Super Granny 4 Review

Publisher: Sandlot Games
ESRB Rating: E
Platform: PC
Genre: Platformer
Price: $19.99
Free Trial: Yes
Writer: Dawn

Rating: 8.0

Okay, what could be more fun than playing feisty old ladies on a mission to rescue poor, innocent kitties? That is the premise of this game. There is quite a lot of fun, variety, and laughter to be had along the way, as well as interesting characters on both sides of the operation. While I haven’t played the previous adventures of Super Granny, there are a few advancements in this installment such as the level builder, multiplayer mode, new locations, and new enemies.

Graphics:
For the type of graphics portrayed in the game, the detail is pretty decent. There is a good variety of level appropriate environments throughout the adventure mode all with extravagant color and creative background and terrain. There is plenty to keep the player interested, while not overpowering. I did notice blinking kitties occasionally when they try to follow their rescuer (which most of the time is Granny) in an awkward spot. From time to time it was a little difficult to tell where Granny was standing in relationship to where she needed to be to perform certain tasks. Usually this is when she needs to dig a hole for her pursuer to fall into, in which case the placement needs to be exact. This is a small small detail that could become a bit frustrating because it causes Granny to be caught.

Controls:
This game uses arrows and the space bar for controls, all of which are pretty self explanatory and user friendly. As mentioned in the previous section, there are certain places where placement needs to be exact or there is a chance to be corrected by the characters (i.e. “I can only dig in front of me,” or, “I can’t dig through rock, dear,” ). It’s also worth noting that the task must be completed (the hole must be completely dug) before letting go of the space bar, or it’s like it never even happened. Plus, she can only do so much! When she is holding an object, she cannot dig. This just takes time, which is only relevant when she is being chased, and therefore not a big deal.

Sounds:
Some of the things that pop out of the mouth of these old ladies are, in a word, HILARIOUS. Quite unexpected things such as, “Oh, my butt,” and ,”cowabunga,” made me laugh out loud. In the background there plays a lovely understated constant melody, which adds to the ambiance and changes slightly along the way. I had to go back and listen to it again before writing, which is a testament to its subtlety. There are also cute little sound effects that go along with her actions as well as consistent sounds (such as, “Suspect spotted,” and, “Duh, I smash now,”) that let the player know that Granny is being chased by a baddie.

Flow:
The flow progresses nicely throughout the adventure mode of the game. Levels get more difficult but then may back off a little so as not to overwhelm the player. New baddies are introduced every once in a while, some of whom appear only when Granny is close enough to assail, and some of whom can throw things or shoot, all of which are testing the players’ adaptability and speed at a reasonable pace. The story itself in between stages, I will admit I stopped following. It didn’t seem to matter, except to indicate the new location and continue the chase. Basically, there are levels and levels of saving kitties and collecting souvenirs, sometimes working together with Granny’s sassy comrades (controlling one player at a time), sometimes working alone, sometimes with baddies, sometimes without, all the while getting more and more difficult and with the ultimate goal of saving them all and putting the number one villain out of business. And it’s an achievable one. Even if Granny loses all her lives, the player only loses score, not progress or souvenirs. I like that.

Fun Factor:
With the funniness being spoken around every turn, fun weapons such as frying pans and bags of flatware, interesting modes of transport, problem solving, and kitties, this game is actually rather fun. It is good fun. It is fun to take a break to. It didn’t have the same chore factor some games get when there are several levels in adventure mode, (though if it was any longer, it may have). As I previously stated, there is quite a bit of variety between stages of levels so it doesn’t get boring at all, the flow is progressive, and new challenges are always being added to adapt into the game play.

Female Aspect:
As in life, all the heroes in this game are female, and all of the villains so to speak are male. Okay, while this may not always be true, it is so in this game. Granny has two friends, Kamila and Margaret, who help her in this quest to save the kitties, both of whom are her contemporaries – and female. All of whom have somewhat typical old lady quips, I might add, but distinct (and entertaining) personalities of their own. All of the troublemakers who try to stop them, as well as the one responsible for the kitties’ disappearance Colonel Hans Foote, the leader of a mysterious shadow organization, are male. Although I will say there are dogs in the mix on the bad guy side who look pretty nondescript, so perhaps not all the meanies are male. Perhaps.

Replay Value:
There is a certain feel to replay levels in which some of the souvenirs may have been missed, only to get all of the pins for the quilt. However, I had no motivation to replay the adventure level for score topping purposes after I did get all of my pins. Having said that, there is a level builder in the game where players can design their own levels, which I initially found a little confusing, but later saw it quite challenging and fun. This aspect I will probably go back to and play with a bit more. All of the aspects enjoyed in the adventure portion of the game are present and available. This may actually make it worth replaying a few levels just to note tricky elements to put in a level creation.

Final Thoughts: Play this game. It’s not the best game ever made, but it’s worth a play. It’s amusing and challenging, but not too hard. It’s pretty appropriate for all levels of gamers as a light hearted break from all the intensity that’s out there. I especially recommend it for the cat lovers – or spunky granny lovers in life. Even if it’s just to use a jackhammer as a grandma!

Thanks for reading!
Dawn