Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity

“Get ready to virtualize.” That’s the tagline for the game of one of today’s hottest properties, Code Lyoko. Based on the hit cartoon series of the same name, Code Lyoko follows the story of Ulrich, Odd, Aelita, and Yumi as they attempt to stop the evil X.A.N.A. from destroying one world – and stop them from taking over another. The two worlds, one being our reality and the other being the virtual land of Lyoko, are in grave danger. The four heroic Lyoko Warriors must jump in and out of the virtual world to prevent their nemesis from succeeding.

In this Nintendo DS iteration of the cartoon, gamers will be able to play as the aforementioned characters while overcoming obstacles in two different worlds: real and virtual. The real world is best described as a point-and-click adventure, similar to those that once flooded PCs. They’re two-dimensional, contain flat (but interactive) backgrounds, and involve numerous conversations with key characters from the Code Lyoko universe.

The virtual world (a 3D land known as Lyoko) is essentially a kid-friendly take on The Matrix. Jack in, suit up, and you’ll be transformed to a world of power, excessive attack abilities, insane levitation luster, and wicked climbing controls. It’s not a game of bullet-stopping, but Neo would be jealous if he were around to see what these Lyoko kids have cooked up. In fact, he might even be compelled to release a quiet, “Whoa.”

Virtual Fighters

Multi-character gameplay has grown in popularity over the past few years. It has been particularly significant to the development of movie games like Shrek, Fantastic Four, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Code Lyoko story is centered on four main warriors, so it makes perfect sense that they should all be playable.

This is the part of the review where some gamers are cheering and others are weeping. Rare exceptions excluded, most multi-character games don’t work very well. Either one or more of the characters lack significance, or the game finds a lame way to force the player to use every character, thereby making them appear to be significant.

Code Lyoko does force you to use all four characters. However, it does not needlessly torture the player in an effort to make something appear better. In actuality, Code Lyoko’s strength comes from its multi-character usage. Ulrich, the saber-wielding fighter, has a special dash ability that allows him to run across specific (designated) areas faster than any other character. Odd, the arrow-shooting ranged warrior, has the ability to climb the tallest structure…when necessary. Odd can only climb structures marked with a paw print icon.

Yumi, a big fan of fans (the metallic, enemy-piercing type), can call upon her telekinesis powers to lift large objects. These objects are often too large to walk around, too heavy to move by hand, and too tall to climb over. On the other hand, there may be times when a boulder isn’t your problem – instead, it is the lack of one that’s keeping you from progressing. When wide-open spaces prevent further exploration, look for the adjoined hands icon (two touching hands that form the shape of a heart). Aelita, the gal with a gobble of glorious defense moves, has the ability to levitate over those gaps.

Dating back to the Sega Genesis-exclusive X-Men game, the characters of Code Lyoko cannot unleash their powers to infinity and beyond. Their actions may be a bit more forceful than a blinking light that Buzz Lightyear swears is a laser beam (we know better), but they need Lyoko Power to keep the essence flowing. In other words, no Emeril-approved bam! if they run out.

Lyoko Power is replenished by collecting the yellow data bits. Green data bits regenerate your health meter. Both can be found by defeating certain enemies and by breaking data walls, which are transparent domes that house data bits.

Point+Click

Both the D-pad and touch screen may be used to navigate the 2D, story-based locales of Code Lyoko. Most players will be tempted to stick with one control style throughout the journey. But doing that will only lead to frustration during the stages where the navigation points are not clear. There’s a good explanation for this: rather than make every frame a simplistic, straightforward backdrop, the developers wanted to provide their players with a bit of artistic value. The price for that value is navigational clarity.

There are times when you won’t be able to tell one row of desks from the next, or one door from another. Instead of using the D-pad to figure this out, touch the screen and the character will usually walk in the necessary direction. Likewise, there are times when the touch screen doesn’t work very well. For example, some backdrops are very short. The character stays toward the front of the screen and does not have a reason to walk into the background. In that instance, touching the screen will actually block where you’re supposed to be headed. That could cause some confusion. Hence, you should switch control styles.

It’s not a fool-proof solution, and it’s definitely not frustration free. But those who use the D-pad and touch screen will experience fewer annoyances than players who stick with one control style throughout the game.

Code Lyoko is a fun title, but its divided gameplay (half action, half point-and-click-based story) is a combo that’s hard to endure. The story development is presented more creatively than most DS titles. It’s vastly superior to the array of text cubes found in RPGs. But when you get to the combat, when you see what kind of engine has been developed, and when this game makes you realize how little of the DS’s potential is being utilized – it’ll make you want to skip the story segments and jump right into the gameplay. But you can’t. Whether you’re a fan of Code Lyoko or not, you will be forced to sit through the dialogue. You can rush through it by pressing the B button, but that won’t eliminate the process of navigating the game’s 2D environments.

Gameplay: 7.0
The 3D portion makes for a slower-paced action game that just barely hints at Tomb Raider and Devil May Cry. The combat and camera work are vastly superior to what other third-party developers are producing for the DS. Players will enjoy the fast-attacking enemy destruction and be encouraged by the special abilities, which reward the player for using each character. The story segments, however, are a royal pain to navigate and will leave anyone except the most die-hard Lyoko fans in extreme boredom. Creative story presentation does not guarantee a stellar script.

Graphics: 7.0
The 2D graphics aren’t very impressive, but expect to have a few moments of “wow!” the first time you see the 3D environments. They lose their effect shortly afterwards (about the time when you realize that, while special for the DS, these visuals are nothing new to gamers with a PS2, Xbox, or GameCube). The ultra-clear, quality-defining FMV clips are also worth noting.

Sound: 7.0
Good but repetitive, Code Lyoko’s music is a mix of orchestral and beat-driven techno tracks.

Difficulty: Easy
Code Lyoko is a lot of things. “Challenging” is not one of them.

Concept: 7.0
Multiple playable characters implemented in a way that’s fun and relevant.

Overall: 7.0
Code Lyoko’s players are likely to be split in two: those who enjoy both portions of the game and those who only enjoy the 3D half. Regardless of your expected preference, this game is worth a look. As its first time on a handheld, Code Lyoko is pretty impressive – it has done more in one chapter than most other licensed properties have done in the past 10 years.