Review: SimAnimals Africa

simanimals africa 03 The Sims series has been everchanging since the inception of Sim City. No one’s complaining, though — it simply allows for more adventures and more game sales. Recently, though, the series has taken a bit of a childish and casual direction, with MySims, MySims Agents, and now SimAnimals Africa. It’s nowhere near the caliber of the interesting MySims Agents, but it does present itself as an entertaining diversion, at least for a few hours.

All of the good energy that was previously encapsulated in Africa is being slowly siphoned away. The plains are close to barren. The animals dwelling on the continent are unhappy. It’s your job, you’re informed, to make it a thriving and populated area again via positive energy and becoming friends with the animals who have been driven away. You’ll be bringing the spirit of life back for all of the unfortunate members of the animal kingdom, as well as restoring a continent to its former glory. Seems like heavy stuff for a children’s game, but it’s all reading between the lines. What kids and the rest of anyone who picks the game up will notice is that it’s a very watered-down sim with loads of cuteness sprinkled in for good measure.

Much like previous Sims endeavors, it’s the player’s job to ensure order is kept within the community of animals in the continent. Like the virtual pets you cried for when you were little and subsequently left to die, each animal has certain needs and requirements that must be kept full: food, drink, charm, strength, relationships, and a few others. It’s quite easy to keep them at functioning levels, but in case that fact turns you away from the game, keep in mind you will be looking after herds of animals in later areas of the game. Because of this, the creatures are self-sufficient and do a good job of keeping their various levels full for you. It never becomes too harrowing of a chore to ensure that your animals are happy, which is one reason I always tossed my park patrons into the water in Roller Coaster Tycoon. They complained too often.

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Via extensive usage of the Wii remote, you’ll frolic along the African plains, occasionally engaging in mini games with several of the animals (hunting with the lion was a highlight), and looking for patches of dirt to dig up with the hippopotamus, which in turn leads to finding new plants and items to stash in your bag. A different minigame can be completed for each type of animal that you encounter, which subsequently raises a certain stat higher with each mini game you play. Granted, there’s nothing difficult about these games, but they work well and the Wii remote is refreshingly responsive. Of course, you’re not always going to be playing with the animals. It’s up to you to scan the landscape for new sources of water, new kinds of plants, and new areas to unlock once you’ve conquered the previous one.

To collect fruits, plants, or other commodities, you’ll need the aid of a certain animal’s ability. For instance, elephants can squirt water from their trunks, which is useful for transplanting water sources elsewhere or bringing it to animals in need. It takes a bit of time to remember which animal can do what, though the game does a great job of explaining if you require assistance. In this, the game is actually quite balanced. You rely on the animals who in turn rely on you to help keep functions running in their home land smoothly. I felt it illustrates the very real symbiotic relationship that humans should have with animals, and should act as a good learning tool for younger gamers.

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Unfortunately, the Wii edition looks nothing like you’d expect from the machine. In all honesty, I’d liken the graphics to Nintendo 64 fare at best. Some animals have been rendered fantastically, and others should never have seen the light of day. Landscapes are bright and detailed, but this game could have looked much better. Hopefully that polish was put toward making the game better overall, and I believe it was. However, on the flip side, the soundtrack is absolutely well-done. Every animal sounds very much true-to-life, and you can even download the soundtrack on EA’s website should you become enamored with it during gameplay.

SimAnimals: Africa is a decent take on the animal sim, and a great game for younger gamers to pick up and hopefully learn a thing or two from, cartoony as it may be, the thriving ecosystem that can be created if you take the time to show animals and the land compassion. The Wii controls work well and though it’s not overly difficult, I’ve most certainly seen far worse casual/children’s titles. Fans of the franchise will likely enjoy it, and who knows? You might too.