Commander Cherry has finally arrived at Earth after months of badgering would-be cadets via Twitter. He’s a seriously prolific tweeter, so much so that he puts the twitter-happy Kardashians to shame. So how does Commander Cherry’s Puzzled Journey hold up under the close scrutiny of our inferior human eyes? Pretty bloody well, actually, and it’s a decent all-round effort from first time developer Grandé Games.
Commander Cherry utilises the PlayStation 4 camera and the Xbox One Kinect to allow players to snap a “selfie” and insert it into the game. It might not sound like much and it may appear to be a bit of a gimmick at first, but after a couple of hours playing you’ll soon realise it’s not as simple as it sounds.
You’ll control the cherry-headed space inter-galactic space adventurer by traditional means with a gamepad, but you’ll have to get off your arse to make sure he’s got something to walk along. The levels present challenges where you’ll need to strike a pose to create a platform for the Commander to run and jump along, though you’ll also have to participate in a bit of self-editing by blasting away parts of your snapshot to collect all the orbs in each level.
Camera games are few and far between on the Xbox One, and even more so on the PS4, but, thankfully, Commander Cherry works a treat. In a game that lives and dies by the accuracy of the camera tracking, it is essential the technology works as intended. You’ll be happy to hear, then, that the camera functions are more or less spot-on and provide a high level of accuracy even when you’re pulling the most complex – and ridiculous – of poses.
I recently spoke with Georg and André about what is possible in the game and whether a player could theoretically use one’s toilet tool to create a ledge for the fruity Commander to walk upon.
Well… I tested it, and much to my surprise, disgust and delight, it bloody works. The funniest thing is that your body “boings” as Commander Cherry jumps along. Now imagine – well, you know.
All crudeness aside, Commander Cherry is a fun little platformer that’s even better with a mate (nudity optional.) If you’re too much of a slob to get up and pose for the camera you can just sit back and control the character while a mate takes center stage in front of the telly. It’s a nifty feature that doesn’t cause any nuisance with setting up another controller, signing in and all the rest, and provides an easy drop-in-and-play feature that’s sure to be a hit at any social gathering.
It’s not particularly hard (though chubby folks may be left gasping by the end) but it’s a fun enough way to spend a rainy afternoon. Unsurprisingly, this one may appeal more to the kids than your average Call of Duty fanatic, but in all honesty it’s a giggle for all ages.
Summary
If your Kinect or PS4 camera has been sitting around gathering dust for months, there’s now a good reason to wipe it down and plug it in. There’s a few hours of fun to be had, but don’t expect AAA graphics and AAA gameplay, just classic platforming with a twist and a funky soundtrack to move along to. Plus, you can let an animated character jump on your intimate bits. What’s not to like?
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Disclaimer: Review code provided by Grandé Games.