FreddiFish5Review
Freddi Fish
5 is a touch short on replayability, but long on adventure and fun
There was a time, not long
ago, when the words used to describe the graphical quality of a Freddi
Fish adventure were “lush” and “bright.”
You can add another word
to that list – vibrant.
Humongous Entertainment’s
(and Infogrames’) latest foray into the underwater world of adventure and
puzzle solving, Freddi Fish 5: The Creature of Coral Cove is the richest,
most colorful escapade to date. Oh, and the story is pretty good, too.
For those parents who have
never encountered the title before, Freddi Fish is a nice, polite little
yellow fish who, along with her buddy Luther, solve mysteries while challenging
younger players (in this case, ages 4-7) to advance the adventure through
problem solving, logical thinking, working with shapes and colors, numbers,
memory building and improving listening skills. There are games within
the main game – like a very friendly, easy version of Battleship, though
played with fish you don’t sink, but feed to uncover – as well as songs
and other activities. In order to advance the game, children need to work
through puzzles – which sometimes means that they have to help other in-game
creatures with difficulties before they can get the pieces necessary to
near the solution to the overall game.
In FF5, Freddi and Luther
are attending the grand opening of the Coral Cove Park when suddenly, a
mysterious and giant sea monster is seen lurking inside. If the park is
to open on time, the fishy friends must solve the mystery behind its appearance.
And don’t worry parents, even though the monster sports three eyes, it
is quite friendly, and shouldn’t upset children in the slightest.
The game may mix up
the puzzles slightly, but the game generally plays the same time and again,
which does knock down replayability value.
However, this game is a wonderful
blend of stunning graphics, polite dialog, and puzzles.
Jessica, 12, who helps field
test children’s products (and who has played previous Freddi Fish adventures),
said: It has really good graphics, and really good sound. This one, I think,
is harder than the other ones.
“It’s a really pretty game.
It has fun games along with the main mystery.”
The game is full of puns,
and adventure, and should appeal to any child in the target age bracket.
Install: N/A
This hybrid disk (meaning
it can play on either a PC or Macintosh Power PC) takes up absolutely no
install space. The only space required is for saved games.
Gameplay: 7.
The transitions from one
scene to another can be a little slow.
Graphics: 9.
While the animations are
of the Saturday morning cartoon variety, the interactive screens and color
scheme far surpasses anything available on television.
Sound: 7.5.
Freddi is such a polite
fish. “Hot sauce!” is the most vehement exclamation coming out of these
characters.
Difficulty: 6.
Though some of the puzzles
will challenge younger players, this is a success-oriented game.
Concept: 7.
Obviously, with this being
the fifth in the series of titles, there is a well-established system running
through the game. This title contains the basic elements as its predecessors,
with a bit of a graphical boost
Multiplayer: N/A
Overall: 8.
Freddi Fish continues to
delight. The player interface is extremely simple, the animation is very
good, the graphics are excellent, and the characters are wonderful. Though
the game features limited replay, it nonetheless presents a solid game
for younger players.
