The Bottom Line
Pros
- Fun Non-Violent Adventure for kids
- Competent Side-Scrolling Platformer
Cons
- Santa is only a playable character in half the game.
- Santa levels are too difficult and frustrating to play.
- Too short - Only sixteen levels and two styles of repetitive mini-games.
- Unbalanced gameplay.
Description
- Battle evil Snowmen and ice birds while avoiding falling icicles.
- Defend yourself using your gift sack, your belly and snowballs.
- Collect snow globes plus milk and cookies.
- Mini-Games include racing to build toys, and delivering presents to the good or coal to the bad on a treacherous sleigh ride.
Guide Review - The Santa Clause 3 Review - Game Boy Advance
When it comes to Christmas titles typically little thought is put into making a quality game. Most of these games are simply thrown together as a quick release to capitalize as a holiday stocking stuffer. The Santa Clause 3 takes a different approach, developers 1st Playable Productions (in their first GBA game) focused more on gameplay, but lessened the length of the overall game.
The Santa Clause 3 is a basic platformer with nothing that you haven't seen before, but it can be a fun holiday title for youngsters. Unfortunately, because a game of this nature has to be rushed out the door to release alongside the film, and holiday games have a very short shelf life, not as much effort were put into the title, causing a few major shortcomings.
First is the balancing of the gameplay. You start out playing Santa, and then switch to Scott Calvin as you attempt to stop Jack Frost from ruining the future of Christmas. The problem is that the Santa levels are annoyingly difficult to play, while the Scott Calvin levels are far too easy. This may have been done in an attempt to lengthen out the game which can be easily completed in about an hour. You end up spending the majority of the time trying to get Santa to double jump onto platforms just out of his reach.
The biggest mark missed is that you only play Santa for half the game. That's like getting an Incredible Hulk game and end up playing Bruce Banner. No kid would be interested in this game if it was called The Scott Calvin Clause 3, they want Santa Claus. So why would you make a game where 50% of it you play a guy wearing a business suit and tie?