Go! Go! Cosmo Cops! review

We can’t quite put our finger on it, but there’s something very early-’90s about Go! Go! Cosmo Cops! It might be the genero-levels: forest, volcano, candy-land and so on. Or the cartoony theme music. Or the manga-ish heroes. It all feels very Genesis/Mega Drive. Not in a bad way, mind – this is a polished platformer. And when it comes to the controls, it’s very un- Genesis/Mega Drive.

Don’t get the wrong idea when we say this is one-handed gaming. We mean, of course, that it’s entirely controlled with the stylus. Tap an anchor point on the screen and your character will grab it. Tap another, and they’ll swing across. Drag the stylus between two points and you can create a slingshot to propel your hero farther or into enemies. It’s a well-realized, intuitive way of getting around. It’s a shame, then, that the occasional vehicle levels are more awkward and frustrating to control.

This isn’t a long game, but collecting gems to unlock the minigames is where the challenge lies – time limits mean that return trips to fully explore stages are a must. The minigames are simple time trials, but compulsive enough. Multiplayer doesn’t add much, but it’s another excuse to enjoy the freedom of the controls. This won’t keep you busy for long, then, but those few hours will at least be entertaining.

Sep 3, 2009