In a time when movie games are known to be quick cash ins, Kong breaks the mold.
The gameplay is a mix of first-person survival shooter and action adventure with light puzzle elements mixed in. And you know what? They nailed it perfectly. You alternate control between Jack Driscoll and Kong, with the former having a first-person perspective and Kong naturally relegated to third-person. Contrary to my expectations, I enjoyed Jack's portions a lot more than Kong's (though that's not to say that they were bad in any way), mainly because it's during these times that the game has an excellent survival horror feel to it. With limited ammo and underpowered weaponry, you're at the mercy of every lizard and insect that happen to come upon you. You're forced to use your wits on almost every occasion, with the food chain system being a good example. Say you need to get past a family of flesh-eating centipedes. Well, thanks to a system that creates a real food chain among the inhabitants of Skull Island, all you need to do is find some delicious spiders, impale them with your spear and lure the centipedes away from where ever it is you need to go to. It's a simply and slightly underused system, but it's still great fun.
Adding to the feel of desperate survival and realism (a realistic Kong game?) is the complete absence of a HUD. That's right, there's no life bar, ammo bar or even a targeting reticule (though the final two can be turned on in the Options menu), which is fantastic concept. Instead of getting visual cues, you need to listen to Jack as he gives you cues on his health or ammo situation. My hat goes off to the developers for adding (or would it be removing?) such a great feature that intensifies the game tenfold.
Once you take control of Kong, everything is turned upside down. The once mighty V-Rexes now cower before your might and every living thing on the island fears you. Talk about polar opposite experiences? It's this sudden and drastic change that gives the game even more drama and depth. Sadly, Kong's portions fall slightly flat when compared to Jack's excellent adventures. The game transforms into a third-person action beat-em up with platofrming thrown in for good measure. The fighting mechanics are fairly simple, but thanks to their brutal nature and awesome finishing moves, they are still great fun. The platforming portions are similarly straightforward, with the player controlling Kong with well-timed button presses as he swings through the jungle and solves rudimentary puzzles.
Surprisingly for a multiplatform release, King Kong is a beautiful game. Granted, some of the models and textures could use a little work, but the jungle especially is so awe-inspiring and photo realistic that I stopped every now and then just to make sure I was in fact playing a game and not watching the movie. Playing this thing on a 100-inch projector screen and 6.1 surround sound is truly a sight to behold. The game also keeps at a steady framerate and there are very few graphical glitches to be found. The game also sports beautiful graphical design, but with Michel Ancel at the helm, how could it not?
The audio is similarly surprising. The jungle feels alive and you will truly learn to appreciate and fear the roar of a V-Rex as it makes it's way toward you. The game also features an epic score partially lifted from the movies. Unsurprisingly, the cast of the movie pitch in and luckily they do a good job of it. I especially enjoyed Adrien Brody's (Jack Driscoll) work. He manages to infuse Jack with some depth and emotion, as well as add suspense and tension with his frantic panting and heavy breathing during action sequences.
Unlike most game adaptations of blockbuster movies, Kong manages to break the mold and delivers a thrilling and beautiful game that is so intense, you'll likely find yourself physically worn-out after lengthy play sessions. Herein though lies Kong's greatest fault, length. While the game is extremely short and over before you know, it still manages to make the time you spend on it exhilarating and memorable. So for once in your life, don't hesitate on making the plunge when it comes to a movie-game. Kong is well worth it...