Overlord Minions is unlike its console brethren, it has to be, no way could you fit anything like Overlord onto a portable like the DS. So Codemasters have done something quite clever, they’ve removed the Overlord from the picture and has us focus on just four Minions, the elite squad of the Overlord.

 

 

Naturally the four minions, imp like creatures, are the four different types that are present in the other games. You’ve got Giblet the brown minion (who doesn’t appear to be the same one of the other games) he’s capable of moving heavy objects, he can walk against strong winds and he is the best fighter in the group. Blaze the red minion, fire resistant and capable of throwing fireballs, your only long distance fighter. Stench the green minion, his farts are flammable and are able to knock down walls once lit, resistant to poison gas and able to sneak past enemies who are somehow, unable to smell him. Finally you have Zap the blue minion, he can swim unlike the other minions, he can heal and on the rare occasion where it’s helpful he can attack magical creatures.

 

 

So you’ve got your band of minions how what, well the game works a lot like Lost Vikings, you use each of your minion’s skills to get past obstacles in your path and allow the others to keep going. So if there is a switch behind a cloud of deadly gas you use Stench to hit it, use Giblet to move around blocks on-top of switches and get everybody together to turn that capstan. It takes a while for you to gain full strength however, early missions sees you control only two minions at a time, allowing you to get use to their special skills, it’s not until the fourth chapter do you finally get to unleash your full force.

 

Puzzles however are not going to tax your mental abilities, the solutions are very obvious and most of the time it’s just hit this switch to keep on going. Later levels do attempt to increase the difficulty but they become more tedious than challenging.

 

 

Puzzles aren’t the only thing in this game that you have to work around, no it’s full of enemies. These, pretty much regardless of what they are, will charge at you head first and you’ll have to attack them by swiping them with your stylus on the touch screen. Keep swiping and you’ll defeat the enemy, that’s it. While minions do have special attacks you’ll rarely use them or in fact get them to use them if you attempt it. Overall the enemies are as dull as the puzzles, just with a simpler solution.

 

Bosses do attempt to mix things up, adding a puzzle element as you try to move them into position of a gas pipe, or throw items at them. This will then stun them and allow you to attack without fear. That formula is for pretty much every boss, again it’s very clear what you’re meant to do to defeat the creature and sometimes they don’t even bother with the puzzle element, meaning even more hacking away with your minion followers.

 

 

The Overlord world has also had a bit of facelift, while the 3D environments are suitable (if not a little dull) I’m talking about the cut-scenes which has all your favourites re-imagined as cartoon creatures, I like the style and it will appeal to younger players. As will the script, fart jokes aplenty boys, shame then that the rest of the humour from the series seems to be missing, that dark twisted view on a fantasy world just isn’t there. Instead in its place are school-yard jokes. It makes me believe that this game is aimed at the younger audience, simple puzzles, cartoons graphics, fart noises but then the box ruins it by telling me it’s for ages 12+/Teen. Although I would recommend it for a young child, if not for one major problem.

 

 

The controls, they’re just awful. Sweeping your minions by using the stylus to control where they go works in theory but they will often get stuck on scenery and if you’re controlling all four at a time you better get used to losing one and having to go back to get him unstuck from the edge of a bridge, or a flower pot. That’s a minor annoyance but what are much worse are the items, throughout the game you pick up items, you can then tell your minion where to drop that item by tapping where you want it on the touch screen. Tap, tap, tap, tap ,TAP, TAP, son of a...deep breath, no doesn’t seem to work. You’ll be sitting tapping at a spot on the floor for a good minute getting ever closer to impaling your DS with the stylus, then to make sure you’re doing it correctly you’ll walk away and tap another area and it’ll work first time, pick it up again and try it in the spot you want it, tap, tap, TAP...you get the idea. The problem is this is a major part of the game, as you carry around bombs, poles, keys and various other items and their placement is crucial to your success. There are other issues with minions, not hitting switches when ordered, special skills not working and absolutely no path-finding for either the minions or the enemies.

 

What would have been a nice little game for your little brother or young Nephew is ruined by the controls, what was already an average game without the faults make this a game to miss. Steer clear of this game and pick up Zelda instead to see how puzzles and controls are meant to be done in the DS.