The Smurfs

• Release Date: November 23, 1999
• Genre: Action
• Style: Side-Scrolling Platform
• Similar Games: The Adventures of Lomax (PlayStation), Gex (PlayStation), Pinobee (PlayStation)

Game Description

As Smurf village is blessed with the arrival of a newborn baby, Gargamel casts a spell to summon an army of little servants for revenge. The brainless little creatures were then ordered to capture Baby Smurf and nine other Smurfs. Now it's up to Hefty Smurf to embark on a great adventure and save his friends!

The Smurfs is composed of two game playing modes: "It's a Piece of Cake" and "It's No Picnic." The former is made up of six areas (The Forest, A Ski Run, Mole Race, The Mine, Iceland and The Haunted Castle) in which you must gather rattles and baby bottles for young Baby Smurf. You'll also be able to interact with the surroundings at selected points. Talk with Smurfette, pet a cute rabbit, and throw an exploding package at Brainy Smurf, but remember to stop between each level and feed Baby Smurf (your virtual pet). It's No Picnic has you guiding Hefty through 10 levels as you try to rescue all nine Smurfs before confronting Gargamel.

Watch out for hazardous spikes, pitfalls, and falling rocks while you avoid Gargamel's servants, bees, bats and other creatures. You can also gain secret fighting and jumping skills by defeating special characters. Collect 100 coins, candy canes, or other objects in the level to gain an extra life, and utilize flowers that swallow you whole and mushrooms to gain access to higher areas. Each level in "It's No Picnic" is based upon the six areas of "It's a Piece of Cake," but with a few surprises.

Just when you thought life was grand in Smurf village, Gargamel appears with another devious plan. Hefty is just one Smurf and needs you to help him return Baby Smurf to Smurf village before Gargamel has time to wreak any more havoc!

Review: Overall

The happy group of tiny blue creatures is back in an all-new adventure. Many who have missed the cartoon series will really enjoy this videogame. The cartoon movies at the beginning look exactly like the animated series. In fact, the only thing that was lacking as a good representation of the Smurfs were the voices. The Smurfs is a very short adventure that lasts only 10 easy levels. Nevertheless, it's fun to play with excellent graphics.

"It's A Piece Of Cake" is a simple game in which you travel to various areas to collect milk and rattles for Baby Smurf. You cannot get killed in this game, no matter what you get hit with, so the entire purpose is to make Baby Smurf happy. Baby Smurf is a virtual pet and he (she?) will get angry, sad or happy depending on your actions. You'll need to feed, bathe, play with him and make sure that he sleeps.

The different areas also have little interactive spots in which you can do several things. For example, you can create a stone sculpture of a heart from a rock, then Smurfette will walk by, look at it, and the rock will break in half. Also, you can water a plant to make it grow, and even pour water on a sleeping Smurf. The skiing area is particularly fun, but it's far too short. After you've skied down the small hill, you can climb back up and ski it again (in case you missed the one jump). You can also ride on a dragonfly in a race against an animal and if you win, you can perform spins and loops at the end.

"It's No Picnic" is where the real game begins. This mode has 10 different levels in a side-scrolling adventure format. You can jump on enemies to destroy them, and in each level you'll gain a special ability. Two abilities exist: a spinning attack and double-jump. You will only gain one skill per level, so you cannot have both. The levels in this part of the game are impressively detailed with beautiful graphics. However, during the entire course of the game, there are only three boss characters. They are easy to defeat, as all you have to do is hit them three times. In addition, the levels themselves are not very challenging for the older generation. When you reach Gargamel, all you have to do is hit him with a present three times and you've won the game!

But difficulty isn't the most important aspect of a videogame; enjoyment is. The Smurfs is often funny and it's a lot of fun to play. It plays just like a Super Mario Bros. game, but the graphics are true to the Smurfs' world. The camera angle often changes, making for a 3D experience (though it only changes slightly). Plus, you'll run into a myriad of obstacles including swinging ball and chains, falling walls, hot lava, spinning flowers, and pitfalls. You can also use flowers and other items in the levels to reach secret places and avoid dangerous spikes. After each level, you'll release an imprisoned Smurf until you eventually rescue Baby Smurf.

The only real drawback to the game is its voice-overs. Smurfette, Papa Smurf, Brainy Smurf, Gargamel and Hefty all have completely different voices from the cartoon. Surely someone out there could do better impersonations -- after all, Kermit has lived on. While this won't affect people who never saw the original cartoon, those who grew up with it will be disappointed.

In summary, The Smurfs is a fantastically detailed but short-winded adventure. The nature of the game is geared towards children (as The Smurfs should be), but the older generation will still enjoy playing. The action is varied, meaning that you'll constantly see new obstacles with each level. and the graphics are pleasing. The virtual Baby Smurf game isn't much fun to me, but those who enjoy virtual pets will consider this an added bonus. The Smurfs is a sure-fire rental if you're an older fan, and a good purchase for a younger child in need of entertainment.

Review: Enjoyment

This is a very enjoyable game and one that should've had many more levels! The Super Mario games were geared towards children, yet they had many levels. The levels that exist were fun to play, however, with lots of variety in both landscape and animals.

Review: Graphics

Lush colors, drastically different landscapes and moving camera angles make for a cool experience. The movies look just like the real cartoon and you'll experience weather conditions such as snow, rain and lightning.

Review: Sound

The voices of the characters weren't very well done. The only unique characteristic held by certain Smurfs in the cartoon was their voice. In this one, many of the Smurfs sound alike and often they don't speak at all (only giggle), but the music and sound effects are decent.

Review: Replay Value

If you enjoy virtual pets, then you'll play this game over and over again. Also, in the "It's no Picnic" mode, if you collect all the half moons in every level, you'll get a surprise at the end of the game. It's not easy to find them all the first time around, so you'll probably play again to complete this task.

Review: Documentation

The documentation shows all the necessary functions for {*The Smurfs} and explains the different game modes.

Production Credits