Jimmy Neutron’s obsession with Twonkus 3 leads the premise of this adventure as you begin the game on a mission to fix your rocket ship to travel to the comet. While on the Twonkus-3, you gather some mineral samples, escape from a Twonkus monster before he can destroy your ship and return home only to discover you have brought back some Twonkies (aptly named by friend Carl). At first a Twonkie is really cute like a Mogwai (from the movie Gremlins), but then it undergoes a transformation into a gremlin-like creature. This is where Jimmy steps up his mad MacGyver skills to save Retroville.
As Jimmy, you’ll explore various places and pick up items that you can make gizmos, inventions or super inventions with. There are also blueprints that you can pick up. Your robot dog Goddard will also lend a helping paw, for example, by excavating for minerals, searching for useful objects, fetching to break through barriers. You’ll access Goddard’s command through the hypercube, the menu where you also find your inventions. Through the game you will pick up “upgrades” for Goddard that will give you more commands for your metallic K-9.
When you select the invention menu, cycle through your items to find the items Jimmy is looking for to make his next invention. You’ll get a positive head nod from him when you’ve chosen the right combination. Then watch as only Jimmy can make a magnet and a pair of sneakers into something brilliant that’ll help him reclaim the neighborhood.
Through the hypercube menu you will be able to access all of your inventions and equip yourself. Gizmos are in use for a certain period of time before you have to reequip, but inventions stay on your person until you switch them out with something else. Super inventions cover your rocket ship and other transportation devices but first you’ll need to find the blueprints of these super inventions to keep you on track.
The game is based on the TV movie that is due out this November.
The 3D graphics are very reminiscent of the cartoon series, which probably comes as no surprise. You’ll feel like you’ve been transported into the world of Neutron. If you are familiar with the cartoon then the places you explore in the game will feel strangely familiar.
I do like that if Jimmy runs into the street the traffic does stop for him. So there is a certain attention to detail that’s nice to see. The cutscenes are mini-cartoons that further the plot of the video game and are quite entertaining. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the scenarios. For example when his friend Sheen doesn’t make the choir he says it’s because he’s “terrible” and does the quotes gesture with his hands.
The sound once again goes with the Jimmy Neutron cartoon theme. The voice actors from the cartoon lend their skills to this project making it that much more endearing to Neutron fans. The dialogue is good for a chuckle here and there as well.
The controls for the GameCube are pretty straightforward. Accessing the invention menu is easy as pressing the right trigger button and the hypercube controls are easily maneuvered as well. Jimmy moves a little slow and doesn’t ever get in a hurry. This is a little frustrating because traveling around Retroville takes a little longer than should be necessary. The gameplay does require some logic skills, but Jimmy or another Retrovillian is always close by with some friendly suggestions.
The younger crowd will find this title more entertaining than the older folks. Twonkies will surely be a muse to younger gamers but probably will not bode well with older ones. So if you are a seasoned vet you may want to stay clear from Twonkies. However, if you are shopping for a younger gamer then this could be the winning ticket.
I have to admit Attack of the Twonkies is more enjoyable than I thought it would be since I’m probably not the demographic they are targeting with this title. Twonkies is pretty cute and a nice change of pace to the current games on the shelf at home. While Twonkies may be simple and easily figured out it is still offers a decent amount of fun to gamers.
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