The Ant Bully review

One more cinematic sermon on teamwork and I'm setting the aardvark loose

12DOVE Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Exploring the colony

  • +

    Shooting silk all over the place

  • +

    Gliding around with rose petals

Cons

  • -

    Tedious collection missions

  • -

    Unpredictable controls

  • -

    Stale graphics

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You know the drill: games based on movies tend to bite. The thinking here seems to be that younger children don't yet possess fully functioning crap filters, and are therefore more likely to squeeze some fun out of a game that adults would tire of within minutes.

The mean-spirited brat of a main character is shrunk to insect size and given a simplistic lesson in how ecosystems work by gathering pupae, bits of sugary breakfast cereal, crystals, parts of weapons, and so forth, beating up the opportunistic predators that threaten the colony and its food supply. Playing on such a diminutive scale allows for some inventive moments: glide through the air with a bit of vegetation, pilot a wasp, or call on your buddies to build a living bridge or ladder. And Wii-specific motion controls (slash to attack, etc.) and slightly better-than-PS2 graphics make this arguably the best version. As you learn the ways of the ant, you'll even take on some of their attributes, like great strength, wall-climbing, and telepathic teamwork.

More info

GenreAction
DescriptionWhat could've been a fun, if pedantic, romp through the garden is crippled by boring missions, inconsistent mechanics, and lackluster aesthetics.
Platform"PS2","Wii","PC","GBA","GameCube"
US censor rating"Everyone 10+","Everyone 10+","Everyone 10+","Everyone 10+","Everyone 10+"
UK censor rating"","","","",""
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
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