The J-pop band Puffy Amiyumi got their start in the States when Cartoon Network tapped them to perform the theme song for the Teen Titans show. Apparently Ami and Yumi did a good job because Cartoon Network decided to base an entire animated series on the duo. The “Hi Hi Puffy Amiyumi Show” follows the girls and their scheming band manager Kaz on all sorts of oddball adventures. The DS title “The Genie and the Amp” is loosely based on one of the episodes of the show.

The game starts off with Ami and Yumi locked in the studio trying to come up with some new tunes. For some reason they just can’t find the inspirado they need to lay down a hit single. Kaz decides they need some help, so he picks up a handful of second-hand instruments and dumps them in the studio before locking the girls back in. In a fit of frustration, Yumi kicks the pile of junk unleashing a Genie from an old dusty amplifier. After hearing about the band’s problems the Genie decides to help the band out. As usual with Genie-granted wishes it’s never as easy as it seems. The Genie changes the Puffy Amiyumi tour bus into a time machine and the girls go on a jaunt through history to track down a new sound.

After picking one of the girls to play as, you can always switch to the other by hitting the right shoulder button, you’ll start one of the historically themed levels. Each level is a pseudo-3D sidescroller full of enemies. The main character can be moved left and right while up and down moves the character further or closer away. You can also jump by pressing the left shoulder button. It’s pretty standard platforming until you get to the actual fighting.

The girls fight just like the jam, with their guitars. The bottom screen on your DS has four guitar strings across them. Pressing one with the stylus causes Ami or Yumi to attack. Quickly tapping a few of the four strings results in combos. You can also strum across any two strings to create a “chord” special attack. Quickly strumming all four creates an even stronger attack called a “desperation attack.” You only get a few desperation attacks per level, so use them wisely.

As you pummel your way through the hordes of enemies you’ll run into several things. The levels all have breakable objects that can be busted up to get health rejuvenating rice balls, sushi ingredients, and cold hard Yen. The other thing you’ll run into are “fan walls.” Apparently Puffy Amiyumi has fans in every time period that like to watch them beat up the bad guys. As you’re traversing a level you’ll get stopped several times by a horde of fans on either side of the screen that prevent you from moving until you’ve destroyed a set number of enemies. You’ll also run into vending machines that allow you to use your Yen to purchase new guitar skins and costumes for the band.

When you finish a level by taking out the appropriately themed boss, you’ll finally get to take a breather and eat some sushi. What seems like a silly minigame is actually a RPG-like level up process. You’ll pick various ingredients, roll it all up and then choose which girl gets a snack. The ingredients you chose will level up an attribute like health, attack power, etc.

Gameplay: 5.9
The stylus-powered guitar string attack method is fairly unique at first but the novelty wears off after a level or two. There are a decent amount of combos you can learn but they don’t seem to be any more effective than just tapping the same string over and over again. I completed an entire level without dying, while watching my wife play something on the TV, just by hitting the mid attack string over and over. The worst part of the gameplay however is the “fan walls.” Trapping you in an area and forcing you to fight multiple waves of enemies is a cheap way to make the game longer without adding any additional content. Even though it’s very repetitive and forces you into endless fights, the guitar-inspired controls are a break from the standard brawler controls and the boss fights have enough variety to keep you slogging through the next level.

Graphics: 6.4
If I hadn’t watched the “Hi Hi Puffy Amiyumi Show” I’d be complaining about how bad the graphics look. Luckily I have watched it on multiple occasions, and the graphics are true to the shows minimalist look. The backgrounds of the levels are all 2D drawings while the characters and enemies are a cel-shaded 3D. The 3D likenesses of Ami and Yumi are right on the money, but the enemies are slightly less detailed and in some cases downright ugly. Menu screens and cutscenes are all drawn straight from the show and feature pictures of both the animated and real Ami and Yumi. It’s a mixed bag, but I’ve seen worse cartoon to video-game conversions.

Sound: 8.3
Quick, somebody sing something that will get the “Hi Hi Puffy Amiyumi Show” theme song out of my head! The infectious theme song plays when you fire up the game and is sprinkled in throughout the various levels themes. Whenever you use the stylus to attack you’ll hear the related note play as the girl swings her trusty axe. It’s quite well done, but a little bit of voice work, maybe a few of the girl’s best lines or some sage wisdom from Kaz, would have made it even better.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Genie & the Amp is not a particular hard game, but there are some frustrating boss fights. Each level is comprised of just beating up the same monsters, in different costumes, over and over until you reach the sometimes-tricky boss sequences. Combos are easy to pull off, but unless you just want to look flashy, they are pretty pointless.

Concept: 7.1
The concept is quite simple. Cartoon Network is cashing in on one of its hit shows. Beyond that though, the game is a 2D brawler that utilizes a unique touch-screen attack system. Players will guide Ami and Yumi through various time periods to help them get back their sound. You’ll make your way through historically themed levels by beating down monsters with the girl’s guitars. Once you beat each boss you’ll steal that bosses funk and head off to find even more of that special something that Puffy Amiyumi’s music is made from.

Multiplayer: 6.9
Having someone else play with you can sometimes make a mediocre game better. With two DS handhelds and two copies of the game, you and a friend can have both of the girls on the screen at the same time. There is also a super attack only available in multiplayer that is triggered by both players yelling “Hi!” into the DS microphone at the same time.

Overall: 6.1
As usual with licensed games, fans of the “Hi Hi Puffy Amiyumi Show” will probably enjoy this game a good bit more than the average gamer. “Genie & the Amp” makes good use of the DS touch screen, but it’s still something that could have been done via the buttons instead of the touch screen. The graphics do a good job of bringing the show’s ambience to the small screen and the music is right on the money. If you’re a fan then give it a look, otherwise stay away unless you need a side-scrolling brawler fix badly.