If you know VeggieTales, you already know this is a VeggieTales game, just from the title. If you don’t ... how can I explain it? Vegetables (and fruit) acting together to entertain and teach a Bible-based message. (I could say that three or four more times and it still might not make sense.) The lead characters are Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato, and LarryBoy is a spin-off of sorts, as Larry becomes a superhero in Bumblyburg. Those things covering his ears (or at least where his ears would be, if a cucumber had ears) are the business end of toilet plungers, and LarryBoy wears his SMART cape as a crucial element in his fight against the bad guys. Veggie characters have no arms or legs. I don’t know how they carry things or get dressed in the morning, but they do.The Bad Apple has arrived in Bumblyburg to tempt people. (You know there’s something wrong about the apple right off, because it has legs — spider legs.) LarryBoy himself is the apple’s first target. LarryBoy has a weakness for chocolate, and he must resist a realm of candy to overcome the Bad Apple’s temptation.
I’ve got to add a note at this point, because I can sense a multitude of fingers reaching for the “back” button. VeggieTales are funny. Amazingly funny. Even if you don’t have a Christian bone in your body. The target audience for this game are kids between about six and nine years, so adults probably won’t find it an endless sequence of belly laughs, but most kids will enjoy it, despite the more-obvious-than-usual message woven into the gameplay.
And while the message is “Christian,” few people would object to the specific lessons being addressed — the dangers of obsession, vanity, and suchlike.
The game will be available for both the GBA and PS2 systems. I had a chance to try out both. In the PS2 version, as Larry progresses through the storyline, he collects musical notes that can unlock VeggieTale tunes (both old favorites and songs from the new movie), pictures and video clips.
For an oblong object with no hands or feet, LarryBoy is surprisingly limber. He can spin in place, using his plungers to knock down the bad guys. His plungers can also be used like grappling hooks. His cape has a variety of abilities, including flight, jumping, super weight and even energy spikes. And he’s got a spritzer bottle that helps mushrooms grow large enough for him to boost up with them.
Once LarryBoy survives the Bad Apple’s attempt to lure him into a chocolate torpor, he must help four other Bumblyburg citizens against the apple. For example, Mayor Blueberry overcomes vanity (in an 1800s world) and Petunia the reporter is becoming addicted to video games. (Remember, this is a fantasy, not reality. We all know that no one can become addicted to video games.)
There are also a few mini-games, including Tic-Tac-Toe, a game with balloons and a memory game. The mini-games all require two players.
Bad Apple for the GBA is a traditional 2D side-scroller. LarryBoy, Bob the Tomato, and Petunia the reporter are the characters trying to rescue their friends from the Bad Apple. For example, in the first level, LarryBoy must climb to the top of a skyscraper frame of girders to rescue a kid so obsessed with sports that he doesn’t realize how much danger he’s in. Onions slow LarryBoy’s progress, and red peppers reverse your controls.
Each level has five timed stages, and if you run out of time you have to restart the stage. Run out of time often enough and you have to restart the level. If you select greater difficulty, you have less time. Complete all five stages and you must confront a boss, perhaps the Bad Apple herself. (I didn’t see a boss, and I didn’t think to ask, so I’m not sure.)
Both games seem rather short. Each of the five levels can be played in about 20 minutes by an experienced adult, but it should take kids — especially younger kids — a lot longer.
All the original VeggieTale voices appear in the game — the dialogue is all by the folks at Big Idea (VeggieTales’ creators). All dialogue in the PS2 version is spoken, which means that even pre-readers have a decent chance of figuring out what to do. Each of the five levels can be played in about 20 minutes by an experienced adult, but it should take kids — especially younger kids — a lot longer.
If you already know VeggieTales, you already have a pretty good idea whether you (or your kid) will enjoy this game. If not, as your mother always told you about your vegetables... try it … you might like it!
David, the dad: Got my start in gaming with Steve Jackson Games (paper gaming), first as a tester, then as a developer and editor. Was GURPS and Car Wars system guru for awhile, then edited and developed for TSR (AD&D) and FASA (Mech Warrior, Renegade Legion), before turning to computer games. Spent six years as Origin Systems Publications Manager, then our department spun off into its own little company, Incan Monkey God Studios (IMGS). Since 1997, we’ve been a freelance content and design house, specializing in strategy guides. We created the first strategy guides for MOGs (Ultima Online, EQ: Ruins of Kunark) and now create the best MOG guides (IMHO, of course).
I like to analyze and optimize while playing games, so I much prefer games that require thought rather than action.
Evie is twelve years old and is an avid reader, especially of fantasy. Favorite authors include J.K. Rowling (of course), Brian Jacques, Cornelia Funke and Tamora Pierce. These reviews are her first published writing.
Will is nine years old and loves to investigate, especially dinosaurs and astronomy. These reviews are also his first published writing.
Jesse is seven years old and has just started reading chapter books. He likes Hank the Cowdog and cartoon books, especially Calvin & Hobbes, Baby Blues and Donald Duck.
If you're interested in the (roughly) thousand-year-old triceratops stone in our pic, check out the Dino Art. Some of the accompanying text can be a bit strident, but it's still a puzzle why Central and South American Indians knew pretty precisely what dinosaurs looked like over a thousand years ago.
you shoud make another larryboy movie