PlayStation
Dexter's Laboratory: Mandark's Lab
| Graphics: Sound: Gameplay: Overall: |
7.57 8.14 7.71 7.43 |
| Votes: | 7 |
| Reviews: | 1 |
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| Reviewer: Eebles | Date: Feb 6, 2024 |
| I'll keep this short and sweet - just like the game itself. I rented this literally one time as a kid and only had the opportunity to play it the one time. Anyone who looks into this game is likely to find a lack of walkthroughs and a handful of longplays over anything else - and for good reason.
Graphics: 7 Calling the graphics "serviceable" might be underselling it a bit. This game was released in 2002, so the models themselves sport enough polygons to give them round edges where possible. They're not perfect, but the style of the show is definitely represented well in this game. Everything has a pleasant cel-shaded texture to it with all characters being fully modeled (sand the "rogue atoms" - but they are on screen for a single minigame). The environments aren't exactly one to one, but they get the job done. Dexter and Dee Dee's bedrooms are on point, the floorplan of the house is close enough (although you can't explore very far), but the lab itself (represented by a handful of levels) doesn't feel quite right in scale and comes off a little cramped. Still, the tubes with constantly bubbling liquids, the tanks, and crackling wires - the atmosphere is at least pretty nice. Not to mention, each level is book-ended by animated cutscenes that are pretty cute. Sound: 8 Almost perfect! This game is fully voice acted. Though the game only features Dexter, Dee Dee, Mandark, the Computer, and some background kids, there's not a single cutscene or bit of dialogue left unvoiced - even when you're just walking up to Dee Dee and telling her to stop messing with your stuff. The sound design itself is pretty solid. Unique sounds depending on whether Dexter is young or old, boops and beeps that make the laboratory feel alive - this isn't a quiet game by any stretch, and that's alright. The only reason it isn't perfect is because the game is just a bit lacking in the music department. The show wasn't music-heavy necessarily either, but it did have its share of dramatic stings. At least both the rhythm games have catchy and nice to follow beats. Gameplay: 8 This is a minigame collection. It's not a bad one by any means, however. Worth noting that this game is extremely linear, so if you were looking for an open-world exploration game (as many tie-in games aped at the time), this is far, far from it. The gameplay loop consists of going to each level and completing two minigames in order to progress further. You begin in Dexter's house and spend the rest of the game in different sections of his laboratory. Each level (or stage?) has 4 blueprint pieces that when collected, give you an edge in the corresponding minigames provided you solve a rotating puzzle. Or punch in any given cheat codes. That's up to you. Despite being exclusively a linear minigame collection, each minigame is both parts easy to play and fun to play. Though I beat this game without the need to retry any games, none of the games felt overly easy and each provided a different type of challenge from the last. Inputs are also beautifully responsive no matter the minigame. Rhythm game? Never miss a beat. Racing game? Corners are easy enough to cut to not smack into. Aiming? Responsive but never slippery. Even the first Parappa had a little bit of latency, didn't it? Still, the gameplay loop may not be suitable for everyone. You don't even need the souped-up inventions to win anything. You also cannot return to previous stages in any capacity, so if you want those blueprints, don't move on until you've found all four. Pressing the circle button engages some sort of infrared vision that makes blueprint pieces visible - if you don't just accidentally walk right through them anyways. The maps aren't really big enough to hide anything all that well. Overall: 7 This is a bite-sized game you can beat in any hour. If you don't get stuck on the blueprint puzzles, you can 100% it in that time too (otherwise those puzzles add maybe five extra minutes a pop). Still, it does feel like some love went into this game. It was fun the whole way through, and the simple plot was enough to make me want to see it through to the end. If you're a fan of Dexter's Lab or just want an itty-bitty time killer, grab your favorite PS1 emulator and chug on through. There has been a decent chunk of tie-in games for Cartoon Network titles, but frankly a lot of them were severely lacking. Other than some speedrun value (and the occasional made-decades-later Samurai jack game...), it's hard to think of any CN game that's worth picking up. Mandark's Lab isn't exactly a major breakthrough or anything, but there is a bit of fun to be had. |
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