Game Reviews

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

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The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something... Belgian?

It's fair to say that no one really expects a film licence to deliver anything revolutionary, and The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (from now on, just 'Tintin: The Game') on mobile does nothing to dispel that belief.

What it does do, however, is tick all the right boxes.

Based on an old franchise brought into the new age by Spielberg and co., Tintin: The Game manages to borrow play from almost every platformer you can think of.

Jump for joy

As you might expect, Tintin: The Game takes the form of a traditional platformer in which you step into the shoes of the eponymous and intrepid young reporter.

The 2D levels served up are your standard platforming fare: leaping between platforms and picking up coins along the way are the main goals. The leaps themselves are mapped to the keypad - a tap of the '3' key will send you bounding to the right, while hitting '1' results in a vault to the left.

Later on in the game, you take charge of both Tintin's faithful friend Snowy and Sir Francis Haddock, with seaplane stages and motorbike chases injecting a touch of variety into proceedings.

While none of this is especially unique, Tintin: The Game begins to make its mark in the way it mixes play up, and the speed at which it does so.

In the spotlight

One minute, for example, you'll be scaling walls, narrowly avoiding spotlights seeking out your flesh. The next, you'll be darting behind walls (and dipping back out in front of them) to dash past guards patrolling the platforms.

Save points appear regularly throughout, though none of the levels demand too much of your time. And unless you play the game on its hardest difficulty setting, you'll find it a breeze to complete.

Yet, it's hard not to get gripped by the Tintin: The Game experience, as you swing enthusiastically from one piece of action to the next without stopping to think about putting your handset down.

While Tintin: The Game is, on the surface, the typical kind of platformer that accompanies a big-budget Hollywood movie, it's been expertly crafted to fit the mobile medium, resulting in the kind of swashbuckling adventure that ultimately befits the Tintin name.

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

A full-on romp chopped down into bite-sized pieces of brilliance, The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn hits all the right beats. It's a platformer with real prowess
Score
Keith Andrew
Keith Andrew
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font. He's also Pocket Gamer's resident football gaming expert and, thanks to his work on PG.biz, monitors the market share of all mobile OSes on a daily basis.