As an adult, I may not be the intended audience for Rush, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it any less.
Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure is, as the name suggests, an adventure through Disney-Pixar franchises. The game is split up into six worlds, each a separate Pixar film. It’s a short game – you can complete all the levels in a couple of hours, with another couple required to replay in order to complete all objectives. But for the few hours that I played it, I was thoroughly entranced.
Okay, I may be nearly thirty, but that doesn’t mean I don’t revel in a good Disney-Pixar film. Rush features a themed set of levels from Toy Story, Cars, Up, The Incredibles, Ratatouille and Finding Dory – and each world is a fantastic and faithful recreation of the film it’s taken from. It’s bright, bold and colourful – and if you’re a Disney-Pixar fan, it’s impossible not to love.
Each world has three levels (with the exception of Finding Dory, which has two) that tell a short story. As you’d expect, they’re packed with familiar characters, locations and situations from the Pixar films they’re based on. Characters might not have their original voice actors, but the cast of the game is good enough that most of the time, you’ll barely notice. Besides, you’ll be too busy running around each level, picking up collectibles and having too much fun to notice.
Rush is so-called because, technically, the aim of the game is to get through each level as fast as you can while collecting as many points as you can. You’ll rack up points for gathering coins and collectibles along the way, and the faster you complete the level, the more points you score. At the end of each level, you’re awarded a bronze, silver, gold or platinum medal depending on your score.
Really though, the time element of the game is more or less an illusion – you unlock new skills and goals as you play, meaning you’ll need to play each level at least three times in order to gather everything. The first time you play, the highest medals are practically impossible to attain; you’ll need to unlock new skills in order to reach new areas of the game and amass a higher score. And once you’ve got those new skills, it doesn’t really matter how long you take to complete the game; the time bonus helps a little, but your success rests entirely on the amount of collectibles and goals you achieve.
So Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure isn’t particularly challenging – but it is a game aimed at fairly young children, so what did you expect? If you’re not satisfied by a game unless it’s taking you to your very limits, then perhaps this game isn’t for you. But if you enjoy a colourful, light-hearted romp through some familiar franchises, then Rush is absolutely delightful.
Its appeal to kids is instantly obvious. Even if it wasn’t for the popular film series that its based upon, its simple pick-up-and-play platforming means that absolutely anyone can jump in regardless of their age or skill level. Local co-op play is a big plus too; two people can take part in each adventure together, and with each level having branching paths, it means you can gather coins more effectively and gain those high scores easier with a buddy in tow.
Even if you’re not a kid, though, don’t write Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure off right away. It’s come a long way from its roots as an Xbox 360 Kinect Game. You can still play with Kinect (if you’re weird) but the game has been completely redesigned with a controller in mind, and its gameplay is solid enough to rival any of the recent 3D platformers to surface this year. Sure, it gets a little repetitive, having to play each level a few times if you want to fully ‘complete’ the game, but it doesn’t get any less enjoyable. The fact that each level can be completed in a matter of minutes means it’s a great game to jump into for short bursts at a time… perhaps while you wait for something a little more ‘meaty’ to finish installing.
I’d go as far to say that Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure is one of the better Disney games of recent years – Infinity aside. The recreations of the Pixar franchises are just beautiful, and although each level may be short, they’re all certainly sweet. I’d highly recommend it for younger players, and if you’re a Pixar fan, regardless of your age, it’s a no-brainer.
