Wallace and Grommit’s Grand Adventures: Muzzled Review
The final game in the Wallace and Grommit series is hot off the press, but before we visit that, let’s take a detour to the third game. As many of you know, my computer died out at the end of June, and once I got it back running, my Internet was offline for two weeks. As a result, I didn’t have time to visit this installment until a few weeks ago, and I debated on holding off doing this review until after The Bogey Man, but I think it’s best if I do them in order.
And I’m glad I did, because Muzzled, taken by itself, is a good game. There was a clear design choice to take you out Wallace and Grommit’s house (the site of too much of the first games in the series) and put you in a fresh setting with new characters to interact with. It’s nice, and quite refreshing, exploring a bit with Grommit is like playing a whole different game.
They still haven’t solved the problem that is playing as Grommit, however. He’s a lovable and fine character, but it’s so hard to buy into his interactions with the others, especially the villain Monty Muzzle, because he’s a mute PC. The character model is very expressive, and he works in the films, but as a character in an adventure game, he doesn’t provide enough feedback to the player, which is a huge problem considering you spend most of the game playing as Grommit.
Extra Features:
A few extra/extended sequences based on showing your whole inventory to various characters, but other than that there’s no reason to play it more than once.
Technical:
They cleaned up most of the technical problems, thankfully, based on how weird the collision detection/audio syncing issues were in previous games. It’s worth noting that the “controller” inspired schemes seem more polished in this game, but they’re still not ideal. They just don’t work as well as the point and click interface for this type of game.
Graphics:
The character models are predictably good, especially the new dog models, which all have a lot of personality. Monty Muzzle himself, though, feels a bit “off” the whole time he’s on screen. I realize that’s probably intentional, but the character model just doesn’t look good compared to the others. He’s too angular and doesn’t really look as much like a clay model like the others.
The big addition, graphically speaking, to Muzzled is the fairground set, which is pretty fantastic. The carny booths and airplane ride are all well crafted and well animated. It kind of pains me to see, because the other games spent so much time centered on the two different locations (Wallace’s house and the main street) that this shows they could’ve done so much more with the setting. It’s kind of a “Sam and Max” syndrome.
Sound:
The dialog is kind of flat throughout the production of Muzzled, at least in part because several of the major characters are animals. Wallace has his moments, and there’s fun little cameos by the rest of the neighborhood, but the lack of a constant script kind of slows things down as compared to The Last Resort.
However, whereas the music took a step back in The Last Resort, in Muzzled it takes a big step forward. The musical underlay is solid and catchy, maybe not as good as “Sam & Max,” or “Monkey Island,” but the best in this series, as far as I’m concerned. Unfortunately, it does get in the way a bit at times, as the default settings, for whatever reason, have it tuned louder than the vocal track.
Replay Value:
Not much reason to revisit any of the games in this series, except to brush up on things before you play the next game or to try out some other bits of character interactions you feel like you might have missed.
Final Score: 7/10
It’s odd, because playing through this game, I kept feeling like they were on the verge of finally “getting it.” Unfortunately, Wallace and Grommit has never felt like the best setting for an adventure game, but finally leaving the neighborhood and having some new characters spicing things up seemed to push things in the right direction. But, ultimately Muzzled feels a little flat.
Now, I should say that I think the game is worth a playthrough for adventure game fans and fans of TellTale in particular. It has its moments, and ultimately, I think you’ll find yourself looking past the design choices and having a lot of fun with the game. Unfortunately, too often I feel like a Grinch picking on the design of games like these, because, in the end, I still think they’re worth checking out, and Muzzled is worth a look.
If you’re interested in taking a look at the game, you can download a copy of the PC Demo at the TellTale Website.