The Adventures of Cookie & Cream Hands-On

The Adventures of Cookie & Cream is, in short, an odd game. In this fast-paced platformer, you play as one of two cute characters that are on the run from hunters who have mistaken the duo for rabbits. Over the course of the game's levels, you work cooperatively with a partner to overcome obstacles and make it to the end of the level within the time allotted. What truly makes the game unique is that many of the roadblocks within the game can only be opened with the aid of your companion. To make matters more interesting, you never come in contact with one another, which makes the team-play aspect of the game the key to progressing - in other words, if you don't work together, you don't win.

Graphically, this game is reminiscent of the cartoonlike worlds of platform games such as Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon, but it is more detailed and colorful. Cookie and Cream are both cute little cartoon characters that look a lot like rabbits. The objects in the world are big and balloonlike, and plenty of pastels and bright, vivid colors make the environments in The Adventures of Cookie & Cream a fun and alien world. Musically, you can expect a soundtrack of upbeat and cute-sounding tunes, which fit together perfectly with the overall feel of the game.

The controls for this game couldn't be simpler. You move your character with the analog stick, jump with R1, and when something interactive in the level comes along, such as a gate or drawbridge, you can activate it with the R2 button. Additionally, the game is designed so that two players can cooperatively play on one single controller. This works best with four players sharing two controllers. You hold one side of the controller and use the shoulder buttons and the appropriate analog stick to control either Cookie or Cream.

The Adventures of Cookie & Cream definitely works best as a two-player game. When played in single-player mode, you control both characters simultaneously. While the idea is innovative in theory, in practice, however, it can take quite a bit of getting used to. The game is split down the middle, and each character will have obstacles and switches they'll have to operate in order to let the other player proceed in the level. Cream may have to hold down a palm tree to make a catapult, while Cookie loads the device. Then Cream can shoot the catapult to knock down an obstacle so that Cookie can proceed. It's this teamwork concept that really makes The Adventures of Cookie & Cream a refreshingly different game. After you get the hang of controlling and working two characters at once by yourself, it can be quite fun.

The game looks as if it could definitely be a hit for both the younger and older audiences. With a cute premise and plenty of pretty graphics, Cookie and Cream appeals to the younger crowd, while the puzzle element and team-based gameplay definitely makes Cookie and Cream a worthy party game. And with the odd premise of sharing controllers, Cookie and Cream could bridge the gap between love and video games. You can expect to see this game hit the store shelves sometime in the first quarter of 2001.