A Likely Fish Story
Beautiful underwater vistas. An array of colorful characters. A touching story of father and son. This is the backdrop for a new Traveller's Tales platformer that lets you explore under the oceans with a willful little orange and white clownfish, Nemo, and his worrying dad. It sounds cute. It sounds playful.
It also sounds like a winning combination when you wrap it up in a bright package and stamp "Pixar" on it.
It's hard not to get excited about any upcoming title from Pixar Animation Studios. They've brought out some of the most memorable animated film titles in recent years (Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Monsters, Inc.), at times even out-Disneying Disney itself.Disney/Pixar Finding Nemo, if the gamescape is any kind of a preview, promises to be just as enchanting.
Written and directed by Academy Award Nominee Andrew Stanton, the story is set on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, where a dad (voiced by Albert Brooks) is raising his young son, Nemo. Dad is a worrier, which in itself is funny, since he's a clownfish. Nemo is sort of an overachiever. Sort of a show-off. Sort of gosh-wowed at everything he's seeing.
He's a little kid on his way to the first day of school.
What could be better for introducing young game players to the experience of platform gaming?
An enchanting undersea garden.
Nemo endears himself right away as he struggles along with a damaged fin, but lots of bubbly enthusiasm. He wants to swim and explore. He wants to meet new friends. He's eager to go to school. Dad's not too sure about this, of course, watching his only son growing up, but that doesn't get in the way of a quick launch into Swimming 101. A basic obstacle course of bubble-rings gets you used to the idea of underwater maneuvers, even if the gorgeous scenery is a constant (though welcome) distraction.
In fact, losing yourself in the setting can be just as fun as solving the puzzles and running through the adventures that little Nemo finds himself facing. The palette of blues range from clear crystal to deep sapphire, and life on the Great Barrier Reef is full of colorful friends and enchanting architecture. Dodging in and out of tunnels, dipping in among the coral and anemones, Nemo could spend his entire life exploring the landscape.
But, life must intrude, even for a restless little clownfish. Nemo has a lot to learn. A few of his early challenges involve finding a lost friend and then solving a puzzle to unblock the path ahead. On an easy learning curve, you can quickly figure out how to pick up small items in Nemo's good fin. Then, it's just a matter of returning a lost pearl to its rightful owner. "Great!" all of his new friends say. And, then, "Hey, let's go play with the baby clams!"
Treasures of the ocean floor.
Before long, Nemo is learning how to nudge bubbles to trap clickety-clacking clams, is racing around to collect a variety of colorful seashell bonuses, and is discovering the bouncing, trampoline-style fun of sponge beds. Watch out for the oblivious halibut that shake themselves out of the ocean floor now and then, and you'll frolic and flash your way to meeting your "school bus" driver, in the guise of a friendly manta ray.
It won't all be fun and games, though. Well, okay. Actually, it will be. But, some of the adventure takes Nemo and his father, Marlin, far from home, where they have to race against time in order to advance. In one case, Marlin even needs to escape a toothy nemesis, who is looking for a little snack. Fortunately, both Marlin and Nemo make a lot of friends along the way, who give them a helping … err … fin. The sea turtles are probably the most artfully rendered characters, and again, you might find yourself lost in the beauty of this undersea world. After all, it's all about surfing the currents, dude.
In the end, Nemo and his father are reunited and able to return home to the coral reef. While Nemo may be relieved to be back on the reef, he has seen so many new things and learned so much, how will he ever get to sleep? That's all right, though.
There is always tomorrow.
Comments about this article?
