The Smurfs
Overview -
Ah, those charming Smurfs. Created by Pierre 'Peyo' Culliford in 1963 as a diminutive comedy element in his acclaimed comic strip series 'Johan and Peewit', the blue buggers soon proved to be breakout characters and subsequently stars of their own series. Waffles, beer and chocolate are famous Belgian export products, but The Smurfs may top them all. Who doesn't know these adorable creatures, in no small part thanks to the quite excellent Hanna-Barbera cartoon from the 80's.
Fun fact: 'Smurf' is the same word in Dutch, but the original French name is 'schtroumpf'. During dinner, Peyo asked his friend André Franquin (my favorite Francophone Belgian) to pass the salt, couldn't remember the name of the everyday product, and instead blurted out 'Pass me the Schtroumpf!'. That's how you create the stuff that dreams are made of, folks. Sadly, the great man passed away long before his time, reportedly by the stress brought on by his creation's worldwide fame. The newest addition to the merchandise juggernaut that is 'The Smurfs' is the eponymous game for the Nintendo 3DS. Will the blue buds charm our pants off in this outing, or will it be Azrael fodder?
Video Review
Cute, cuddly, colorful graphics and potent character models, but nothing the DS couldn't pull off. The 3D effect is nothing to write home about. Still, presentation-wise, this is a charming title. I was most pleased with the fullscreen strip panels, ripped straight from the comics I devoured when I was a young lad.
Audio Review
Excellent lifelike whistling birds in the background, a strong (but repetitive) theme, and lots of different tunes to collect. Harmony Smurf’s podium minigame is 'Guitar Hero'-light, with funny yet repetitive results. The lack of voice acting or the vintage Smurfs theme from the cartoon is a glaring omission, though. And isn't it a tad sad that the 1994 version had a far superior soundtrack?
Final Thoughts
'The Smurfs' for 3DS is a far cry from the extreme excellence of the 1994 title, but it’s also a completely different game. The 21-year old classic was vintage platforming goodness, this is a solid collection of mini-games aimed at the youngest amongst us. Good, clean, harmless, and solid fun that comes recommended for lovers of the comic or the cartoon. A perfect handheld game to play in short bursts.