Monster Lab

Certainly no abomination

Releasing a game on the DS is like emptying a bottle of Volvic into the ocean and expecting the world to pay attention. So, if you haven't really heard of Monster Lab, I won't blame you. Just imagine Pokemon with a Tim Burton theme and you're there. Much like the Frankenstienian abominations you'll be putting together over the course of this game, Monster Lab is a game stitched together from many parts. While I imagine it was made with good intentions, the game is little more than a mishmash of current popular gaming trends dictated entirely to the developers by a frenzied focus group paid for by Eidos. Even in the wake of such a cynical overview, Monster Lab is not a game that lacks its own certain charm.

I imagine that the Wii version has been the primary focus for the developers, and that's the first of Monster Lab's flaws. After all, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl are refined, popular and established. I imagine there's more money to be had for Monster Lab on the DS, so it's a shame that the focus of the developer feels slightly skewed throughout the entire romp on the handheld version.

The game, then. Monster Lab starts in a typically Gothic looking castle. Your role is as the apprentice of some crazy scientists, starting with the rather eccentric, hunchbacked and probably not officially accredited Professor Fuseless. You're breeding the kind of monsters that used to appear to writers in opium-induced nightmares, the only hitch is that the stockroom in your wacky castle must be completely dry because you've got to go out and forage through a smorgasbord of mini-games to harvest enough parts. That's your game, right there. You're also fighting against another weird, kooky-looking eccentric scientist who I presume is evil. So, when you get enough equipment, you can craft monsters in the (what else?) lightening room to go and fight him.

Call me shallow, but I think trotting about with a ghastly abomination lovingly suited up with guns for arms and a grandfather clock peg leg is a pretty sweet premise for a game. And, in that respect, Monster Lab is a resounding success. The monster creation part of the game is very good, and it's only really beaten by Spore's creature creator in terms of variety and general whizz factor. Even fighting the things in its Pokemon-esque combat is rather agreeable to my jaded tastes, and creating the monster by fusing my own twisted imagination with the game's maniacal cornucopia of body parts lends a degree of affection that's often more entertaining than whipping something out of Pokeball. The art style is surprisingly well done, too, which lends nicely to the general atmosphere of the game.

On top of all that, the combat is pretty nice. Everything goes all 3D; animations are fluid and the events whizz by quite smoothly and not without a peculiar razzmatazz. Victory feels satisfying. Sure, it can't reach the depth of its diamond and pearl shaped competition, but it doesn't necessarily have to. It's quick and it's fun. That's what really matters, if you ask me. It's the kind of game that you can just dip in and out of, which is usually a critical component of a generally favourable DS title.

Which is all well and good, until the game goes ballistic and throws you so many mini-games I doubt even Will Hunting could work out the exact number. The game ends up being a variety show with ADD, leaving you stomping around, mashing through enemies and tapping through mini-games before you ever really get your bearings. It's all done in the hope of getting more parts to upgrade your monster, so you can continue bashing away. The game feels like it's permanently stuck in a frenzied panic, with the developers desperately trying to cram as many popular gaming formats into their title until it reaches critical mass.

It's all a bit of a mess, really. Flaws start to show themselves before long, and the mini-games begin to seriously outstay their welcome. The fighting, when you're doing it, has a nice rock, paper, scissors sort of feel to it, but before you know it you're stuck back inside some little on-screen tap-fest that you absolutely can't afford to mess up because you need to create the best items for your monster. Or you're working your way through the stylised 2D dungeons, and there's another battle you've got to slog your way through. Sure, the combat is fun, but too many fights when you're trying to get somewhere becomes a serious detraction from enjoyment.

Monster Lab hasn't quite got the balance right, which brings the whole experience down. I can see the design plan, fusing together components of Pokemon, Fire Emblem and Wario Ware. With a bit more polish, refinement and maybe another bash (Monster Lab 2, please?) at the engine and I think they could really be onto something cool.

While Monster Lab is obviously flawed, there are a lot of redeeming diamonds buried within its mucky and erratic design. There's a lot of competition in the DS market, and Monster Lab doesn't quite have the raw talent to go up against that. But, there's a good amount of fun in there that a player could eke out if they were so inclined, and I'm certainly glad I got to play it. It's fun atmosphere can't ultimately redeem the fact it's too confused by its own design.

65%

By Martin Gaston