The Adventure Pals

 PlayStation 4
The Adventure Pals Image
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 19 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
Rate this:
  • 10
  • 9
  • 8
  • 7
  • 6
  • 5
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0
  • 0
  • Summary: Inspired by classic platformers and cartoons , The Adventure Pals sets you and your best friends (a giraffe and a rock) out to save the world and your dad from turning into hotdogs.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. IGN Spain
    Apr 2, 2018
    78
    Hilarious, colorful and full of challenges, The Adventure Pals is a game full of challenges and lovely characters with several RPG mechanics for all players. A good platforming experience.
  2. COGconnected
    Apr 2, 2018
    75
    Overall, there’s plenty to like about The Adventure Pals. It’s clearly got a lot of polish, and at no points did I have issues with the gameplay. Levels are surprisingly well crafted, and collectibles are well hidden. The bosses are creative, showing some serious visual appeal. There’s nothing but positive things with so many aspects of this game, but the lack of a true co-operative experience left something to be desired.
  3. God is a Geek
    Apr 2, 2018
    75
    Running and jumping from left to right is difficult to judge, but while wearing the colours of another The Adventure Pals delivers on its central concept in a way it’s inspiration never could.
  4. TheSixthAxis
    Apr 13, 2018
    70
    There are several issues marring The Adventure Pals that prevent it receiving my whole-hearted recommendation. Yet, despite these problems, I very much enjoyed my time in its zany embrace. Its quirky characters, breezy story and colourful game world proved to be enchanting, while its solid platforming and combat mechanics, in conjunction with local co-op play, kept me on my couch till the end of the story.
  5. Wccftech
    Apr 16, 2018
    70
    If you have a brain that can’t help but dissect the world in front of you, this game might trouble you. The Adventure Pals is nearly a success but ultimately lacks the organic comedy it needed to truly feel magical.
  6. Worth Playing
    Sep 18, 2018
    70
    Adventure Pals seeks to be the weird alternative game that your kids will love, and it looks attractive because it's reminiscent of a mix of different games and familiar shows. Unfortunately, its unashamed emulation of other works is both glaring and disappointing. What isn't disappointing, though, are the game mechanics, which may be similar to others, but can be framed as a teaching mechanism for game experiences to come. Combined with punchy controls, this makes for a wonderful skeleton of a game, although it's regrettably tightly draped in the likes of superstar media from yesteryear.
  7. PlayStation LifeStyle
    Apr 22, 2018
    70
    Had it packed more of a challenge – even if it was optional – The Adventure Pals would be running close to the front of the indie platforming pack. Though the final product doesn’t quite get there, it’s still plenty enjoyable, especially in co-op.

See all 9 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 6
  3. Negative: 1 out of 6
  1. cosminn777
    Sep 19, 2019
    10
    This is a true gem, one of the best platformers that I played ... ever.
    If you like Mario then make sure you don't miss The Adventure Pals.
  2. GBG_Jason
    Apr 6, 2018
    8
    When it comes to cartoons, kids that grew up in the 80s and 90s seem to think the past decade has only yielded trash. If that’s how you feel,When it comes to cartoons, kids that grew up in the 80s and 90s seem to think the past decade has only yielded trash. If that’s how you feel, it’s entirely possible you have not seen the likes of Gravity Falls, The Amazing World of Gumball, Adventure Time, Steven Universe, and other things that have been created by those that grew up loving the culture during the same time period. Of course, that love goes both ways, as the same people are also enjoying those new cartoons and making games inspired by them.

    My wife hasn’t seen much of the aforementioned cartoons, if at all. In fact, I believe she’s only seen an episode or two of Adventure Time, and that was years ago when we were dating. However, she picked up on the influences in The Adventure Pals immediately. The aesthetic of the game, the humor, and the characters themselves are certainly reminiscent. Is that a bad thing? By no means, as it creates an experience that feels like an interactive cartoon. And the humor is very much like cartoons these days – able to be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.

    The game starts off with your dad being kidnapped by a Mr. B (he rides on a bee) who is turning older folks into hotdogs. Not hotdogs that you’ll eat, mind you – sentient, human-sized frankfurters. The price for their return? A few rubies. To obtain these rubies you’ll be completing levels within a world map that you traverse on your giraffe that you’re gifted by your dad on your birthday. To unlock certain levels, you’ll need to be given tasks from the local townsfolk, all with their own issues. This adds a bit of levity to the experiences, as the dialogue does not shy away from being overtly silly. The writing uses a fair amount of references while also being original.

    First and foremost, this is a platformer. While you’ll be talking with a variety of NPCs and getting quests from them like in an RPG, but the majority of the game involves jumping off walls, killing enemies with your sword, and utilizing your giraffe and pet rock to explore the environments utilizing their different abilities. On top of that, in your quests you’ll be earning experience that will allow you to choose new abilities to help with your exploration. Some of these help with your combat abilities, others allow you to avoid death in certain circumstances, while others help with the collection of things like coins and experience.

    The game starts off at a difficulty level that may seem a bit too easy, but it ramps up a bit as the game progresses. At the end of collecting the land’s five rubies you’ll be faced with a boss; these are expectedly the hardest part of the game if you let them be. While they are the most difficult, that doesn’t mean they are the best or most fun parts. The first boss you encounter has several moves that he repeats in the same routine, and despite knowing what was coming, I continually took damage despite not seeing any connection between the obstacles and myself. Luckily, the game provides you with items like bombs, health potions, and invulnerability potions. These are easily acquired which makes the boss battles easy should you choose to use them. Knowing exactly when to hit the boss, simply putting on the invincibility and waiting for the vulnerable timeframe takes the boss battles from somewhat difficult to a bit of a joke.

    In addition to simply completing the levels you’ll have the opportunity to collect things like cupcakes and stickers within the levels. The cupcakes allow for you to buy new costumes which don’t have any effect other than changing your appearance, but they are amusing and a nice reward for the collection process. On top of the normal experience, you can jump into this adventure with your own pals. That’s right, the game has co-op for those that wish to battle old people turned wieners with friends in the hopes of saving your father and mother from the same fate.

    Most of the game’s mechanics work well and the levels are fun to play through; the main complaint here is that they seem a bit simple. The collection of cupcakes and stickers don’t take much effort in comparison to things like Super Meat Boy or Celeste. Indeed, this means it’s more accessible for those that dislike games that are overly difficult, but it leaves me wanting a bit more, especially with level scores being A+ without any trouble. Additionally, some of the platforming can be a bit dodgy when it comes to smaller platforms because unlike Mega Man, your jump is a bit unpredictable. Luckily your giraffe allows you to slow your fall and more accurately land your jumps.

    In a world of video game inspired cartoons and cartoon inspired video games, it’s no wonder that The Adventure Pals exists. Mixing the love for things like Adventure Time, older platformers, and humor with a modern touch makes for an enjoyable experience. While not a perfect game, it does a lot right and is great for some parent/child bonding.    … Expand
  4. SuperkenGaming
    Apr 9, 2018
    7
    The adventure pals
    not much of an adventure
    the adventure pals is a 2d platformer where you play as a boy named wilton who’s mom and dad are    The adventure pals
    not much of an adventure
    the adventure pals is a 2d platformer where you play as a boy named wilton who’s mom and dad are snatched up on his birthday, and you set out to collect rubies and get them back from the evil mr b
    This game consist of 5 different worlds, 21 different quests and took me around 9 hours to complete…
    The is a really charming game visually...
    it feels very cartoon network style with its goofy animations and characters...
    The characters and art of this game save this what otherwise is a pretty bland experience..
    There were some funny moments sprinkled in here with different npcs, but the dialog quickly just becomes nonsense that I had no interest in reading...
    And the levels are decently fun to get through... but the get stale fairly quickly…
    The objective of a quest is go to a section marked on your map and get from checkpoint to checkpoint 5 times, and at the end of the final checkpoint in an area is the gem to move on..
    However there are no checkpoints in between these mini levels within the levels you have to get from your well to the next will without dying or the current mini level you’re in will reset itself..
    Which honestly isn’t a big deal... it can actually be really helpful at times as there is an xp system here...
    you have a sword for combat, and you’re accompanied by your birthday giraffe and a rock to help you with platforming and mild combat help as well.. Enemies drop xp which allows you to pick one of 3 upgrades... all of which you’ll have by the end of the game, but these upgrades can give you health by doing damage, it can make the xp drops and coins magnetic to your, make enemies drop pickups... all the way to the max level of 21 which is easily reached before the games end…
    these item drops are useful in combat and range from health pickups, invincibility potions, and bombs..
    There are moments you can skip over enemies and some moments where you’ll have to defeat enemies in an area to move on, and you’ll basically be throwing switches, pulling levels... searching for cupcakes to turn in for a random cosmetic item, searching for sticker packs, and collecting cash to unlock chests throughout levels that also contain consumable items and you can buy these items at shops
    all of this looks and sounds great.. And at first it actually is great...
    The gameplay is smooth and fluent... the combat is engaging, you’ll have to dodge spongier enemies... you’ll later have to deal with enemies that heal during battle and some that have ranged attacks..
    However unfortunately all 9 hours of this game feels exactly the same
    And that could come down to the nature of these types of games where the platforming is a mix of vertical and horizontal, it’s much harder to tell a story and change things up in every level like a Mario game does for example.. And this game suffers by this fact...
    there are a few neat moments here with its switches and simple puzzles... but these moments are so rare…
    The only change up is that each of the world end in a super simple boss battle to take you to a new world and complete another 25 mini levels that all feel the same..
    They tried… there’s new enemies and picks ups as the game goes on... there’s even a water world…
    But nothing mixes the gameplay up enough…
    The Adventure Pals is an enjoyable and cute looking game.. But it’s a monotonous game that overstays its welcome.
    I give the adventure pals
    A 6.5/10    … Expand
  5. Heliotay
    Nov 4, 2021
    7
    A very decent platformer with secrets. Fun leveling system. Interesting story. Cool and fun bosses. All around a fun platformer.
  6. Dustfoxx
    Oct 8, 2020
    7
    Cute platformer with a good amount of levels. Art style reminds me of castle crashers which is a good thing.
  7. Skydog
    Jul 6, 2021
    0
    Game was fun until the last two bosses. Talk about a luck based approach. One of the worst last bosses in a game I’ve ever witnessed.
    Cannot    Game was fun until the last two bosses. Talk about a luck based approach. One of the worst last bosses in a game I’ve ever witnessed.
    Cannot believe this passed testing. Going to never buy another game from this company. Great work idiots…    … Expand