You ever watch a movie when you were a kid and think "Man, I wanna play that game!", but when the console adaptation actually came out, it was absolute dogshit 90 percent of the time? Well, may I introduce this game.

Basically playing like a interactive Pixar film, this co-op platformer felt very genuine in its attempts to make a truly heartwarming, if not slightly clique, story of a divorcing couple and their daughter magically caught in a story of war mongering squirrels, space monkeys and talking books in a way that feel very classic Disney. Yes, it does fall into the troupes that nearly every lazy romantic comedy like this do, but within the interactive space, there is a real earnestness to the characters, and the arc of their (as the Book of Love says,) relationship being personified through working together and bonding as characters, but as players, working hand in hand with the co-operative gameplay. Little cheesy? Yes. Very cute? Extremely.

And speaking of the gameplay, when this game is running smooth, it is platforming gold, reminding me in the best way possible of the run n' jump greats such as 'Super Mario Galaxy', 'Crash Bandicoot 3' and even pieces of 'Rayman Legends', but in a fresh, 3D perspective that allows each level to breath and to be its own game on nearly every level. The levels are consistently experimenting with its style, mechanics and level design to create an experience I never felt bored with in the slightest. While each level kept me and my partner on my toes, and really felt like the team had a blast designing each little section to work co-operatively, even the small easter eggs where always fun to find and play around with, creating what's basically a little casual party game inside of this beautiful platformer. In short, it's the 'Super Mario Galaxy' 2 Player Mode I always dreamed of as a kid.

Aiding the fun is also a really great soundtrack from Gustaf Grefberg & Kristofer Eng, spanning multiple genres and styles while still meshing with the action playing inside of the game itself (including an extremely impressive music level where the singing attack inside of the game is in the same key AS THE SOUNDTRACK WHAT???). The voice acting as well, while at times can be a little...hammy to say the least, is serviceable enough to engage in a wholesome little love story. Joseph Balderrama does a great job of being able to bounce off of himself as both Cody and Dr. Hakim, creating a fun dynamic between those two characters in particular, and Clare Corbett painfully adorable voice as Rose makes the characters emotional stake all the more interesting. Plus, when the voice actors are paired with animation that looks this expressive, it's hard to hate on the polish at display.

...I said not hard, not impossible however.

While I do really really REALLY like this game overall, and the platforming was really damn fun, there are some really big issues that the game kinda sadly suffers from, making this game go from super fun to incredibly annoying in 3 seconds. First, this is a small nitpick, but Jesus Christ playing this through Origin was a pain in the ass. My biggest gripe is that playing this game online with a freind is a technical hassle at the best of times, from the lag that made certain sections borderline unplayable (Clockworks and Pirates Ahoy, I'm looking directly at you), to times where the games physics would become incredibly inconsistent for absolutely no reason. And running that through Origin? It's the fucking worst. Having to run through hoops and ladders trying to get my girlfriend to actually be in the game with me hurt my goddamn soul. And when your whole game is based soley around co-operation? The last thing you want is for actually getting them in a game to be a hassle.

Plus...yeah the game is incredibly cheesy. I know that I said it felt earnest and really beautiful and all of that, and it still is that, but when it's trying to go for something more comedic, it just doesn't really click with me. The humor just feels very stiff and corporate, and while there were a few jokes that made me laugh ("This is blackmail!" "No, this is therapy!"), overall I just wish the writing was better. Who knows, maybe the Dwayne the Rock Johnson film this game is apparently getting will fix those problems (it wont but I CAN DREAM DAMN IT).

But overall, I had a great time with this game. It's fun to play a fully fleshed out story and have it feel earned and integral to the gameplay, and while it does lack a LOT of polish in terms of online play, I still found myself having a lot of fun, even if the gamer rage coming from my girlfriend left me quivering in my boots. Fun times!

A remake of my favorite game ever, yeah it's still decent. BUT, there are some reallyyyyyyyy weird-ass changes in this version that perplex the hell out of me and also ruin some parts of the game surprisingly. Why didn't this get the OoT treatment and just have the graphics updated and implement some quality-of-life features? Especially with the boss changes. Like, come on, why does every boss get fitted with a glowing eyeball as its weakness. I couldn't believe that when I first played it. Why were the swimming mechanics taken out behind the woodshed and put down, when they were some of the most fluid swimming controls around. Why did the Sheikah Stones get turned into hand-holding walkthroughs when the game gives players all of the information they need to give them a sense of self-gratification when they complete anything in this game on their own. This should've been a slam dunk but it just wasn't. Kind of a shame...