Video game number one hundred and eighty five: Ancients of Ooga

Video game review number one hundred and eighty five in my 365 Games in 365 Days project is "Ancients of Ooga".

This game just came out today, and I was looking forward to giving it a try. It's your basic platformer at heart, with some pretty silly characters and your basic "Save the _____ " plot.

You are a spirit, and can possess any number of different tribesmen from the "Oogani" tribe. Your chiefs have all been killed by these bad guys called the "Booli" who infiltrated your village by feeding everyone slugs (which are apparently delicious, but intoxicating). Sound weird? It is.

Here's an example of one of the lines in the game's story, from right before your chiefs are all killed and your people are turned into slaves:

"We ate so many slugs, we thought we would explode. We were all sprawled out on the ground with a bad case of the fat-happies".

Pretty goofy indeed.

This game is fairly fun to play, each tribesman you meet has a different power, and you can "possess" as many as you want in order to get through a level. Possessing someone simply means selecting and controlling them, and then you can do things like have them stand on a button pad while you walk through a door, etc. Some of these puzzles require 3 or 4 different minions, and they've been getting more difficult as I go.

Your characters can also eat (and puke up) lots of different stuff. Everything they eat either gives them health, death or special power. Slugs make them insane. There are magic beans that make you float...etc, etc. Honestly..I have no idea who comes up with this stuff. :-)

Each level that I've played so far (I'm up to 10 or 11) has basically involved a "Go get me this and bring it back" mission of some kind. Then you get the next assignment, rinse and repeat. In some games, this can be incredibly boring...but this one is just entertaining enough to keep it fun.

Overall score? I'm rating this a solid 7/10. It's a good platformer, and I'm enjoying it. I have my issues with the repetitive nature of running through every level two or three times to get something and bring it back....but I do like that you continue to unlock new parts of the level as you gain new powers and stuff.

Achievements? After about a dozen levels, I've only managed to unlock these. I think I'll keep playing...eventually.