This week Brian and the Professor are reviewing the brilliant Powerpuff Girls: Defenders of Townsville, from Radiangames… and the enthusiasm for this game is coming from a somewhat unexpected place…
Podcast: Download
“Every day in the United Kingdom we spend around £2.5 million on coffee; like many other I would think nothing of walking into my local coffee shop and spending £3 or £4 pounds on my favourite massimo spiced orange and cinnamon mocha, with cream. So why do people often freak out at the idea of paying for a mobile game, which might provide entertainment long after the dregs of their drink have been poured away? I’m Professor Kelvin Harris, the resident scientist of CodecMoments.com, and this plucky little fella is my lab assistant Brian.”
“Alreet there Professor?”
“Together we’re on a mission to highlight games that cost less than your latte, which you can enjoy at home, on your way to work, or even during your coffee break. This week’s ‘Cost of a Coffee’ game is The Powerpuff Girls: Defenders of Townsville from Radiangames, originally available on PC via Steam, but now out on iOS and Android too.”
“Reet’ho Professor.”
“…Is that it Brian, nothing to add at this juncture? I mean Normally you’re all over this stuff; you love He-Man and She-Ra, The Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles, Pocket Planes and Button Moon to name just a few… why no over exuberant enthusiasm for the Powerpuff Girls?”
“I don’t like them. Me Mam says they’re evil and I think there’s something troubling about them Professor. I think that they might be the devil spawn of She-Ra and Orko. How else are they able to fly and punch stuff reet hard?”
“Well that certainly is interesting deductive reasoning Brian. Fine then, I’ll do it this week. I love the Powerpuff Girls Brian; I’m not sure what the Powerpuff Girls equivalent of a ‘Brony’ is, but I am one and a total one at that.”
“Well that is a surprising turn of events Professor.”
“The Powerpuff Girls are three pint sized superheroes named Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup from the town of Townsville, who were created when Professor Utonium attempted to create the perfect little girls using a mixture of sugar, spice and everything nice… and Chemical X. I think I might be starting to see why I like it.”
“’Cos you’re a mad Professor, Professor?!”
[EVIL LAUGH]
“Yes, perhaps. Back to the game; the girls’ arch nemesis and simian supervillain, Mojo Jojo has kidnapped the Mayor and used him as a lure to blast our heroes with his disremember ray, splitting them up and making them forget how to use their powers. You start as Buttercup, she’s the toughest fighter, battling Mojo’s army of robots as you regain your powers and rescue Blossom, Bubbles and the Mayor. Each of the girls has different abilities which you’ll need to progress through the five different zones of this ‘Metroidvania’ style world, collecting power-ups and boosters that will help you to finally defeat Mojo Jojo once and for all… until next the next episode anyway.”
“But I thought the Powerpuff Girls ended in 2005 Professor?”
“Well yes Brian, but last week it was announced that a reboot is planned to air in 2016 following the CGI special of January this year. The graphical style of this game is based on that special, but you can switch to classic mode in the settings, which allows you to play the game with the original cartoon style. I’m a purist, so of course I chose that option.”
“Is it wo… POWERPROF!!!”
“I beg your pardon Brian?”
“That’s what we should call a Powerpuff Brony, a Powerprof… after you and Prof. Euphonium.”
“Utonium.”
“You know I don’t Professor.”
“No his name is… never mind.”
“So is it worth the ‘Cost of a Coffee’ Professor?”
“Well at £2.49 you’d only have to sacrifice a small mocha in the morning to justify your purchase; all Powerproffing aside, the game is an excellent example of how to make an interesting and engaging mobile game and it’s pretty much a straight port of the PC version that is available on Steam. The airborne action is a fast paced and fun mixture of shooting and melee, with the power-ups and boosters really helping to balance the game’s difficulty as you face more numerous and varied foes later on. The graphics look great and the sound is brilliant, featuring the original voice cast. There’s even a take on New Game+ with Mojo’s Key Quest available after you beat the main game. Another good thing is that there are no in-app purchases, which as you’ll know if you’re a regular listener, I don’t mind in free-to-play games, but are more and more frequently creeping into premium, paid for apps. It’s a great game and you’ve no excuse not to give it a go, unless of course you’re a mutant monkey with a giant brain, whose sole intent is to destroy our pint sized pre-school heroes in order to take over Townsville.”
“Cost of a Coffee is a Codec Moments production, for more information check out www.codecmoments.com. If you can recommend a game that costs less than your cappuccino, or you know what a Powerpuff Brony is really called, you can e-mail the Professor using the e-mail address prof@codecmoments.com. You can also tweet us @CodecMoments or get in touch using Facebook and Google+.”
“See you next time.”
