Strawberry
Shortcake is all about helping her friends, so when they come to her and explain
that they can’t dream, what’s a little girl with sweet dessert name to do but go
to the Land of Dreams to build new ones for her friends.
That’s the
essence of Strawberry Shortcake: The Land of Dreams, a PlayStation 2 release
from Game Factory, in association with DIC. A platformer that has a
three-dimensional feel to it, the game allows players to interact with
Strawberry and her friends, while visiting four environments – Strawberryland,
the Dreamboat, the Land of Dreams and the Dream Factory. There are five levels
of difficulty, so the game should provide a bit of a challenge for fans up to
age 12 or so.
Emma, age
10, played the game through to the end and had these comments:
“In the
game, Ginger Snap – one of the characters – can’t dream anymore so the whole
idea is to go through Strawberryland to the Dreamboat and go to the Land of
Dreams and to the Dream Factory. Then you have to find your way around the Dream
Factory to find some gears to get the Dream Machine to start working again.
“When you
get the gears, you have to go through some obstacles and get to a car – because
it is time for bed in Strawberryland – to drive out and go through all sorts of
obstacles. But the car can’t go any further after you finish the first round of
obstacles. So you have to go by foot to the Dreamboat. Then you have to fly back
to Strawberryland, go through all sorts of obstacles there and get back to
Strawberry Shortcake’s house.
“You get to
play as Ginger Snap, Lemon Meringue, Strawberry Shortcake, Raspberry Torte,
Angel Cake and Orange Blossom.
“It’s very
easy to control. During the game you are trying to collect as many seeds as you
can – that’s how you unlock new players. Because you go to Fantasy Garden and
buy new people to play with for 300 seeds. You can also buy songs, recipes and a
video.
“The look of
the game is really good. It’s very colorful. The sound you can hear very good;
you can read when they tell you how you are doing and what you are doing.
“I think the
best part of the game is when you get to the Dream Factory and you get to do all
the obstacles there. Along the way, when you are playing the game, you get new
powers – like the first power you will get is growing a plant; the second one is
using a wand.”
From a
parental perspective, the game does have a lot of repetition, but the control
scheme was simple enough to allow the game to be picked up and played without
consulting the manual. There is not much new here, or innovative, as far as a
platformer is concerned, but the graphical elements are lush and bright and the
game seemed to draw in the younger gamers – so from that perspective, it was a
success. Also, there were minor puzzles that needed to be worked out and there
seemed to be a great deal of satisfaction when the tasks were accomplished.
While not
deep and with suspect replay value, this is a game that may appeal to the
younger set.
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Gameplay:
6.0
Very linear,
which will reduce replay value. The control scheme is easy, and the game has a
problem with not having enough save points for younger children.
Graphics:
6.8
Colorful and
bright, the graphics give a three-dimensional look though – for the most part –
the game is a two-dimensional platformer. It is not until you get into certain
areas that you are able to move back into a scene/environment.
Sound:
6.0
One of those
repetitious theme songs that plays over and over and over, ad nauseum. Children
may like it; adults may scramble for the mute button. The in-game sounds are
also repetitious, full of giggles and silly grunts.
Difficulty: Medium
Five difficulty
settings should provide a challenge for most youngsters.
Concept:
6.0
A simple concept
without a lot of innovation. This is a game geared for younger children, so high
concepts were not needed.
Overall:
6.8
The game may
appeal to younger players; the game is very repetitious. Colorful and bright but
not exactly innovative, it may be a nice little stocking stuffer, but parents
should prepare for sounds that can get borderline annoying after 5 minutes.
