Reviews

Survival Kids

By Corey

Survival Kids is one of those reality RPGs that have been popping up for the GBC lately. (Harvest Moon is an example). Did Konami do a good job and bring an excellent game to the table, or was this just some half hearted attempt to bring out a game to the popular handheld?

Graphics: 9

Konami succeeded in this area. You can easily tell the difference between all the environments you enter because of the animations and colors which are highly detailed. The change between night and day is a pretty cool effect, and it effects your surroundings in certain ways.

Game Play: 9

Your character, a boy or girl, gets shipwrecked in on a deserted island. As soon as the game begins, you've got to find out how to keep him/her alive so you can find away off of that island. You can pick up just about anything lying along the ground to help you on your adventure. Using these items, you've got to learn how to make items that will help you while you explore, such as the kindling.

While you explore, your character will get tired, hungry, thirsty, and possibly sick. In order to keep all these levels high, except fatigue, which you want low, you have to find food and water. You will usually find food lying around and water at certain places, but is it good for your health? Make sure you only drink water that looks like water, and cooking most food you have will give you less chance of catching a disease.

You got that part down huh? So what about fatigue? First, you need to find some shelter. That shouldn't be too hard. When traveling, its best if you don't stay to say close to your shelter so you can always come back when he/she gets tired. Walking your character around without rest will cause high fatigue, and may eventually lead to death if you around character. Sure, you can find other places to rest, but until you know where they are for sure, be careful.

"Hey, I'm on an island. Are there any other creatures here with me?" To answer that question, yes. You will find all sorts of animals here, some of whom just run from you, others who want you for food. You will be able to tell the differences between each ones. Just be careful of what you fight. You aren't a super human mutant, you are just a 10-year-old kid.

None of that stuff above gets boring because of the puzzles that sometime get in your way. There aren't as many puzzles as a standard RPG, but having too many would take away from your actual task.

Sound: 7

The music in this game is ok, except for the fact after playing for a while it gets old and boring. The sound effects are great. The ocean waves, rain, animals, and all the other sound effects are dead on.

Lasting Value: 9

With this game having 8 different endings, you will be playing for a long time to try and get them all. Exploring the game to find all of its secrets, making all the items (I like the baseball set), and seeing every ending will keep you going for a while.

Bottom Line

This is a great game. A great RPG was needed for the GBC, and it delivers. If you want something different to play, this game is for you. However, don't go looking for a highly complex game here. Even though it is an RPG, game play tends to be a little simple compared to other games. That doesn't hurt it at all, unless you are looking for something else.

Final Score: 9 out of 10 (This is not an average)