I have a few friends who are really into the movie Shrek, but I’ve always liked Pixar’s output better. Maybe because their movies have more adult double entendres, wit and hefty writing, which makes Shrek’s childish potty humor—which absolutely delighted kids who aren’t allowed to go to PG-13 movies—look desperate. Still, with that kind of money rolling in on the box office receipts, Shrek is nothing to ignore. While a sequel is busy in the works, TDK has taken their license for the movie and pumped out game after game. Some came out actually near the original theater run or the DVD release, but the latest releases are more than a year after the movie came and went. I don’t think kids who love the ogre will care.

The storyline of Shrek: Reekin’ Havoc (yes, there is one!) involves Lord Farquaad coming back as an evil ghost after he is killed by a dragon at the end of the movie. He uses his super-cool dead powers to possess good-natured fairy tale creatures and make them into attack machines. The only two people in the world strong and sane enough to handle this new threat are Shrek and Princess Fiona.

Upon first playing the game, I was extremely pleased. “It’s kind of like Double Dragon!” Well, kind of. At least Shrek: Reekin’ Havoc doesn’t make you press the A and B buttons at the same time to jump, but that’s because things have been simplified further. Attack with one button, jump with the other. One shoulder button activates a super power, but that’s as sophisticated as the fighting gets. Everything is streamlined into a standard 2D platform-style level, which makes things even easier. An enemy approaches, give it a few whacks to defeat it and pick up any items it happens to drop. In the middle of the level, there’s a mid-boss and at the end a fairy tale boss, normally a famous character that has been brainwashed by the Evil Ghost of Lord Farquaad. Repeat this for six levels, and you have the game.

To their credit, TDK tries to shake things up with the occasional puzzle, not to mention that that the levels are large and structured like mazes. Shrek: Reekin’ Havoc uses a style similar to Konami’s Mystical Ninja, with ‘branches’ in the levels where the player can choose to go up or down. The game makes navigation easy by sticking giant signs in front of entrances and exits when you’re supposed to take them, but adventurous gamers can strike out on a new path and see what the other branches have to offer. Often it’s either a captive fairy tale creature you have to free by breaking the cage (and there are several per level) or just a powerup item guarded by some enemies. That’s not enough to keep you playing, but it’s at least a small twist for older players, along with a Hard difficulty level that ought to make things a bit tougher. The level design is at its best when the game takes place in cities. Multiple levels allow Shrek or Princess Fiona to climb ladders and jump around with more interesting results. It’s still not going to keep older gamers amused, but here’s the big secret: Shrek: Reekin’ Havoc isn’t meant for older gamers. Lower the recommendation down to younger players, and things turn out much better. They’ll love the license and the gameplay, which, for all its simplicity is pretty tight. The fighting engine may not be robust, but it’s not overly frustrating. Unfortunately, the platform elements are… and I’m honestly not sure why they were even included. The control on those parts is very sticky, and this gets very problematic later in the game as the player is expected to execute complex platform hopping (sometimes with enemies attacking at the same time). It wouldn’t be hard if my fat character hopped when he/she was supposed to, instead of cruising forward and off into oblivion. A few continues later—which forces the player to start at the beginning of the level—and I’m about as foul as any ogre. If someone who grew up on Mario and laughs in the face of Shinobi and Ninja Gaiden has trouble with this, you know the kids are going to be screwed.

Considering the license, it isn’t surprising that kids are the target. I guess TDK just didn’t guess that adult gamers are looking for the next Final Fight, and if that means playing Shrek, they’d do it. If the engine were beefed up a little bit, like in a sequel, it would be a very cool little title. As it is, this is a good game for kids but mediocre, boring and quick for anyone who has any skills whatsoever.

The graphics are bright and bold, suitable for the fairy tale lands the game takes place in. Princess Fiona and Shrek get super-deformed characters, complete with giant heads, which makes them large and visible on the screen. The same goes for the enemies, so everything is blown-up to large proportions. This makes fighting easier, for sure. Animation is reasonable, but with only a handful of options it gets old pretty fast. Levels often have repeated textures and motifs that make each part look the same, but at least they are also colorful and interesting to look at. Out of the six worlds, there manages to be plenty of variation and no two levels look alike. The framerate never becomes a problem, and enemy design works. It’s not an incredibly exciting or beautiful game, but it gets the job done without complications.

One thing I immediately noticed about the sound was how it was bland enough to be nearly invisible to the ears. You will not remember one music track or sound effect when you step away from the game, with perhaps the exceptions of the few movie-inspired yells for each character’s special attack. At least it doesn’t annoy, but the sound in Shrek: Reekin’ Havoc does little to draw attention to itself.

If the simplistic gameplay isn’t enough to keep older gamers away, the replay value is. The back of the box promises “six worlds”, which is promising, except that worlds are levels. Six levels are plowed through in no time; around an hour and a half… maybe two hours if you’re generous. There are captives to free and grades to improve if you really care, but most won’t. It’s too quick a ride for its own good, and even kids ought to have no trouble clearing it in less than a day.

The gameplay was promising at first, but the depth is deceiving—and so is the value. Until it drops lower in price, I recommend skipping on Shrek: Reekin’ Havoc. Just buy Final Fight One and the DVD; that ought to keep everyone happy.