it was very funny. So you know that after praise like that, Disney would not even think

twice about making a video game based off the acclaimed movie. So, well, this is what

it looks like.

The game is a recreation of the movie, with the same characters and for the most parts

follows the same plot. Emperor Kuzco is a spoiled rotten brat and has been turned into

a llama. He forms a loose partnership is Pacha to try to get back to his palace and return

to his normal body. What is in the way is miles upon miles of jungle, so it is no easy

task.

The game plays much like other third person games of the time. Think Spyro the Dragon.

You are in an open world that has multiple tasks for you to do. Doing so will earn you

emblems and allow you to progress to the next area. The big difference though is it is not

as open as say Spyro but rather simply appears open. Mostly you will be in linear areas with

one one or two things to do before you move on. Each task will have you needing to use

your special llama abilities like charging, spitting fruit, rolling, and even doing llama

punches. And all of these tasks can become quite challenging but not by design. It is

because the game’s controls make even the simplest task like running somewhere a chore

and experience in frustration. Everything feels like you are trying to convince a stubborn

real llama to do it, so maybe they were going for realism. And all the tasks are so mindless,

run over here, spit on that, chase that kid riding a toy llama, you know, things you have

done a million times before.

Thankfully the game is full of the same wit and humor of the movie. It is constantly breaking

the fourth wall, subtly and sometimes not so subtly, showing that it is aware that it

is a game. It is great to see the first couple times but after every conversation does it,

it really loses its appeal.

The Emperor’s New Groove is just about as textbook a movie game as you can get. It doesn’t

really do anything bad, but doesn’t do anything that good either. It is in a gray area of

mediocrity. If you dig the movie, there is something here for you, everyone else can

die peacefully having never played it.