Review: King Kong

King Kong (2005) was released to coincide with the remake of the groundbreaking 1933 film.

Note: This review contains gameplay spoilers. I've put them in black text on a black background for the web page, but if you're reading in an RSS reader, you'll just have to skip them manually by looking for the *SPOILERS* and *END SPOILERS* markers.

Gameplay
You spend most of the game playing as Jack, the writer turned action hero trying to save the girl. This basically means hurling spears and shooting guns at various monsters. The gameplay is kept varied by different enemies and a few interesting mechanics.

*SPOILERS*

The first is the spear mechanic. At various points (too frequently for realism, but who cares) you find native spears and piles of bones which can be used as spears. The spear has a poke attack which is used for impaling very small critters, setting the spear on fire, and keeping medium sized critters at bay. It can also be thrown. Bone spears are fairly weak weapons, requiring two of them just to take down a medium sized flyer.

The second is the bait mechanic. Most creatures on the island eat other creatures on the island. This allows you to kill one creature to distract others. This is often essential when you need to sneak past to get guns, spears or fire.

The third is the fire mechanic. Spears can be set on fire (given a fire source). This allows them to set otherwise impassible brambles on fire. It also kills any monster who comes in contact with the burning brambles. It also destroys wooden native structures (but the brambles have to be lit first. The wood itself doesn't burn). There are also occasionally sconces that can be knocked down to light the brambles underneath them.

*END SPOILERS*

When the pieces are put together with the varied environments and the fact that you're often looking out for (and being looked out for) by the other members of the expedition, it all works quite well. I was always extra aware of my environment, looking for that edge I might need to survive the next fight. It was almost more of a puzzle than an action game at times.

You're also on the lookout for "handles" which fit into the natives' door opening mechanisms. Those seem a little forced, but they weren't as bad as some reviews had lead me to believe. I don't think you look for ten handles in the whole game.

As for the Kong gameplay, it's fine for what it is. It does a good job of conveying the epic scale of his fights. But most of the traveling segments feel like Sonic Adventure. Hold forward and press jump once in a while. Also, I remembered him as moving with a little more pep in the demo. He seemed sluggish in the actual game. That's probably just me.


Theatrics
The game's plot is really too simple to merit discussion. You fight monsters to try and save the girl (regardless of who you're playing as). It's in the moment to moment struggle for survival that the game shines. At it's best, the game lets you feel like you're cleverly using all of the tricks available to you to just barely keep you and your companions ahead of a horrible death.

The fact that the horrible deaths are actually pretty scary helps, too. Your screen starts pulsing red, the action music becomes a pathos filled aria, and you're generally looking into the face of whatever is going to eat you. It's pretty awesome.

It's a rare game that gets dying right, makes it so scary and thrilling that it's actually a kick to kick off. I remember one death where one dinosaur grabbed me by the leg while the other circled around and chomped my head. I reiterate, pretty awesome. I just wish I'd had the presence of mind to say "clevuh gehl." :) Also, the presence of frequent checkpoints and a quick load that's actually quick helps a great deal in making death feel more like a fun scare and less like a penalty.

One more thing about your companions, in the scripted sequences they do a good job giving you cues and setting the tone for the action. Once in a while you'll hear the same warning or exclamation of terror too many times, but mostly they're good. Well, the black guy is good. Jack Black's character is a useless ass I would have killed myself, if the game allowed it. When I failed to save him from being eaten by a T-Rex once, it made me smile.

And for those who know me well enough to know this in joke, it's also pretty awesome that the young kid you find and try to save (I'm not spoiling whether you succeed or not.) is named Jimmy.

Aesthetics
The game is good looking. Even in DirectX 8.1 in low res. The jungle vegetation is pretty thick. The low saturation gave the whole thing an old timey, far away feel. The music also does its job well, increasing the fear and excitement. The sound effects are good. Providing lots of ambiance. Also you grab the spears out of the ground (they're usually sticking straight up) with a satisfying slap. There are some little things that don't work (like the clinically diagnosable "procedural neck" some of the medium sized dinos suffer from). But for the most part, I had the feeling of "being there", which is a definite success.

Final Score
4 out of 5