Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams Impressions

Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams is the next installment in THQ's fledgling franchise, which started with last year's Tak and the Power of Juju for the PlayStation 2 and the GameCube. The original game introduced us to the pudgy, bulbous-nosed hero as he became the default savior for his people after the actual Pupanunu hero was transformed into a sheep along with the rest of the tribe.

Tak returns, sardonic humor and all, in his new sequel, The Staff of Dreams.

The next installment in the series finds our boy pitted against the foul-minded Tlaloc, who returns from defeat with an unpleasant array of tricks up his sleeve. You'll see a mix of returning characters from the original game, such as Flora, Jibulba, and Lok, as well as newcomers like Flora's sister--wait for it...Fauna. THQ brought us a work-in-progress version of the game, once again developed by Avalanche, and we were taken on a tour of the game's new features.

The first level we checked out was Tak's Dream, the surrealistic level of the game that introduces you to one of the new mechanics, the dreamworld. Your time will be divvied up between the dreamworld levels and the real-world levels, which will make use of the look and style established by the first game. The trippy sequence features a psychedelic background and a liberal dose of platformer mechanics that show off some of the enhancements made to Tak's moves, which includes a floating jump, enhanced projectile firing, and a more fleshed-out fighting system.

The "level" itself is reminiscent of the platformers of old that were set against simple monocolor backgrounds. Of course, thanks to the PlayStation 2 hardware, you can expect more than a simple flat-shaded background. For example, the dreamworld level we saw featured a lava lamp-ish border that undulated slowly. What was nice about this effect was that it changed during a boss fight, as did the immediate area around you, to look like it was a dark-colored ooze dripping down.

You can expect lots of pretty environments in which to ply your platforming trade.

The other key aspect of the game is its humor, which returns with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Tak is still an acerbic little dude not afraid of being a little punchy, which is nice to see. From a graphical perspective, you can expect to see a new Tak for 2004. We won't cast aspersions on what he has been doing since the first game, but it looks as though he might have had some "work done," as they say in Los Angeles. The young hero is slimmer, including the reduction of his once-enormous schnoz, and he is better proportioned all around.

We're not saying Tak's had plastic surgery since becoming famous, mind you; we're just noting that he looks different. His cosmetic makeover aside, Tak is entering his next adventure with a slew of new abilities, including new juju powers, such as animal transformation and possession. He'll also have new spirit animal powers that will give him unique attributes based on whether he chooses a piranha, jaguar, eagle, or dragon. If all that isn't enough, Tak can now take a more do-it-yourself approach and mix up potions to enhance his abilities.