Blender Bros. for the Game Boy Advance is a game that hasn't received much attention, but it deserves a look by anyone who has even a passing interest in platform games. Set far in the future, the action centers on Blender, a character who somewhat resembles a rabbit and uses his large ears in a variety of ways to defeat a group of evil villains known as the Zooligans.
On the surface, the game plays much like other GBA platform games, such as Wario Land 4 or Pinobee, with a standard complement of levels and boss fights, but there are a host of options that set this game apart from the pack. For starters, Blender is able to equip himself with 20 different "mini brothers," which are robot helpers that provide a variety of different power-ups, such as being able to reach distant platforms or refresh your power meter. These mini brothers are scattered throughout many of the game's levels, and they offer vital help on your quest. Secondly, there are a number of minigames available for play at any time. Winning these games against the computer will eventually allow you to power up your character, so in essence, playing through these distractions from the main game is also an important part of Blender Bros. The overall game itself is rather short, unfortunately. But to help give it some lasting value, you can link up with up to three friends for some multiplayer fun in the minigames. In all, Blender Bros. offers a surprising amount of depth that will keep you busy for quite some time.
The game is also drawn and animated quite well, making the visual experience of Blender Bros. pleasing and on par with the visuals of other games in its class. Blender moves fluidly, as do his enemies, and the levels all pack in a decent amount of detail. In short, this game features the graphic quality that you've come to expect from some of the best GBA games. For good measure, the game has a number of well-suited musical tunes, as well as a wide array of sound effects that don't get too repetitive. One area that could have used a little more attention was the translation from Japanese, as a good amount of the text in the game reads very awkwardly. For instance, your home base is referred to as "the basement of the cosmo keepers." While this doesn't detract from the game much, a better translation would have made Blender Bros. seem a bit more polished.
In the end, Blender Bros. combines great gameplay with a fair amount of depth, ultimately making it a game that can be enjoyed by both novice and experienced gamers. While some platform games on the market seem rushed, this game displays a level of polish that just about anyone can appreciate. So if you enjoy good 2D platform games, you can't go wrong with this one.
