Battle for Mata Nui: The Review
Wednesday, February 12th, 2003 at 7:58am by Michael, BZPower Reporter
Recently, the long-anticipated Battle for Mata Nui game was finally released. I'd like to take a point-by-point review of the game, covering design, play, consistency with the storyline, fun value, graphics, and overall value.
Design:
The design of this game was fairly interesting. The opening map scene was pretty good, although I think the cartoon "movie" was a bit weak. The buttons and user interface were smooth, for the most part. The mini-map in the lower right-hand corner was a nice touch. The maps were very well done, offering a nice degree of complexity while still keeping the path easy enough for younger players to follow.
Play:
The object of the game is to defeat the Bohrok with your Toa, Turaga, and Matoran army. You have six Kanohi Mask powers, four Turaga staff powers, and four nature powers at your disposal. Staff and nature attacks can be used more than once, while the Kanohi are "one-time use." Bohrok are defeated by having several "warriors" run into them, or by getting hit with a nature attack.
The overall play seemed clunky to me. Warriors can only be moved one at a time, and when one is selected, the map can't be scrolled. Also, it's easy to "miss" when selecting a warrior, so at times it takes several clicks. The absence of a "group select" function can be a pain, especially when you get to the Ga-Koro level and have to move nine Matoran.
Attacking is also a little awkward, since you can "miss" when clicking a Bohrok, and have your warrior come up and just stand next to it. Also, its hard to attack in a group, since you have to select each warrior one by one and wait for them to walk over.
Consistency with the storyline:
The Toa and a small army have to save various villages from ravaging Bohrok. It fits in well – they even have the Bohrok attacking in opposites like the real story (i.e. Kohrak in Ta-Koro, Pahrak in Ga-Koro). Attacking the Bohrok isn't really how they do it in the story, but it works well for this game. You don't need an epic battle every time in a game like this.
Fun value:
This is a nice mini-game, just like the Huai snowball sling. It's a nifty little pastime that makes a great addition to the games section of Bionicle.com. It's not another MNOLG, but it wasn't meant to be.
Graphics:
The graphics are kind of GBA-style, reminding me of the Matoran in Huai Snowball. Some of the Toa's weapons aren’t exactly correct, and the Matoran are all the same, but it doesn't really matter for this game. The maps are exactly the same as the widely-spread screenshots.
Overall value:
This game defiantly took us by surprise. A lot of people were disappointed with it for various reasons, but look at it this way: this is exactly the game that LEGO has been promoting. It matches the screenshots and demos released on promotional CDs. LEGO did exactly what they said they were going to do, albeit behind schedule. Since it took so long to release, I think many of us exaggerated in our minds what this game was going to be, and so disappointed ourselves. This game is exactly what LEGO wanted it to be, and it's a great addition to the games section.
Note: LEGO has said they will most likely not finish the other three levels of the game, since they are concentrating on moving the story forward with other projects, like the upcoming Mata Nui Online Adventure Game 2.
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