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Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity Review for the Nintendo Wii

Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity Review for the Nintendo Wii

Children’s Computerized Antics

Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity is the type of game that the Wii is known for. It is a kid friendly title that will please the younger crowd but will ultimately alienate any hardcore gamers. Code Lyoko is obviously aimed at the demographic of gamers that faithfully watch the show, and its gameplay, solid but simplistic, will entertain fans of the foursome although it likely won’t be able to long satisfy anyone uninitiated with Lyoko’s computer-based universe.

Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity screenshot

Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity is obviously based around the kid’s cartoon series which tells the exploits of a team of children with the ability to infiltrate the computer world. When inside of the digital world, Odd, Yumi, Ulrich, and Aelita all find themselves possessed of unique skills which they use to combat the dangers in their digital environ. They set out in Quest for Infinity with the goal of saving their friend William from the threat of X.A.N.A. and restoring him to normal.

If you aren’t completely comfortable with the preceding paragraph, you’ll likely find yourself lost in the world of Code Lyoko when attempting to play this game. You are immediately introduced to a host of characters without any type of biographical information, meaning that if you aren’t a fan of the show you won’t have a clue as to who the characters are and what exactly is going on. You mainly control the four dynamic characters in the team, but you have the opportunity to interact with a number of other students, and anyone that doesn’t watch the show will immediately find themselves confused as to the different references and conversations that occur. The game is obviously aimed at fans of the show and doesn’t even attempt to make concessions for anyone that hasn’t watched a few episodes.

The game starts on the school campus, with static portraits of the game’s NPCs. This scene acts as a sort of hub where you can talk to other students and teachers, go into assorted areas to explore artwork and unlocked cutscenes, or make your way to the laboratory and begin your missions. The conversations that you can have are really again aimed at fans of the show, as they can quickly become confusing to the uninitiated and even seem to end abruptly sometimes. Most of them can be painful to listen to.

Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity screenshot

Once you go to the laboratory and talk to Jeremy, the game begins in earnest. The first mission is a tutorial involving only Odd, who moves about on all fours. He can attack using the Wii-mote to aim a reticule and fire at foes, and the first stage shows you how to handle an individual. The second time through, you have access to the whole team and pressing a direction on the control pad switches between team members. Each student plays differently, with Ulrich attacking with a sword (performed by holding the B-button and swinging the Wii-mote), Yumi targeting multiple foes before attacking a la Link’s boomerang, and Aelita charging her attacks into an explosive bullet. While a lot of the game can be played through with your character of choice, there are objects or foes that can only be overcome with a specific character, such as Odd being able to climb walls or foes that are impervious to all attacks except Ulrich’s sword. One minor gripe comes in the fact that Yumi’s attack requires her to stop as her fan zooms in on the targeted enemies, which leaves her vulnerable to any other enemies roaming about, although the game’s relative lack of difficulty never makes this too much of a problem.

Each of the characters also has upgradeable moves to attempt to keep the gameplay fresh. While playing through the game your heroes will earn currency that can be used to purchase upgrades for your abilities, such as increasing the strength of certain attacks or unlocking new moves. The game even comes up with a passable excuse for this, presumably in the context of the show. This does a good job of extending the gameplay and making certain that the game doesn’t begin to feel repetitive too soon.

Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity screenshot

Also breaking up the monotony of the platforming is the inclusion of flying sequences. In between certain stages your characters will take control of the Skid, which is a kind of digital ship introduced late in the television series. These sections have you moving the Skid by pointing the Wii-mote around the screen and shooting the incoming enemies. You can target lock onto foes and attempt to make it through intact, although difficulty never ramps up significantly.

Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity screenshot

The visuals in the game are not great, but passable. The characters all appear fairly blocky, although they do animate well. The environments are all bland and have the same blocky quality as the characters, with little to nothing occurring in the backgrounds. Also, the camera isn’t controllable and tends to choose what it considers the best view for the action, and although it is generally correct for progression, there are times when enemies can be following your character and can fall behind the camera’s view, making them undetectable to the character unless he/she charges blindly towards the screen, and even though the foes are off-screen, they still toss damaging projectiles your way.

The audio in the game is okay, and the voice acting is done to the standards of the show. You can expect voice acting on par with the average Saturday morning cartoon, but nothing that is particularly noteworthy or Oscar worthy.

Code Lyoko doesn’t have any huge flaws to the gameplay beyond its mediocrity. It has a simple platformer formula which it does decently without any extraordinary or even notable strides in any direction. It does, however, seem to have missed an opportunity with multiplayer. It seems based on the formula made famous by games like X-men Legends and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, with the quick press of a direction switching control of a character. However, most games that used this technique had the use of multiple characters at a single time, allowing for a team based dynamic. Code Lyoko, with their four-member team, would have fit this formula perfectly had the developers chosen to go that route. Instead, they opted for the simpler one-person-at-a-time mechanic, perhaps to better appeal to their target audience, although they may have underestimated the appeal of multiplayer to the younger crowd.

Overall, Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity is a decent platformer experience for fans of the show. Parents with children that watch the show faithfully will please their progeny by purchasing this title, but others may find themselves unimpressed by the uninspired platforming and confusing characters.

Features:

  • Battle through the 2D real world, and 3D world
  • Interact with their favorite characters – Odd, Yumi, Ulrich, Aelita and Jeremy
  • Explore 40+ different locations with a storyline based on the fourth season of the popular animated series
  • Battle using a range of skills including shooting, fighting, puzzle solving and exploration
  • Delve into the digital sea with the season 4 new vehicle in search of the mysterious creature which infected their world
  • Discover a new 3D territory
  • Fight new bosses

    RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 2.5 Graphics
    Block characters and bland environments make unattractive visuals. 3.4 Control
    Controls are decent, with fairly responsive Wii controls. 2.9 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
    The music and voice overs are consistent with the show. 2.6

    Play Value
    Not much gameplay outside of the core game, although fans of the show should be pleased.

    3.0 Overall Rating – Fair
    Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

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