Ant Bully
The Ant Bully follows an adventure that young Lucas experiences after deriving pleasure from killing ants. One particular any hill whips up a magic potion to shrink Lucas and bring him in to showcase what life as an ant is all about. The hope is to get him to change his ways and grant him a new respect for their kind. Why they didn't just kill the little bugger dubbed "the destroyer" is beyond me, but then again this is a children's story. Based on previews, and my experience with this game, it's safe to say that this tale is basically a knock-off of Bug's Life with a little Honey I Shrunk the Kids tossed in for good measure. The sad part is, in the game at least, that the story isn't the only thing that feels like it was ripped off from something else.
Gameplay:
Much like Lucas in the world of The Ant Bully you are cast into the ant hill without any direction or reason. The game doesn't offer a tutorial or really give you any semblance of control, so you're basically left to figure it out on your own. Granted for the seasoned gamer this is perfectly fine, but considering this is a children's game I can imagine little tikes getting frustrated after ten minutes of just trying to figure out how to get Lucas to jump.
You see, The Ant Bully breaks away from the standard control scheme found in most kid's movie to game endeavors. Instead of having a jump button or action button to signal interaction, everything is pretty much handled automatically. Walking to the tip of a ledge will make Lucas jump or fall, depending how aggressively you approach it. That's where one of the noticeable inspirations takes hold. If you have ever played a Zelda game since they went 3D you'll get a sense of déjà vu.
Unfortunately that's not to say that this game is as polished, beautiful, or as enjoyable as a Zelda game. In fact it's quite the opposite. Missions come sporadically when you find them and in between you'll find yourself lost in the catacombs of the ant hill clumsily jogging around. The map isn't very helpful in the end and the open structure of the gameplay feels somehow similar to the GTA franchise. Granted you can't beat ants around with a baseball bat or steal their leaf, but the exploration of your surroundings is kind of there.
Most of the objectives here are little more than "defeat the enemy" or "get this item" so when you're presented with an endless barrage of the same thing over and over again it gets a little annoying. Those missions become even more of an exercise in frustration as many of them take too long or have to be replayed when you screw up in the slightest bit. There's nothing worse than going through ten minutes of a fetch quest and find yourself having to restart because of one little misstep.
Combat is another area where The Ant Bully breaks the movie to game mold. Armed with a stick and a few other doodads Lucas has a limited supply of combos to unleash in order to smack around those pesky beetles. The camera can get a little bothersome at times in the midst of it all but you can lock on to the nearest enemy to help alleviate that. That's another "inspiration" the developers found from the Zelda series. The screen hits a faux widescreen and Lucas hops from side to side focused entirely on his prey. The combat system is functional but it's nowhere near as elegant as you'd find in Zelda.
While the polish that the gameplay received in The Ant Bully may leave a lot to be desired the ideas (copied or otherwise) included here make it stand out among its peers. The simple fact that the developers broke with tradition to give young gamers something different to try is something to be said. However, the fact remains that several elements feel rushed or a shell of what they could have been. Missions never get a lot of depth, the control can be frustrating at times, and the game just isn't all that fun.
Graphics:
Compared to other games in this genre, The Any Bully looks respectable. There's nothing too flashy about it or fascinating but it gets the job done in just about every regard. Character designs are pulled faithfully from the source material, textures are acceptable, though repetitive, and aliasing is kept relatively low. There are times where the resolution dips down and the animation can become incredibly choppy. There's just nothing spectacular going on here, but that's about what you'd expect from a game of this nature. By that standard this game is average looking at best.
Audio:
Muffled and choppy voice acting, muted sound effects, and a mediocre soundtrack pulled from the film await your ears once you fire this game up. Often times the game sounds like it's being presented from a tin can and the volume pitches horribly beyond your control quite frequently. The material that is here isn't the flaw in question. The glitch-ridden nature of its presentation is the guilty party to The Ant Bully's audio downfall.
Conclusion:
The Ant Bully is a prime example of inspired game design gone wrong. It's fine if you want to copy elements from the big guys but presenting them in an un-polished and lackluster fashion does nothing but make you look bad. Kids that haven't been exposed to these elements before will undoubtedly get the most out of the game, but the rest of the adventure just isn't a lot of fun. Fetch quests and clunky combat keep things most decidedly grounded and a mediocre aesthetic presentation doesn't help matters. Fans of the film and gamers in general can basically avoid this game and sleep easy at night.