Wreck-It-Ralph (Video Game Review)

It's difficult to fathom how a video game based on a movie that based on a fictional video game could manage to be so unlike its source material and be so painfully boring to play, but that's just what fans received with the release of the video game for Wreck-It Ralph. The film Wreck-It Ralph was one of the best movies of 2012 and a real treat for gamers, as it included numerous cameos from all-time, fan favorite video game characters such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Bowser and more. The star of film even managed to make some cameos of his own with Ralph as a playable character in SEGA's Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, but as it turns out, this should've been the beloved character's only appearance in gaming in 2012. Disney's Wreck-It Ralph video game is very generic, not in the least bit challenging, doesn't feature the humor or charm of the original film and is incredibly short. Unless you're purchasing the game as a gift for your young nephew or niece, you will probably want to avoid this game altogether.

The story of the Wreck-It Ralph video game picks up shortly after the events of the film, and the game wastes no time in ruining how the film ends if you haven't yet seen the film and plan on watching it in the near future. Our heroes once again find themselves battling against a Cybug invasion to save the arcade from being completely deleted. Wreck-It Ralph and Fix-It Felix will have to battle their way through four different worlds based on areas from the hit movie, and each world is several stages long to make the game a bit lengthier than it could have been. The game's storyline is told through text scenes between missions, and the uninspired storyline falls flat with very little original dialogue created specifically for the game.

Wreck-It Ralph is about as a generic of a side-scrolling platformer as you'll find outside of the free app marketplace on mobile devices. Ralph punches and rams through objects or pushes and pulls heavy objects to progress through the game, while Felix has the ability to double jump and fix broken machinery and other objects scattered throughout. You can switch between characters at any time, and poor puzzle design is made far too trivial by signs or speech telling you to switch to a different character when needed. Enemies aren't varied and can all be defeated with relative ease as well by punching them with Ralph or throwing hammers with Felix. Wreck-It Ralph offers no challenge for players that have ever picked up a platform game before, and the lack of stages and worlds will have you completing the game in only a few short hours. There are hidden collectibles, easter eggs and plenty of coins scattered throughout each stage that makes fully exploring each level a little entertaining, but the monotonous use of hazards and simple jump puzzles quickly drain any fun most players will find in the game.

The sprites of the characters from the film look fine in Wreck-It Ralph and the controls are fine, but the stiff animations of the game look pretty horrible and drag down what could have been a decent graphical presentation. The game also features a repeating soundtrack that is nowhere near as catchy as the classic game themes Wreck-It Ralph so shamefully imitates with its gameplay. Wreck-It Ralph isn't completely terrible, but the lack of difficulty and poor level design make this one a drudge to labor through. Unfortunately, the team behind this game has a chance to make a really good game based on a film with Wreck-It Ralph the video game, but well, they wrecked it.

Wreck-It Ralph is now available from all major retailers and can be purchased for Nintendo Wii, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo DS. Wreck-It Ralph is rated E by the ESRB for Mild Cartoon Violence. For more information on the game, check out the official Wreck-It Ralph website.

Game Features:

Single Player (1-2 Players on Wii)

Play as Wreck-It Ralph or Fix-It Felix

4 Unique Worlds

Find Collectibles and Easter Eggs

Unlockable Game Modes and Settings

Game Information:
Developer: Pipeworks
Publisher: Activision
Platforms: Nintendo Wii, Nintendo 3DS (reviewed) & Nintendo DS
Release Date: October 30, 2012
Score: 5.9 out of 10