Powering up your Kick meter, then booting bandits into objects in the background nets you goodies.Our Kinects have asked us to do a lot of things over the past year: mimic dance moves, wield our pointer fingers like imaginary six-shooters, run in place for the finish line…the list goes on. But it wasn’t until Puss in Boots that we were asked to slowly swing our arms like a makeshift cradle to gently rock a potentially fussy virtual piglet to sleep. And that was only one of this deceptively delightful Kinect offering’s moments of pure silliness.
As the namesake kitty-in-question, you’ll swashbuckle, claw, dance, kick, sneak, and strum a guitar through the different events of the Dreamworks movie — all of which feel wonderfully responsive and keep the pace of an admittedly brief game (around four hours, unless you’re chasing Gold completion awards or Gamerscore) humming along. In one instance, you’ll follow onscreen prompts to mimic the shape of different objects to stay hidden; elsewhere, you’ll kick, slash, and block through swordfights with assorted bandits in the hopes of netting collectibles from the game’s wildly detailed backdrops.
Even with two multiplayer challenges, Puss’ short runtime will be a turnoff for value-minded gamers (pick it up at a lower price: you won’t be disappointed), but it packs in enough goofy fun and delightfully inventive motion-gaming twists to sate household tweens and curmudgeonly Kinect holdouts alike. A Kinect movie tie-in that delivers a silly, satisfying experience? Hey, we’re as surprised as you are.
PUBLISHER: THQ • DEVELOPER: Blitz Games • ESRB: Everyone 10+ • MULTIPLAYER: 2 in local challenge mode • ACHIEVEMENTS: Free-flowing • COST: $50
+ Constantly surprises with a steady amount of variety and silly fun.
+ Responsive controls and some inventive gameplay for Kinect users.
– Very short runtime with little replay value beyond multiplayer challenges/Achievement trawling/medal-chasing.
? Why are pants so optional in the land of Puss in Boots?
