Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia

I don't think this is a very good video game (or even a decent video game) unless you are perhaps at a certain age demographic and don't have anything else to compare this game to because your parents/guardian have you on parental controls and your account is restricted to listing games that are basically for kindergarteners. This game is very generic, perhaps one of the most generic I have ever had the opportunity of playing, and I've played a lot of video games here on Steam. It's just overall very basic and simplistic and seems as though it's much more closer to being an overpriced cash grab rushed product to perhaps exploit the fans of the [i]Trollhunters[/i] franchise. I've never even heard of it, but apparently it's an animated series. And if it's anything like the video game, I doubt it is enjoyable. It creates that type of impression in you, as a gamer, that if you are unfamiliar with the IP, you now want nothing to do with it. The story involves the convoluted time travel idea that is easily unraveled for the confusion it creates, and your character travels all over the place from underground caverns to a whole different planet where you never really know what is going on as you chase after some unintelligible troll/ogre or something who has somehow acquired a powerful magical artifact that he is also smart enough to wield and understand effectively. As soon as you discover that alien technology in addition to magic exists in this universe, it becomes predictable. But it does seem to require you to have watched the animated TV show to really know who any of the characters are and what they are. That is why the showrunners should be more involved in the creative process for video game adaptations to try and better ensure that a decent studio is selected to develop these games. You can perhaps generate more interest for your show if it is tied to a video game that is actually good. There is voice acting in most scenes, while reading is required for some others, more specifically, the side quests you can discover if you keep talking to every NPC around the hub area, but I'd say there were only really two voice actors who carried the rest. The others are a bit more monotone and unenthused, and the dialogue itself is definitely something only younger gen Z or older gen Alpha can understand sometimes when it comes to the comedic relief side-kick male character that every hero(ine) apparently needs. He sort of reminds me of the goofy, chubby sidekick in the Tom Holland portrayal of Spider-Man movies. If you aren't a parent who wants to purchase this game to play cooperatively with children, then you should immediately look for something else to spend money on. Parents who are wanting to play a game with their children should also avoid this title unless it is on sale for at least 90% off for a few important reasons: -The game is short. This might actually be good for children, such as those with short attention spans from consuming too much Bluey as toddlers, but you as an adult will have a better understanding of the dollar's value and know that this does not justify a $25 USD price point. Especially if you intend to buy multiple copies. You can run through the game in just a few hours, or a bit longer if you want to hunt for the achievements. -It's just a dull, unimaginative platformer. The 2D side-scrolling platforming genre of video game is rich with video games that are far better and also child-friendly in that it still has the hack-and-slash component of this game. Ironically, these video games are much better to invest time and money into because it isn't meant to be designed in a way to exploit younger gamers by being an adaptation to some children's show. Animations here are clunky and repetitive, and the landscape isn't anything pretty to look at. An important aspect of this type of game is having a beautiful or artistically unique background to make up for the lack of proper 3D directional movement and environments. -The game is not coded to detect the device you are using to play the game, which is a red flag and indicative of terrible or lazy coders. Button prompts for in-game tutorial/hint pop-ups only assume that you are using an Xbox controller and do not switch to inform you of what the true input is in relation to your chosen method of play. I am playing this game on mouse + keyboard (I'm a PC gamer) and had to experiment with the keys to figure out what does what. Using the 'assistants' that you collect throughout the game, each having special abilities for progressing through the map, is very inconsistent because the keyboard input doesn't let you seamlessly scroll over to who you need in that moment, and you'll have four or so different friends/allies to call down upon by the end of the game, whether it is to destroy an unbreakable wall, summon a platform for better verticality, a hoverboard to cross a gap that you can't normally jump across, someone who heals you, etc. Each map is essentially designed to rely on these other characters that you meet and befriend through your adventure, but it isn't like that of a metroidvania where you need to backtrack as you obtain new abilities or items to unlock new areas or secrets. It acts more as just an obstacle to try and add variety to the otherwise repetitive gameplay, which leads to the next point: -It's just boring with very little substance. You have an inventory system and can interact with certain NPCs in the hub area to buy items and power-ups but it's very lacking in items/gear that you can use and obtain such as to create different playstyles. There's one NPC that sells armor, but nothing for weapons, and the boss battles are easy even on hard difficulty, if not a bit gimmicky at times. The fight against Gunmar the Black was unbalanced where you couldn't always jump over the stampede of abominations or whatever they are actually called. The game doesn't do much for explaining the actual lore of this universe to those who are not familiar with the franchise. Enemy variety types are very minimal and are discovered in future levels to just be recolored but with some extra HP. -As for cooperative play, I didn't test this feature as I don't have children to play with and don't think it is appropriate to try and lure one into my house just to play this game, but it seemed plug and play easy with drop-in options from the pause menu and you can also disconnect the second player instantly as well with the same button. But with how easy the game is even on hard mode, I imagine cooperative play just negates that even further. I don't know, I just think that if I were a gamer dad and had a gamer kid, I'd be buying them something way better for us to play together than this game. But I suppose for the discerning parent, this could be a distraction for a few hours for kids who don't yet know what good video games are.