Review Detail

Ancients of Ooga is part side-scrolling platformer and part puzzle game. Fortunately, neither the platforming nor the puzzles are especially difficult. Yet, when put together with the funny dialog and a unique inventory system, they make for a great game mechanic. The game is split into seven sections as you help each tribe of the Ooga free themselves from the Boolis. Each of the seven tribes has a unique strength and abilities that you will need to complete their levels. A few examples of the tribe’s abilities are that one has extremely hard heads that can break through thin floors, another can fly, and another can walk through poison clouds.

In each of the tribe’s areas you will need to convince them to join the fight against the Boolis, and then to bring back their leader who has a special attack they can use to clear their tribe’s land of the Boolis. While this formula is repeated seven yet I never found it overly repetitive. The different abilities and the funny dialog keep the levels fresh and there is very little of doing the same actual objectives throughout the different tribe’s sections. Considering the game has over 50 levels it is a real treat to not be doing the exact same objectives over every few levels.

As you work through the puzzles in each level you will find and collect different objects to unlock doors. Instead of having an inventory system or a pack the Oogas just put everything in their mouth. Your mouth can hold both objects needed for the level’s completion or other Oogas. There is no limit to the number of items you can carry around in your mouth but some items do have side effects. For example putting a pepper in your mouth will result in belching fire. At times these side-effects play into the puzzles and other times they just are funny unintended consequences.

Ancients of Ooga’s split screen co-op is a lot of fun. Because the game pretty clean and you never run out of lives it is great to play with the family. The game is fairly simple, but completionists will find themselves playing levels over to get every hidden object and to complete without dying. For $10 I found Ancients of Ooga to be a really fun game and a great way to spend the weekend.