That said, the game is only skin deep, and what you see within the first few minutes is pretty much what you get the whole way through. You’ll have to do a lot of grinding in order to get enough gold to buy recipes to make body parts, as well as collect the necessary ingredients for those parts in order to build a monster who can take on the game’s ridiculously over-powered opponents.

The actual game progression is quite short, but the game holds you back with its arbitrary level of difficulty. So, if you’re okay with doing the same types of battles over and over…and over again, Igor DS might be your kind of game.

On the presentation front, the game is something of a nightmare, which fits the theme of the game just fine but stymies gameplay in grand proportions. The dialogue offers a few tongue-in-cheek tidbits, but the whole affair comes off as lifeless and cheap. What’s worse, however, is how the game leaves you to figure out most aspects of the adventure on your own. It’s got a slapped-together presentation that is sure to leave most players feeling gypped by the time and energy (and money) they put into the experience.

The graphics are decent but nothing more. The top screen battles are 3D, but the monsters and environments are plain, and there’s very little variety of either. The 2D overworld has a nice art style, even if it’s almost impossible to distinguish key destinations, but Igor animates poorly as he moves about the map. The music is fitting, but you hear the same few themes over and over throughout the adventure, and the sound effects are sparse, lending very little to the overall presentation.

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Igor: The Game is about as inspired as its name. The combat mechanics, though a bit awkward, work and offer a fair bit of fun, but that will only take you so far. The game is ultimately built upon the one element, and it gets old fast. There is both a single-card and multi-card multiplayer offering, which consists of battling friends, and that may offer some replay value for the game. However, Igor DS feels like little more than an imperative handed down by number crunchers to churn out merchandise associated with the movie; it’s a functioning monster, but it has no soul. If you’re looking for a mildly amusing puzzle adventure, “The Game” might be worth a rent, but your money is likely better spent going to see the movie a second time instead.

By Tony Capri
CCC Freelance Writer