Jingle bells, Batman smells
Unfortunately an evil snowman and his henchmen don’t want everyone to be happy for Christmas and hope that everyone suffers. So guess what they do? They steal all of Santa’s presents! But being the good guy he is, Santa wants to get them all back and deliver them all over the world, so he’s on a mission to recover as many presents as possible while rescuing his elves before Christmas.
There’s no way that an old, fat man can do this impossible task, so Santa is armed with some abilities that the average person wishes they would have. He is somehow capable of jumping up to five times his height and can shoot some sort of magical ice projectile at his foes. He can also utilize powerups that he’ll find during his quest. These include a powerup that allows him to shoot fire, and a mug that allows him to turn into an evil Santa Claus. When he’s evil Santa can’t grab any presents or shoot magic, but he’s invincible. It’s great if you’re trying to plow through an area or defeat a tougher enemy.
Throughout your quest you’ll be fighting several different enemies in many unique locations. The diverse enemies make every area seem unique and enjoyable, and never makes it seem like the game is throwing the same stuff at you. You will encounter penguins and snowmen in the snow, jack-in-the-boxes that pop out of presents and attack you, evil elves in Santa’s workshop, and much more. There different environments all pose unique challenges to Santa, whether it is jumping from heart to heart, trying to avoid spikes in a cave or a fish that jumps out of water, mice on a conveyer belt, or a boss. After every 5-6 levels a present delivery level appears, in which Santa is in his sled and has to deliver presents to everyone that he’s recovered during his quest while avoiding obstacles that stand in the way. Basically this game is loaded full of interesting and enjoyable moments that perfectly capture the essence of Christmas.
There is a problem, however. Since the entire game was obviously aimed at kids, us platformer vets won’t find it to be much of a challenge at all. Aside from the bosses, the enemies are simple and none of them pose a threat at all. The bosses are even a joke, and the game still remains relatively simple, even at the hardest difficulty level. In the matter of fact I don’t think I died once from enemies, the only times I died was when I had to jump to a lower platform and couldn’t make out where it was because it is off the screen. The game’s 20+ levels can be breezed through in an hour, which is extremely short compared to other platformers.
Daze Before Christmas obviously isn’t the next Sonic or Ristar, but it’s the perfect game to try on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day since it is the best holiday game out there. It won’t be a game that you will want to revisit more than once a year, but there isn’t a better game to get you into the Christmas Spirit.
It put a smile on my face. I’m sure it will put a smile on yours, too.