Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi is an oddball title. Not only does it have one of the most unique heroes of 2008, but it also features a high concept that, in theory, could’ve worked if the gameplay was solid. By all means, the concept is as simple as the back of the box summary that reads, “A meteor passes, leaving behind a cosmic green dust that awakens the plant life below. You are the defender of your tiny mushroom village… beneath the feet of mankind!” 

It’s only appropriate that this new intellectual property was handled by a hot new developer right off the streets. Developed by Red Fly Studio, a studio out of Texas, both Mushroom Men titles attempted to offer unique experiences with the Nintendo DS release serving as the prequel to the Wii version. The main problem is that there’s a huge difference in quality between the two as the handheld version is severely lacking in terms of entertainment and replay value.

Beginning with the worst aspect, Rise of the Fungi is a difficult game to play through. Strictly in terms as a platformer, Rise of the Fungi isn’t out of the ordinary when it comes to controls or gameplay features. You’ll run, dodge, attack and jump on a 2D plane. There in lies the main problem, as a platformer, it doesn’t do enough right to justify a purchase. Too many times there’ll be cheap deaths when you attempt to jump and move on through the level. This only deters the gamer from pushing forward and experiencing more of the game. By far there are too many jump and die situations since many of the times you’ll never know how far down the next platform is due to how dark the floors are.

Having beaten the game twice now, once with the heavy mushroom and once with the sage, it’s not overly satisfying. It’s aggravating till the bitter end, so you shouldn’t expect the relentless cheap deaths to ever reach their conclusion. On top of that, ammo provided in the game are in short supply, so the developers don’t make it any easier on the players as they advance through the stages. There are spore powers to take advantage of, but they're difficult to use within combat. In the end, the combat just isn’t up to snuff. It’s apparent that the developers didn’t think of the gamer when it comes to the difficulty level since they ask for you to switch from the control pad to the stylus to switch weapons. It’s monotonous and takes away from the chance of ever having fun with Rise of the Fungi.

You’ll be fighting large cacti, bees, rabbits, and several bosses throughout your campaign to save your mushroom village. Sadly, even with all these unique enemy types, Rise of the Fungi doesn’t put forth a worthy end boss; it simply was a joke and wasn’t worth my time spent playing through the game. When it’s all said and done, there’s always hope that Red Fly Studio’s next video game project – Ghostbusters: The Video Game for the PS2, Wii, and Nintendo DS – turns out better than Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi on the Nintendo DS. As for right now, skip the DS version and buy the superior Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars on the Nintendo Wii.
 

Gameplay: 5.5

Even with the jump and die gameplay mechanics, if you can trudge through the difficult sections, Rise of the Fungi is somewhat pleasant.

Graphics: 6.0

Cut scenes are to a satisfactory level but they need to improve the levels themselves if they are to make a sequel in the future – it’s just too hard to platform with the lack of detail they’ve provided.

Sound: 6.0

The soundtrack does its job but never rises to the level of captivating.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 8.0

The idea of playing in the world where mushrooms fight cactuses is enjoyable, but Rise of the Fungi fails at executing it perfectly like it could have.

Multiplayer: 5.8

There’s wireless DS multicard play, but I don’t think anyone will be volunteering to play with you.

Overall: 5.5

This could’ve been the video game answer to Hollywood’s A Bug’s Life from Pixar, but Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi is as disappointing as it is difficult. There’s nothing here that will have you itching to go back and play through after your first run through.