A fun adventure made even more fun by great co-op.
I do say the game is "based" on the movie, as it's not uncommon for game titles derived from the plot of G rated films to not actually have a lot to do with the scenes in the movie. It's understandable as the time you would have spent playing the game would have been even shorter if you only stuck to the action of the film. The diversion from the movie didn't make for a poor experience however. The game is fun, and has lots of enjoyable co-op platforming action. I found the co-op to be a great feature, as much of it really is dependant on co-operation and not just simultaneous play.
The standard jumping from pillar to pillar, on to moving rocks, and onto swinging vines is present as one would expect. Some spots will require you to help each other out by doing things like providing a boost, or jumping on one end of a see-saw to propel the other one to higher levels. It all works pretty well, except for the occasional lack of perspective to judge your position in relation other objects.
However, a lot more than just run and jump mechanics will be found. Some of the co-op action includes switch puzzles that require both of you to solve. There are also "rope challenges" where Russell tosses a rope to Frederickson, and navigates him left and right across a ridge. Meanwhile Frederickson is climbing up and down to avoid vines with thorns.
There's rafting challenges where Frederickson rows while at the front of a log, and Russell rows at the back.
There's log rolling challenges where a giant tree truck is used as a bridge. One person walks across the log while navigating thorns and bats while the other person rolls the log back and forth to help reveal a clear path. Then once the first person gets across it's time for the other one to have a go.
There's sections where you're running and jumping while strapped to the floating house. The house gives you extra lift, as long as you both jump together at the same time. This allows you to navigate large gaps.
There's races where one of you control Kevin (a high-speed giant bird) who navigates the terrain, while your partner is using a mirror to target and blind dogs that are chasing you (a pilot and gunner kind of scenario).
There's also parts when you will control either Kevin or Doug the dog for the platforming scenarios. Kevin can jump higher than Russell or Frederickson, and Doug can jump long distances.
The final level even presents a brand new game-play element to keep things fresh and end with a bang. This was nice to see, as there was a feeling that the developers played all of their cards a little too early in the game, making them have to reuse a lot of the types of activities a little too often.
The difficulty level is very fair. In some areas there aren't even any "deaths" involved. You have an energy bar, and you'll need that energy to complete certain tasks. If you run out, you simply need to find a source of food to fill it back up. Running out won't make you die and have to start over from a checkpoint. This makes it more accessible to younger or less experienced players. This is not the case for all parts of each level, but even when you are sent back to a check point you'll find they're spaced generously. The rafting stages were the most troublesome in my opinion, simply from it being more difficult to control.
The look of the game adds to everything. Seeing the lush landscapes and detailed environments makes the rest of the experience that much better, and that much more in tune with the movie.
It's a great game in it's own right. It doesn't have all the intensity or fast paced excitement of other more action orientated platformers; but what it does, it does very well for the target audience. It's wonderful family-friendly co-op adventure that I would recommend for parents to play with their kids, or seasons players to use as a way to get their significant other to play a game if they wouldn't normally be inclined to do so.