N-Philes

VeggieTales: LarryBoy and the Bad Apple

Posted December 4th 2006 by Adam Glasgow.

It would be a dirty lie to say that I was looking forward to playing VeggieTales: Larry Boy and the Bad Apple. I am somewhat shamefully familiar with the VeggieTales due to the fact that I have younger siblings and an unusually religious family. I know the Silly Songs with Larry. I've seen Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie. More than once. I know who Laura Carrot is. It is easy to understand then, why I was not looking forward to playing this game.

VeggieTales is a series of short computer generated animated Christian films. I'm not sure whose idea it was to take two things that kids generally don't like - vegetables and religion - and mix them into this strange highly conservative children's show. Somehow it worked, because VeggieTales is ridiculously popular. Of course with this type of popularity comes the required licensed GBA game. Luckily for all the good little Christian boys and girls out there that will be getting this game by default, this one is actually not disgustingly terrible.

VeggieTales: Larry Boy and the Bad Apple plays like Mario vs. Donkey Kong with vegetables. You play as Larry Boy, a super hero cucumber, who for one reason or another (I'm sure it has to do with God, but I couldn't make myself read the story) has to work his way through obstacle course find-the-key type levels. For the first few levels everything feels so horrible that you'll probably think about killing yourself. After those levels, though, the game then decides to tell you things you should have been told right away. Things like how to run, super jump, etc. After you get the feel for it the game picks up and becomes pretty enjoyable. The controls still feel a tad on the sluggish side, but they're more than functional once the developers decide to tell you what they are.

There are three difficulties in the game, and unless you're under the age of 7 you should not play on anything less than the hardest. On the easier difficulties even a slightly experienced player will beat every level on his or her first try. The hardest difficulty is still pretty easy, but you will occasionally find yourself having to play levels a few times to beat them. The low level of challenge is expected in a game like this though, considering it is, after all, VeggieTales.

To break up the monotony of the straightforward obstacle course levels, every once in a while between stages you'll be thrown a random mini game to complete. The mini games are usually slightly remixed versions of classic games like Breakout and Pong. The thought is appreciated, but there is nothing new here, and chances are you'll forget about these levels shortly after you've easily beaten them.

After a few hours of play you will have completed the game, and after that, you'll never touch it again. Not because it's a bad game, but because after you beat it on its hardest difficulty there isn't anything else to do. No unlockable characters or levels, no extras to find in the levels you already beat, nothing. The only reason you would pick up the game again would be to try and beat your best time at each level, but the game doesn't really give you any motivation to do so.

Slight Pulse - Far from a great game, but better than you probably think it is.

VeggieTales: Larry Boy and the Bad Apple is a few steps ahead of most games of its ilk, in that while flawed, the game is playable and enjoyable for the short time before you complete it. For most players it would be hard for me to recommend this game unless you find it in a bargain bin or used for under five dollars. But if you have a younger sibling who loves God (and vegetables), this is one game you can buy them without feeling guilty for spending money on total trash.

Posted in: Reviews

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