Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over isn't particularly complicated or lengthy, but it's remarkable how time seems to just fly by while playing and replaying some of its more unique levels. Anyone who enjoyed the big-screen version of Spy Kids 3-D will appreciate how each level in the game is inspired by a virtual-reality sequence from the movie. Even so, younger players and die-hard lovers of the film will get the most out of this game, since developer Digital Eclipse really didn't go far enough to give it the kind of features or quality you've come to expect from action games on the GBA.
Variety is the game's best feature. There are traditional platform jumping and fighting levels, motorcycle racing levels, and levels that put you in control of gigantic robots. In the majority of the side-scrolling levels, your character can perform punches and kicks while running along the ground or jumping through the air. If you miss a ledge that you're trying to reach, many times you'll grab onto it with your fingertips instead of falling under. Throughout the game, you have opportunities to add items to your repertoire that allow you to jump higher, perform stronger attacks, and suck the energy out of your opponents. The enemies you'll come across aren't very smart, but the levels are designed in such a way to really tax your ability to get through them without sacrificing many lives.
Each time you transition to a new environment--which occurs every three levels--you'll participate in a motorbike race against a fellow spy kid. These races take place on tracks that resemble levels from Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog games. Your main task during these events is to time your jumps so you don't fall out of the course and lose time to your opponent. The bike stages offer an interesting break between the game's standard action levels, but that's about it. None of the three race circuits is particularly clever, and the background graphics behind the tracks don't have any real artistic merit.
In all, the game has 12 levels, split up into four environments with three levels each. The first, third, and fourth areas consist of the side-scrolling action stages and the racing circuits already mentioned. The second area is a treat, because it veers away from the ordinary and places you inside the cockpit of a giant walking robot. In these stages, you can use your robot's arms to destroy enemy robots and pick up the weapons they leave behind. The range of weapons is satisfying in a mischievous sort of way--you can pick up giant hammers, rolling buzz saws, an energy shield, and missile-like fists that launch every time you press the attack button. Your robot also has the ability to fly short distances whenever you hold down the jump button. Three levels simply aren't enough to enjoy what these robot stages have to offer. For that matter, the entire game itself is a brief experience. You'll take plenty of cheap hits during the lava-surfing section near the end of the game, and still it's likely that you'll blow through all 12 levels in little over an hour.
To the game's credit, you can go back and replay any of the levels you've completed. You might want to do this if you couldn't find the artwork item hidden in a particular level, if you failed to rescue a cast member in a level, or if you don't think you earned a good score the first time around. The artwork items you collect throughout the game allow you to access pictures in a gallery that's available from the main menu. These pictures truly are three-dimensional, in that in order to see them, you need to wear the paper 3D glasses included with the game. Rescuing cast members can alter the closing credits of the game, so there is some incentive to go back and locate the ones you've missed. Another good reason to take advantage of the level-select option is to replay the game's robot stages--which really are enjoyable enough to warrant multiple trips.
Besides the need for additional levels, Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over could have used a major upgrade to both its graphics and its audio. The color scheme is bright, which reflects the general thematic look of the movie, and the animation for the main character and enemies is fine, but the backgrounds don't have a lot of detail or liveliness to them. A few falling leaves and some scrolling effects would have done this game a world of good. Much of the same is true of the audio. The music is upbeat, but not necessarily memorable, and there are only a handful of sound effects used throughout the entire game.
Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over is a decent game that just isn't ambitious enough to be great. It's fun to play and should appeal strongly to anyone who adores the Spy Kids 3-D movie, but it doesn't compare to some of the deeper, more full-featured action games that are available for the GBA.
