The Grinch is definitely a book that just about everyone is familiar with. It’s a Christmas classic and it’s fun to have the adventure get its own game. The book is even included inside of the game so that’s a nice plus. It’s really a serviceable platformer all the way through and the only real issue you can say is that it’s super basic. The game is not very ambitious at all and would get clobbered by just about any other platformer in a head to head fight. Make no mistake, this is not the game that will change your world but if you want a quick adventure then why not right? You’ll have a good time here and that’s what counts.
The story starts with the Grinch deciding to spoil Christmas by stealing everyone’s gifts. We cannot let him get away with that and so it’s time to put an end to this. Well that’s what you’d think except you actually play as the Grinch here so get ready for a lot of stealing. There are 18 levels here, 15 of them are platformers with 3 being boss type levels where you have to slide down mountains and such. Those 3 levels are super fast and easy while the platforming ones can actually reasonably long at times.
Each level has 8 collectibles which you will want to grab so that you get the automatic platinum at the end of the game. Additionally you need to get a good chunk of them to unlock the powers needed to complete the game so why not just grab them while you can right? With the exception of maybe 3-5 pieces, they aren’t really hidden either so just playing through the game will get you to them. You just have to enter every door and really look around.
In terms of gameplay, it’s a super basic platformer. You run and jump as you’d expect those things to go. You can jump on just about any enemy to take it out or you can freeze them with snowballs once you learn that ability. You get that fairly late in the game. There aren’t really any benefits to defeating the enemies though so you could really just ignore them and keep on moving too. That’s a super valid choice and it’s not hard. This game is fairly short so you will be done in a few hours no sweat. Sometimes it feels like the cutscene introducing the level can be just as long as the actual platforming.
The cutscenes aren’t very high budget though. Most levels just start with the book being read out loud to you and then you move on to the next stage. I’d have liked some real cutscenes to be honest but I’ll take what I can get. As for the soundtrack, it’s fairly generic so you won’t be remembering too much about it. This game is really about the gameplay after all. The gameplay is good enough to cover it all up. Look in terms of budget this might be the lowest budget platformer I’ve played in a while but at least its fun.
I suppose that’s why there isn’t much to say about this one though. Already I can tell that I’m starting to repeat myself here. There also isn’t much replay value past the few hours because you should be able to get the platinum in around the same time as beating the game. You’ll be able to get most of the collectibles naturally and the few you have to seek out won’t take very long at all. It’s a short game from start to finish so make sure you keep that in mind when looking for the right price to purchase the title.
Overall, The Grinch is a good game. It has no frills, whistles, or any kind of big advantages that would make it super memorable but at its core it is a solid game and that’s really all it needed to be. I can’t imagine buying it for full price but I got this one just about free thanks to a gift card I had (Ended up spending $2) so that really worked out well. It’s really hard to mess up a platformer if you ask me. So long as the level designs are good enough where you can just peacefully jump through the stages then you should be set. The genre tends to be a very happy one and this game is no exception.
Overall 6/10
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