Code Lyoko Quest For Infinity

Before diving deeper into this review I must provide everyone reading this with some context; Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity is an action adventure/platforming video game for the Nintendo Wii, Playstation 2 and Playstation Portable platforms, released in 2007, Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity was based on the very famous French Cartoon Network show Code Lyoko, which has been translated into multiple languages before being broadcasted almost around the entire globe. It is the second game in the Code Lyoko video game series and it is based upon the fourth and fifth seasons of the show.

The developers behind Quest for Infinity are some that most people will be familiar with, everyone has played at least one or two games from the French developer Neko Studios, who at the time were famous for creating video games based on films and television shows. Like many other platforming action adventure games at the time, such as Spider-man 2 on the PS2, Ben 10: Protector of Earth on the PS2, PSP and NDS, and even other games by Neko Studios such as Postman Pat and the Greendale Rocket, Code Lyoko had a streak of bad luck waiting for it on release as video games based on cartoons and movies had been nothing short of underwhelming, and Code Lyoko didn’t exceed any expectations in this regard.

An Unexpected Beginning

Going in with zero expectations, you’re thrown into this unknown world with characters that seem to have a history between themselves, but the game has no exposition of it whatsoever, even if you play through the entirety of the story, you just know what happens in the game that you have played, the motivations of the characters and the events of the game are never told.

Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity is very unforgiving for new players, unlike other games that are based on existing material, such as Spider-Man 3 by Beenox or any of the 007 games, Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity provides no layer of comfort to new players. To put it lightly, it is an experience tailor-made for fans of the series, and it looks to be an enjoyable experience for those devoted fans with lots of cutscenes to give them a healthy dose of story.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Now for the gameplay and game design aspects of Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity, easy to say that there is nothing too impressive in this virtual world. Platforming feels fluid compared to the walking sections in the previous Code Lyoko game, but there is no nuance; it is the same one button platforming without any unique functions throughout the entirety of the game’s play-time.

The combat is a massive step up from the previous game’s unapologetically slow and boring melee and ranged attacks, the characters each have different attacks, with Odd being the most easy to play and Ulrich being the most dull to play, the hit register much better now, and the enemy animations are better than they were before as well, however the variety in enemy types is an issue as there will always be a maximum of 4-5 enemy types in the entirety of the game, along with the gameplay getting more and more repetitive each minute of play-time. Once you are past the tutorial section of the game, that’s all there is to learn about it, with nothing new coming your way, period.

The graphics are a massive upgrade as well, going from the handheld DS to home consoles such as the Playstation 2, they really did to a solid job with the upgrade in graphics, the level and environment design though; is bland and often muddled with the same colors, it is reminiscent of the animated series though, which means Neko has just projected the series into the game, but it is still a shame.

A Game too True to the Source Material

Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity is a massive step-up from its predecessor in almost every single regard, the overhaul to the combat and graphics, more fluidity in the movement of its characters and better targeting systems within the game make it a much more enjoyable experience to what came before.

Pros

• An enjoyable story but only for the fans of the series
• Easy to grasp combat on some characters such as Odd
• Obvious upgrade to its predecessor

Cons

• Repetitive gameplay loop
• Uninteresting story for newcomers
• Bland art design and enemy variation
• Boring character based gameplay and platforming