Jumanji: The Video Game – Review

Back in 1995 when the first Jumanji movie was made and we didn’t expect there to be a sequel in 2017. The new movie was fairly fun to watch and it modernized the concept of Jumanji. Instead of being sucked into a board game, the players found themselves in a video game, playing out a character, hoping to find their way back to the real world. The movie had an impressive cast and while the original movie stood well on its own, it was a fairly original idea that came out of Hollywood, be it a watered-down version of the original script. Now, with the third movie in the near future, a game was released for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and the Nintendo Switch. While we were curious at first, we soon only felt anger and disappointment.

Story

There is no story value to be found in the game. You’ll be able to choose from four different maps, which all have the same objective to return a jewel to the statue at the finish. The characters of the movie are there, but they are not voiced by the original cast and they don’t contribute to anything that remotely resembles a story.

Graphics

The game recreates the actual movie characters rather well, even with the simplistic graphics it uses. As the game is also released on the Nintendo Switch, it’s clear that the game is toned down, to make it easier to port it to all the different consoles. The characters look decent and move fluently, but the enemies are always the same grunts that are thrown at you. The four maps also lack a differentiating décor, as you’ll always come across the same obstacles, the same explosive barrels, the same totems and so on. There is nothing remotely impressive that makes you want to explore the game further, but then again, there is no real room for any actual exploring when playing the game.

As the game can be played with your friends locally, it’s actually quite impressive how smooth it runs. Of course, the game doesn’t push any of the PlayStation 4’s boundaries, but sometimes things do get hectic onscreen. We can commend the developers for actually trying out their (lack of) work.

Sound

The sound design is mediocre, at best. The music is unobtrusive, but hardly noticeable when playing as well. The developers didn’t even spend a single penny to have the movie’s cast members voice their digital characters, which make the few oneliners in the game feel extraordinarily cheap. There is nothing memorable when looking at how the soundtrack and sound effects were handled.

Gameplay

Jumanji: The Video Game is a third-person shooter that feels like a cheap spin-off of a title such as Fortnite. You’ll always go through the same stages in the four levels you can play, namely, kill baddies, find totems, power up a crystal, find totems, avoid traps, find totems, and so on. The overall gameplay is monotone and extremely dull. You have four characters at your disposal, all with different damage outputs and a different unique skill. The game does have a set of different difficulties, but playing a boring game on a harder setting just makes the game even more frustrating.

The game does want you to play several matches, as you can level up, and unlock costumes and weapon skins as you progress. Sadly, when playing through the four different levels of the game, you’ll have played more than you wanted to, and you will simply toss the game aside, disappointed you paid cold hard cash for this bland adventure.

One thing that is quite good, is the option to suffer together with your friends. You can play in local co-op, which makes the game slightly more fun, even if it’s only for a match or two. You’ll still be doing the same mundane objectives over and over, albeit with a friend at your side.

Conclusion

Jumanji: The Video Game is a very poor addition to the Jumanji franchise. Games such as this shouldn’t be made in this day and age, and while the game runs smoothly and has a proper co-op mode, the overall experience is just so forgettable that this game is not worth spending money on. It would have been better to have a proper adventure experience where you could do actual levels with the different characters, working towards a proper goal. Sadly, all we got was a poor third-person shooter, with barely any content and the lifespan of a mayfly.

Ibuki

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Aspiring ninja.

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