That's So Raven: Psychic on the Scene

Raven is the star of the Disney show, That’s So Raven. She has appeared on two GBA games, but this is her first time on the DS. This time around, Handheld Games is the designer, and the whole approach is different from the previous platform games. In That’s So Raven: Psychic on the Scene, Raven is in an adventure. Yep, a real point'n'click third-person adventure, just as in the old days of PC gaming. And not only is it different from most TV and movie-based games for kids, it’s actually really good!

Why the surprised tone, you may ask?  Well, if you’ve played as many of these kiddie movie and TV handheld games as I’ve played over the last several years, you wouldn’t be asking. Sadly, the vast majority of them are badly designed, boring and often frustrating to play. Either the designers try to make the game be everything to everyone and end up with a product that is for no one, or they make it so bland that it bores even a four-year-old.

However, Handheld Games has designed a good, solid game that offers a variety of content, an interesting story, and a difficulty level that is directly on target for young players. They’ve also managed to package it in a theme that is exactly like the show, which is a big plus for fans of Raven.

Players can choose to play the story mode, or go directly to the mini-games, of which there are six to begin with, with a seventh added later. Most of the mini-games have been done before, as in Wac-a-Mole, Cooking Mama and the inevitable dancing game, but there is one new one, a sewing game that is like a connect-the-dots game. Crazy Cook is the Cooking Mama clone, and it’s quite fun to play. Squish-A-Bug is the take on Wac-A-Mole, but instead of just whacking away at bugs, the players have to match the correct bugs with the ones on the top screen. Players have to fill food orders for hungry diners in Feed the Mob, which is similar to Diner Dash. The one new type of game, Super Seamstress, is different from the ordinary arcade offerings typically found in mini-game collections. Here, players use their stylus to follow the dots and draw a clothing pattern. The next dots are highlighted, which makes it little easier, but the patterns become more complicated in later levels. It sounds simplistic, but it’s fun and young players will enjoy it.

The adventure mode features a mystery that Raven has to solve. She has a vision that the Thompson Theater, a community theater that showcases local talent from schools and other groups, plus features big name entertainment, is going to close down under suspicious circumstances.  Determined to stop the theater from closing, she and several friends set out to discover who is trying to sabotage the theater.

The game is played in classic point'n'click style. Raven will talk to people and gather information, and also search the different areas and collect whatever interesting clues she may see. She will use these items to acquire more items or more information, and also use them to make disguises that will help her get into certain restricted areas. As this game is designed for younger players, the clues are easy to find. When Raven walks by an area or item that can be searched, a pop-up featuring a close-up of the item and a line of text about the search will appear. Question marks and talk balloons will show up over the heads of characters, and there is also a handy task list that details the things that Raven needs to do.

Almost everything in this game is directed by the stylus. In many games this just makes the gameplay controls frustrating, but the stylus use here feels very natural and intuitive, whether it’s playing a mini-game or picking an item to search. Actions can also be chosen by the A and B buttons.

The Wardrobe provides extra fun in this game by allowing players to dress Raven up in all sorts of styles, even ones they design themselves! Raven will immediately wear whatever players put on her, and the game will remember it in the saved games, too. Raven is too small in the game to see the designs very well, but players will see enough to know they are there. Designs can be purchased with the money Raven earns from her dad, and from playing games. Music can also be purchased, but I couldn’t find anywhere in the game to change or select the music. The options only changed the music volume. The manual didn’t address this issue.

On emailing Buena Vista about how to access the music purchased in the music store, they replied that this option could be exercised by using Raven's phone. Players can use the phone button with the musical note icon on it, at the bottom right of the phone pad. This information isn't included in the manual.

This game is a lot of fun! The adventure mode, while easy, is great for young players and features interesting people to talk to, and a variety of tasks to accomplish. The only drawback to the adventure is that it is short and will be finished soon. The many mini-games and the design sections provide replayability, though. Some of the mini-games can also be played with a friend if they own another Raven game, too.

The mini-games are some of the best-designed ones I’ve seen in collections of this type, and kids will really enjoy them. Both boys and girls will like this game, even though it is obviously designed with girls in mind.

A couple of notes to parents, for some reason the designers have Raven saying “Dang” frequently. Why, I don’t know, unless she says it in her show. That still isn’t a valid reason to have this in a kids’ game, though, as many parents (and teachers) don’t allow their children to say this word. Also, as Raven has psychic powers in her show, she has them in the game as well. This is featured as an aspect of Raven herself, though, and not as a gameplay feature.

This is quite a good game, and one that does almost everything right. It’s designed for kids and only kids, it has lots of variety, and it remains true to the franchise it’s based on. The only drawbacks are the shortness of the adventure mode, the lack of information about the music choices, and the use of the word “dang.” Other than that, it’s one of the better DS games for kids currently available. Great job, Handheld Games!

Gameplay: 8.0
This game is a lot of fun, which is the whole point of playing a game. The slightly negative aspects, namely the shortness of the game and the use of the word “dang,” aren’t enough to detract from the overall quality.

Graphics: 7.0
The graphics are good enough, but nothing startling.

Sound: 8.0
The music all sounds great, but I couldn’t find an option to change the music.

Difficulty: Easy
The story mode isn’t very difficult, but the mini-games become harder as they progress. However, each time they’re played they start at the beginning level.

Concept: 8.0
Wow, a game that is actually designed with kids in mind!

Overall: 8.0
A great presentation of a TV show that most kids will enjoy playing. The gameplay is solid, and there are no frustrating aspects. While not overly long, the variety of mini-games will have most kids coming back to play. The clothing design feature is more fleshed out than most in this type of game, and really adds to the fun. A very good choice for families, even with the “dang” thrown in.