Death Jr. Review

Death Jr. Review
by Tron_Fan

I originally bought the PSP for two titles. Midevil, and Wipeout. Unfortunately in the US only one was available at launch…. and it wasn't Midevil. However I saw that another game was in the works that was to debut soon. A story about Death's son and his adventure to help his friends and restore peace to his neighborhood. In what seemed like a cross between Discworld, Nightmare Before Christmas and Midevil, I eagerly awaited its release.

Backstory:
Death's son, Death Jr. (Or DJ for short) releases an ancient evil on a field trip with his class to a local museum. It's now his responsibility to right what he has wronged before his dad, the Grim Reaper, grounds him for all eternity.
What ensues is a trip across blasted landscapes including Suburbia, the Meatworld Theme Park and the local school, where DJ has to battle hoards of demons to collect pieces of his friends' souls.

Gameplay 4/5

This game plays as a normal platformer. Wave after wave of monster comes at you, and all the while you have secret items to find and level-ups to collect. There are bosses at the end of some levels that can prove a pain to defeat. Of course, DJ not only can wield his wicked scythe, but also a host of additional armaments including chain guns, shotguns and even hamsters loaded with C4 explosives. There are puzzles interspersed throughout the levels and they prove challenging to a point. The camera is probably the only complaint I have being that it will, from time to time, swing wildly around from viewpoint to viewpoint, leaving you guessing what you are facing and where the monsters actually are. Weapons can be improved by finding upgrades in the levels themselves, so some customization can occur. In-game tutorials help with the many jumping/attacking combos as well as bringing you up to speed on weapons, moves and special attacks.

Sound and Music 3/5

The effects are OK, but nothing special. It is interesting to hear on my headphones the sounds moving around me, but overall the effects are not that great and could have been vastly improved. The music itself was an odd choice being somewhat more modern and less gothic than I had hoped. More like midi tracks, they’re not catchy enough that I would find myself humming them after playing the game or wondering where I could find a soundtrack. The music in this case seems more like background filler than anything appropriate top the game itself.

Graphics 4/5

This game is a little under par from the graphics on Wipeout Pure, but still awesome for a handheld game. There is no lag or frame skipping. They do seem more like PS1 graphics than PS2, but the animation is smooth and the rendering complete. The art direction of the game is what bolsters the score, being that the creatures are imaginative and their concept imparts a sense of humor on the side of the designers. I appreciate the way DJ waddles when he’s hoisting the scythe, and the whole gothic feel to the game. The colors are brilliant and the scenes vibrant, although I did have to gamma correct this game all the way to the highest level to play it.

Overall 4/5

Death Jr. is a very good early release for the PSP. It will be worth your money and will keep you entertained for hours. If you enjoy the platformer genre you will be satisfied, but probably not blown away. The challenge of this game comes in when they decide to throw so many monsters at you, that you have to redo the level over and over to gauge the pattern. I personally feel that Death Jr. is a good addition to your PSP library because it is an involved game that gives challenging game play for hours, plus provides an immersive environment with enough variables to allow you to customize the output to your choice.

good review :)