Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings

I can't hardly contain myself as the classic theme comes to life in my speakers. The adventure feels like it's already started and I haven't even made it to the game menu yet. Da-dada-DAA-da-dada - oh, there's something special about this, at least for anyone ever being in love with bull whips, wide brimmed hats and archaeologists. And while that might sound like a small percentage of people, it's really not when the person in question is no other than good old Indiana Jones.

Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings doesn't follow any of the already produced movies. It's instead a whole new story, but still focusing on the things that is so profoundly Indiana Jones; adventure in places where myth and real stories merge, tongue-in-cheek action and a charming archaeologist as the protagonist. The old Sunday matinée feeling is certainly there. I'm feel like I'm running around in a Indiana Jones flick. There's no doubt about that.

The year is 1939, the Second World War is raging. This is almost a year after the end of the original movie trilogy. This time around the story centers on a race between Indy and the nazis, that are trying to locate an old artifact, The Staff of Moses. As in the biblical staff, the one that separated the seas. As always when dealing with Indiana Jones, there's a mix of supernatural incidents. This time around the villain and by proxy Indiana Jones arch nemesis is Magnus Völler. And yes, he does show up at the most inconvenient of times.

After an introduction in Sudan, Indy gently "whips" up the speed of the adventure, going from San Francisco to Panama, Turkey and Nepal. I used around and hour on each level and then around half an hour on the epic ending - an ending that I won't reveal here. So yes, this is a short game, and if you're up for it, it can easily be completed over the course of a Saturday. Around four to six hours depending on experience and commitment of the one playing. But even if this is by all measurements a short game, it's infused with a lot of variation, entertainment - and let's not forget; it's pretty.

And by pretty, I mean real pretty. It's easily in the Top 3 of the Wii's game catalogue. At times I'm almost imagining, that it's an old Xbox 360 game that I'm playing. I'm walking around these highly detailed environments that keeps changing around me. All having a really nice natural light and a strong design. It really completes the feeling of being on a adventure in a classic movie, when the jungle is colorful and dense and where the hot rays of the sun, bathes every leaf and temple wall in at beautiful hue. This game shows that there's still some graphical muscles to pry out of the Wii.

As for the gameplay experience it's centered around four things; combat, jumping, puzzlesolving and a bit of pistolero action. The motion control enabled Wiimote works fine in the combat situations. The Nunchuck and the Wiimote represents left and right hands and for the most part uppercuts, hooks and jabs are registered without any doubt. In these fights it's old school brawling that's required.

The platforming part is as easy as scratching yourself on the nose. There's absolutely no chance of you failing the arduous task of pressing a few buttons at specific times. And since much of the game is centered around this Indiana Jones is by default a very easy game to play. Same could be said of the puzzle sections where you never really need to use your brain.

When using a gun, you're confined to some kind of shelter where you just to blast the enemy away. All you can ever do in these instances is to scurry along these obstacles while firing a gun. It's not necessarily a bad thing and I can easily imagine how easy it would be, if you could just walk around. And let's face it Indiana Jones isn't some old school cowboy with death wish. This section of the game is not to make Indiana Jones a full blown action hero, but to change the tempo of the game. For real hardcore players this probably feels like a wasted opportunity, but I don't mind. I had fun.

Well for the most part I had fun. But I'll admit to having moments where I'd just like to beat up myself with the Wiimote. As when I for minutes tried to put a skull into a small hole, just to be able to pass a trap or when I, by playing a minigame, had to knock out enemies with the use of a crane and a piano. I used around half an hour of my life trying to make it do what I wanted it to do. This is a study in how not to use motion control.

And by the way Harrison Ford is not acting out his own part in the game, but at least it's the original score, which makes up much of the atmosphere of the game, so it still feels like a Indiana Jones movie, played out as a game of course. As for extra material on the disc there's a co-op mission part and a couple of death match alternatives where you fight it out in both planes and tanks. It's fun, but it's not really a serious competitor to the other multiplayer games out there.

What is serious though, is the inclusion of Indiana Jones: Fate of Atlantis, the original point 'n click SCUMM game, that was once the pinnacle of PC adventures. It's still a solid experience with good puzzles and a nice pixelated graphic style bringing back the golden days of gaming. And it's works out quite well with the Wiimote.

Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings might be to simple, straightforward and short and once in a while the controls might seem fiddly. Even the minigames might frustrate you from time to time. On the other hand it's a game that's has that special atmosphere, a really nice tempo and lot's of variation. And it's safe to say that's it's one of the best looking games on the format. So from me to you, assuming you're an Indiana Jones fan, go buy this. It's more than a decent romp.