows the plot of the film but the story is set-up in such a haphazard and clumsy way if you haven't seen the film you'll genuinely have no idea what's going on (which is unforgivable considering the game is aimed at kids!). Anyway some thorough research (well wikipedia) revealed to me that the titular ogre has apparently made an 'It's A Wonderful Life' style deal with Rumplestiltskin and now has to find a loophole out of his contract... or some such nonsense. The story is ancillary really as we're only treated to brief cutscenes which never really flesh out the plot and the world in the way it deserves (the first film is still one of the greatest animated films of all time and it's legacy has been sullied by poor sequels and even poorer games).
Gameplay wise it's a basic, old-school isometric brawler much in the vain of the classic arcade game Gauntlet. This would be fine of course if it was executed with half of the finesse of it's obvious fore-fathers but Shrek Forever After is frankly a chore to play through. The hallmarks of lack-lustre game design are all present and correct, stodgy controls - check, bland graphics - check, almost condescending ease - check (I only played the game for an hour and a half but was told I'd made it through 30% of the game!) and repetivity - check check check! The game can be summed up thusly - you will walk foreword a spell, hammer the 'A' button, move a box into a river and walk over it, hammer the 'A' button some more, light a barrel on fire, move on and repeat ad infinitum until you reach one of the frequent and jarring battle sections bizarrely sound-tracked by Katrina and the Waves 'Walking On Sunshine'! If that description put you off then it's with good reason. Avoid this turgid mess, avoid it like the plague!
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