The Shrekoning: Shrek Forever After (Wii)

At the time of writing, Shrek Forever After is the last feature film from Dreamworks about that surly green ogre who helped propel them to major success, but Shrek’s star was falling and everyone knew it. Still, they wanted to redeem him before they moved on to other projects, but getting the audience back after Shrek the Third’s underwhelming story, humor, and characters would require some assurances. Shrek Forever After let the public know it was going to be the last one, using the tagline “The Final Chapter” enough that some places even listed it as a subtitle. The Shrek series was able to go out with an enjoyable although somewhat darker film, and for a finale to a review series covering the video games tied to the franchise, a tie-in to it felt like an appropriate way to wrap things up. However, what I didn’t expect from this final game for The Shrekoning was it trying to pull something similar to the film but for the video game side of the franchise. Shrek Forever After on Wii not only tries to recapture some of the appeal of Shrek 2 for Xbox but it even makes some of the changes that I thought that game needed to be better.

This surprising attempt to recapture the appeal of Shrek 2’s gameplay means that once again the game is working on the idea of four playable characters working together, although this time they are the same four heroes throughout the entire adventure. Shrek is naturally part of the gang, especially since the story in this game is that the once grouchy ogre found more and more that gaining friends and starting a family seemed to be dulling his edge. Attempting to recapture some of his glory days, he makes a deal with Rumpelstiltskin to trade a day from his past for one day to freely embrace his desire to be a mean ogre without consequence, but when he learns the day given away was the one of his birth he only has one day to set things back to normal or he’ll disappear. However, since he’s already in a world where he’s been removed from history, his acts like saving Princess Fiona from the tower she was locked in never happened, and with Rumpelstiltskin able to take over the kingdom of Far Far Away in this alternate timeline, Shrek will have to fight his way into finding an escape clause for his contract. The three partners he has to help him are all basically strangers to him in this world though, Fiona now the rough and tough leader of an ogre resistance instead of his wife, Donkey a bit disheveled as he never had a friend to latch onto, and the fierce warrior Puss in Boots reduced to a pampered pet.

Luckily everyone still wants Rumpelstiltskin taken down a peg and work together with him, but when Shrek discovers that true love’s kiss can break the contract, he also tries to balance romancing Fiona with taking down the main villain. In the video game these two goals end up coloring how the four characters adventure together, and while it is a bit odd that Fiona will join a mission where Shrek is trying to get gifts for her, the game does at least explain she believed there was a different reason for such activities. One of the better parts of this mixed plot of trying to balance romance and rebellion would be the check-ins with Rumpelstiltskin as he tries to foil their plans, the eccentric egotist even having his movie voice actor Walt Dohrn on hand to bring out his gleeful wickedness. Seeing his overreactions to the player’s efforts and trying to concoct new plans while swapping out his wigs to display his already obvious emotions make each cutscene rather fun, especially since he usually introduces some new villain for the group to tackle like other characters from the Shrek series with their own darker twists in this altered world. The game probably could have benefited from doing this more often, the potential found within this angle tantalizing after it introduces the Fairy Godmother from Shrek 2 as an antagonist for a portion, but it doesn’t quite do a full celebration of the series as it does want to focus on some of the film’s new content like interacting with the ogre resistance camp or facing off with the Pied Piper.

The important thing about this action game though is that when it does come time to do a story mission, you’re not going to have your four playable characters tripping over each other. In Shrek Forever After on Wii you can easily swap between all four characters at any time by pressing a direction on the d-pad, and any time a character isn’t in use they’re not even present. The swapping is instantaneous as well and all the better for it. There are multiple little puzzles and interactions where the game could be grueling if you had to keep managing the positioning of four characters or it took a fair bit of time to swap between them, but even if Shrek needs to load a catapult, Donkey needs to adjust its aim, and Puss is the one who can fire it, you’re able to so easily switch from one to the other that it’s nearly as fluid as one character doing the task would be. You can play this game with up to three other players, players able to swap to any character no one is currently controlling, but having other intelligent humans on hand can make these puzzles smooth as well whereas having three AI partners bumbling around could potentially have been unwieldy.

Each of the four characters are given a few little different uses that evolve as you grab upgrades along the adventure. Puss in Boots can scale the sides of certain walls and eventually jump between surfaces while doing so, Donkey can slam his hooves through barriers or later propel boats by kicking off walls, Fiona can light fires to ignite explosives or burn things away, and Shrek’s strength lets him lift and move heavier objects. Popping between them is so fluid and straightforward that splitting up the abilities doesn’t feel like an impediment and can even said to give a little more substance to tasks that would have been simple if one character could do it all, although unfortunately the game is overly concerned you won’t understand what might be needed for a section and drops tips everywhere in your path. Sometimes the game will let you fly free for a puzzle with the Three Blind Mice on hand so you can purchase tips if you need them, and the more intricate puzzles where they appear are often the game’s best moments of problem solving as they’re willing to ask more of the player. However, usually you’ll find the Three Little Pigs on hand to give you obvious tips, the pickup that activates them sometimes impossible to avoid and thus trivializing the upcoming challenge even when it was already an easy one.

Luckily, the different sections of the game do try and attempt to have steadily growing puzzle formats that eventually dial back on over-explaining things as they pull out the harder versions of the current formula. In the Dragon’s Keep for example you will be managing lasers that need to be set to the right color to activate switches, but you also need to deflect them properly with nearby mirrors and avoid being hurt by them yourself as they’re active. Over the course of that section the player is expected to do more and more to manage the variables at play, but one unfortunate thing about Shrek Forever After for Wii is it does take a fair bit of time for these to get really involved. It does find its footing and the boss fight involving the laser mechanic does a good job challenging it, but once you finish that area you head to the next and its slow build up to the more engaging versions of its new puzzle format can mean you’re spending a fair bit of time waiting for the point where the game will truly test your understanding of the concept.

Most of the adventure’s main areas explore new ideas, some more action-oriented like trying to guide a raft around whirlpools while crabs hop aboard to try and mess with your steering, but there are a few nifty ideas on the side as well. Throughout much of the game you can expect to find Magic Mirrors floating around, these allowing you to swap between the current grimy world Rumpelstiltskin rules over and the more vibrant version of reality where Shrek was around and helped so many people. Not only does this add an extra layer the film didn’t have where Shrek can briefly see how much things were better in person, but the swapping between alternate realities spices up navigation as you need to pop between them to get around obstructions. Sometimes this is as simple as just a broken bridge though, it also sharing the game’s far too gradual approach to building up an idea, but this one at least doesn’t need to be complex from the get-go since even at its worst it’s just taking you from one part of the level to another. When it does start letting you engage with some bonus objectives it’s a bit better, the Gingerbread Man often having little problems that require light puzzle-solving to overcome. Usually the optional content is a bit more willing to create the kind of puzzles you need to truly consider, partially because there are a fair few involving moving blocks out of your path properly. Luckily these are short enough to be brainteasers instead of long and overly complex roadblocks, so going off the beaten path can be rewarding both in regards to what you’re doing and what you get for it.

Shrek Forever After for Wii doesn’t have the robust mission system of Shrek 2 unfortunately, but doing the rare bit of optional content, fighting foes, opening treasures, and breaking objects during the main adventure will earn you cash to spend at the ogre chef Cookie’s shop. Here you can buy health upgrades that are also sometimes rewards for side content, but the other goodies include things more important to the battling side of the game. Each of the four playable characters fights differently. Fiona’s sword fighting is rather targeted but Puss’s approach to using his blade is augmented by his body slams to better handle crowds. Shrek has some clean and reliable punch combos that make him a good middle ground while Donkey’s mix is a bit stranger as understanding his less than standard attack methods is key to actually hitting foes properly. Motion controls are actually surprisingly scarce in Shrek Forever After on the Wii, mostly used for opening treasures although they can be used for special strikes during a fight. The basics of a battle aren’t too deep though even with the variation across the four heroes and special moves like Shrek’s roar usually just a way to do some quick damage without needing to get in overly close.

Cookie’s upgrades mostly impact a second layer added to the fights though, that being the combo counter. The more hits you can land without taking damage, the more certain aspects of the battle change. Higher combo counts make it more likely a foe can drop temporary boosts to your stats or even special attacking weapons. The stat boosts don’t feel as impactful as they should even with the bought upgrades to how much they’ll help and the similarly upgraded weapons feel a bit limited. The disco ball that is meant to incapacitate foes by making them dance just has them stand in place and look at it usually and the megaphone that enhances your roar leaves you roaring for longer than needed to knock foes away. Their presence isn’t harmful per se as you don’t need to use these extras, but they feel a little underwhelming and having most of Cookie’s upgrades relate to these temporary boosts and items makes collecting coins a bit less exciting.

The combat can at least throw a few different enemy types at you to be more than basic battling, usually in the form of having things like heavier duty knights or living trees demanding your attention due to their strength and reach while something like a witch or archer attack from afar to make you consider how you want to prioritize your foes. Crowd management isn’t too difficult but also isn’t brainless either and the game usually prefers things like puzzles or action segments where you avoid hazards instead, but sometimes you will get locked into a small area and asked to fight your way through a big group of baddies. When the game does this too often in a short span of time it does start to show that the fighting is perhaps too simple to deserve such a focus, but in quick bursts this can add some excitement, especially since the game added a delightful touch that has been absent from every Shrek game I’ve played so far.

Despite the film franchise having the use of recognizable licensed music as part of its identity, the games have avoided it likely due to the cost involved. However, in Shrek Forever After you will enter a battle and can start hearing something like “Walking on Sunshine” start playing. Most of it is appropriate battle music, the game even referencing the first movie by including “Bad Reputation” in the small handful of potential tracks to play during the fights, the energy and enjoyment of these definitely improved when you can focus on the soundtrack instead of the fact the enemies that just ran in as backup fold as easily as the ones before them. One very unusual but funny choice arises from the internet song “Do You Like Waffles?” making the cut, seemingly showing up if you start a fight with Donkey as your character, but the most baffling licensed music choice is “The White Witch” from Disney’s The Chronicle of Narnia films. I can’t even say where it played since it drew no attention to itself and left no impression, but a Dreamworks game borrowing Disney music is certainly unusual and might just be an odd case of music rights or maybe something involving the fact Harry Gregson-Williams composed the Shrek film scores as well as that song. Whatever the reasoning, it does at least show there was more attention given to this game than many other Shrek adaptations before it.

THE VERDICT: Shrek Forever After is a fine companion to a fine film and it even hearkens back to one of the better Shrek games with its focus on four characters cooperating to overcome obstacles, but while it has the gumption to include recognizable licensed music and embraces some intricate puzzles and nifty mechanics like swapping between realities, it also doesn’t have as much faith in the player as it should. Problem solving is fluid thanks to the quick swap system, but the game takes quite a while to build up new puzzle formulas to the point they’ll actually start challenging the player and sometimes the game can’t help but give you tips that undermine them. There’s still a good amount to enjoy when it does believe in your abilities and the game does try to keep introducing new ways to play with each new area, but the simplistic combat that sometimes takes the spotlight feels like it relies more on the music than its actual substance to provide anything interesting.

And so, I give Shrek Forever After for Nintendo Wii…

An OKAY rating. We were so close to closing out The Shrekoning with a truly good game, but despite it removing the issues Shrek 2 had with handling a group of four characters, it also doesn’t quite hit the mission variety of that game nor does it give the player the freedom needed to better engage with its systems. Shrek Forever After approaches new concepts with a little too much trepidation, the hints too abundant and the build up to the points where the game really tests your ability to engage with a puzzle formula taking too long. The Three Blind Mice hint system feels like it was the perfect middle ground, giving you an optional way to get answers if you needed them, and even the pigs could have still provided tips if the game just kept them off to the side as free hints instead of literally requiring you to activate them to move forward at times. Still, the spacing is definitely where the game’s puzzle focus needed reworking, Shrek Forever After having some solid ideas for involved play but taking a bit too long to let you fully embrace it. The battle system might be a little overly careful in its design too, the enemy variation present but perhaps not mixed together into the kind of groups that really push the player to make use of their special moves, weapons, or the different advantages of separate characters. Still, beyond a few moments near the end of the game, the battles are often brief surges of adrenaline to break up the more thoughtful and abundant puzzle-solving, the action definitely spiced up thanks to the nice touch of having tracks like “I’m a Believer” kick in. In fact, those little touches go a long way, things like the Magic Mirror reality flipping and seeing what Rumpelstiltskin is up to between story segments making progressing a more interesting process.

Shrek Forever After stills falls a little short of Shrek 2 on Xbox due to its timidity in letting the player interact with its systems, but it does feel like the runner-up in terms of the Shrek titles I’ve covered for The Shrekoning. While most of the 15 Shrek games covered for it were low in quality, it’s games like Shrek Forever After for Wii that do show there’s some potential for this brand in the video game space even though the best of them are still just decent rather than exceptional. It is definitely nicer to be wrapping up with a game that someone clearly believed in, getting the movie voice actor for Rumpelstiltskin and actual licensed music suggesting that even the Shrek games were looking to go out on a good note instead of letting issues from the past sour the brand. Shrek came a long way from being misused as a passionless cash cow by TDK, and while I’ve yet to find a truly good Shrek game, there’s still hope for him yet. The Shrekoning didn’t cover every Shrek game that’s been made, and just like how Shrek 5 has been discussed as a potential film somewhere in the future, Shrek may find himself a part of interactive entertainment again some day and possibly finally deliver on the promise found in games like this one.