PixlBit

The latest title from publisher Storm City Games, Monkey Madness: Island Escape, falls in line with their previous work. It's typical DS shovelware, featuring low budget presentation, one-dimensional gameplay, and is in general, a title that serves little purpose in being on the market.

Gameplay in Monkey Madness is as simple as it gets. The equivalent of an on-rails shooter, players move from location to location in a 3D environment and must shoot down enemies on the screen while destroying projectiles thrown at them from said enemies. As enemies are defeated, they drop power-ups that do nothing more than make your weapon behave differently, though it is shrouded as separate weapons.

Initially, players start with an infinite ammo slingshot that fires at a fairly rapid pace. New weapons amount to firing rate changes and/or stronger shots. The actual projectile shot by the player looks the same regardless of weapon, so often it's hard to tell that your weapon has changed. Rate of fire is usually the only way, though the weapon you are currently using is depicted on the touch screen, which is never used.

Though the actual game concept is bland and boring, the control scheme is even worse. Players must aim by moving the stylus around the bottom screen, which in turn moves a reticule on the center of the upper screen. In order to shoot, players must click the L or R button, which is awkward since you must click it rapidly to defeat the enemies (monkeys) on-screen. Rather than pushing a button, players should've been able to tap the screen. Unfortunately there are no control options to allow players to choose a different set-up.

While this is annoying, the worst of it all, everytime a weapon is shot the reticule floats upward. As a result, players will constantly have to pick up the stylus from the bottom of the screen and move it upward. This is due to constantly moving down to reverse the effects of their shots.

In addition to being unenjoyable to play, the game is extremely short, providing for some truly poor value. The ten levels in the game can be completed in less than an hour, and the other modes in the game are nothing more than the same levels with different objectives. If players somehow can find a friend with another copy of the game, they can play in the multiplayer mode, but it's doubtful that there is much more to enjoy there.

To the game's credit, the graphics are decent for a DS game, but given the gameplay, they are squandered. On the flipside, it seems as if the musicians and sound effect creators for the game worked for no more than a day to create everything featured in the game.

Monkey Madness: Island Escape is a poor title that has no truly redeeming qualities. Players should avoid the title.