The Princess Bride Game

Rating Rating Pending Genre adventure Publisher Worldwide Biggies External Links Official Princess Bride Game Website

I’m not too hip on casual games as a serious financial investment. Sure’ they’re addictive. Some of them are even incredibly creative. Not many of them are worth any portion of my paycheck. However, I have been known to cough up some green for a handy-dandy collection of several games that I may or may not enjoy. That is, assuming the right price. Worldwide Biggies delivers that, and yet so much more, with The Princess Bride Game. This distilled, animated package combines a well-loved film with a string of various game types, all of it weaved together using narrative clips that even hold clues to finishing the final stage.

What The Princess Bride Game gives players is a collection of five types of games all tied to a single story. Your first set is focused on time management, where your character, Westley, must complete the farm duties given to him in an allotted time. Next up is the Battle of Wits, which takes the form of trivia and word games with a few minor comprehensive aspects. Next up is my favorite, the puzzle/platform stage. Similar to games such as Lode Runner or Pitfall, control Westley and Buttercup as they make it through the several screens that compose the Fire Swamp. The fourth installment is part click-and-find, part mix-and-match, which is perhaps the most difficult of the four in some aspects. The final stage cannot accurately be described without ruining the ending. I will say that it is the most innovative achievement that this title has provided.

It’s a refreshing sight to see some top-quality hand drawn animation instead of a reliance on high-polygon count models and state of the art technological toys. Regardless of how awesome those things can be, they are no match for a skilled hand and a set of pencils. Everything graphical is taken care of with such precision and detail that it makes a Disney animator weep with delight. In fact, I don’t see why the animators involved could not put together an animated version of The Princess Bride. In game sprites, even down to the lowliest chicken or flower, are placed with such care that its impossible to ignore the sheer amount of craftsmanship that went into the visuals alone. On a stark and surprisingly disappointed contrast, the music department is bland fare that does little more than its job of matching with the rest of the setting. Granted, most of the focus went into some dedicated voice acting and a remarkable attention to sound effects. It would have been a bigger boost to the gills just to hear a better musical accompaniment.

Sadly, The Princess Bride Game leaves me wanting more. Of course, you can continue to play past the initial narrative of the game itself. Each stage only requires that you complete a few levels in order to advance the overall story. For those who are completionists, or for those like me who really appreciate one of the game modes and want to get the most out of it, there are about ten to fifteen extra levels in each stage, save the last. Your only noticeable achievement so far is having a bigger score. I have yet to fully complete the title, so I cannot say what it may or may not offer after one has done so. But, even with the extended stage play, this one is just too short. You’ll love every minute that you play, but the overall experience comes to an end too quickly. However, the idea of a narrative story tied in with an assortment of play modes is a definite hit. If Worldwide Biggies, or any other studio for that matter, could expand on this kind of foundation while still maintaining the balance of “enough is enough”, there is little doubt in my mind that a smashing masterpiece of a game is possible with such a formula.