Out of Sight

If there's one thing immediately striking about Peter Jackson's King Kong The Official Game of the Movie, it's how publisher Ubisoft completely redefines the concept of a user interface.

Gone are the usual on-screen clutters. You won't find any health bars, ammo counters, score totals, or timers in this one. Instead, the game is experienced through the eyes of hero Jack Driscoll (played by Adrien Brody in the movie), or from the perspective of the overgrown gorilla in a manner that's completely organic. No glowing arrows, blinking icons or beeping radars to indicate onrushing enemies or current objectives.

Sight, sound, intuition: These are the means by which you'll explore the environments around you. Weapons are all acquired logically, puzzles never feel out of place and whether it's by rafting down rapids or crawling through underground caves, you'll always see how characters physically move between locations.

Spears—an adventurer's best friend.

The many facets to the gameplay experience are a testament to the great design by Rayman creator Michel Ancel. Below are just a few examples of how this amazing setup works:

Armed and Dangerous
Sorry—you won't find any power-ups or plasma rifles in this tale. Just a bunch of decaying dinosaur bones, slightly used spears, and whatever firearms your allies brought with them. If you run out of sturdy weapons, you can also scavenge from Captain Englehorn's seaplane.

Your primary tools are jagged hunks of ribcage and sharpened sticks. Wrench them from decaying corpses or steal them from native shrines and weapons caches. You can use these objects to stab enemies or hurl at distant opponents. Light them on fire and use the burning end to ignite dry underbrush, opening blocked pathways. Use them as makeshift javelins to throw at an environmental prop—e.g. an incense burner—to send its contents spraying everywhere. You can even spear grubs, mosquitoes and other small animals, and then toss the skewered carcass into groups of enemies (such as spiders or raptors) to ignite feeding frenzies and create a distraction.

Firearms such as pistols, shotguns, sniper rifles and Tommy guns are also available. Smash the crates you'll encounter periodically to access them. Beware, though: All have limited ammo supplies. Not sure how many bullets or shells you've got left? One poke at your controller and Jack will tell you.

Stop staring. Start running. Now!

Schmoozing is Good
Characters like overzealous moviemaker Carl Denham and Ann Darrow, played by Jack Black and Naomi Watts, are a chatty bunch. Their banter certainly adds atmosphere to the experience—but it isn't included just for entertainment value. Remember, you aren't provided a laundry list of objectives to accomplish. You'll have to listen to your traveling companions to know exactly what's required of you. It pays to listen—sometimes, they'll even suggest methods of completing goals.

All the folks you'll interact with, be they marooned sailors or members of your landing party, can pick up weapons and provide covering fire too. As long as you're close enough, you can also ask them to trade firearms with you. If you prefer, they can toss their guns over yawning chasms and into your waiting paws on-command. Don't ignore their pleas for help either; good guys never die in the movies, and they aren't allowed to here as well. Let swarms of centipedes gnaw on a friend too much, it's game over, man.

Besides, there's another good reason for keeping these people alive: buddies help you solve puzzles. Certain mindbenders require multiple characters to turn levers simultaneously. Others demand you fend off attacking T. Rexes while a partner circles around and to open a locked gate. Whatever the situation, treat your friends like royalty, and cover their butts.

Death Becomes You
Whether playing Driscoll or King Kong, it's easy to tell when you're seriously hurt: the screen starts flashing in shades of red. The more wounded you are, the darker the display turns, the faster the sound of your heart beating becomes, and the harder it is to see what's actually happening.

Recovering from damage is, in theory, a snap—you simply stand back and avoid getting hit until the view returns to normal. But that's easier said than done, when you're preoccupied trading punches with a pair of furious (and enraged) 20 foot-tall carnivores or busy trying to keep man-sized bats from biting you in two.

On the bright side, should you fall in battle, the action resumes from roughly the same point you last left off. And there's usually a cool effect that accompanies being killed: for instance, Jack sees the inside of a monster's maw in a bloody haze when it closes around his head.

A friend (or three) in need.

The Eyes and Ears Have It
Most games institute helpful aids like giant pointers highlighting the way to the next mission or damage tracking features that instantly convey which direction attacks are coming from. Not this one.

Instead, actual shrieks or roars indicate the presence of an adversary, and which angle it's charging from. Warning shouts from comrades-in-arms and the sound of scuttling claws are also employed as dead giveaways.

Regardless of which hero you're controlling, you have to keep your wits about you. If you see shapes flying around in the distance or a sudden blur of motion in the tall grass, it's a sure sign something's waiting around the bend.

Complete situational awareness is required, serving to immerse you even more in the adventure.

Article by Steve Richter

• Peter Jackson's King Kong (The Movie)