"Teenage Zombies: Invasion of the Alien Brain Thingys" seems determined, unlike the vast majority of third-party Nintendo DS games, to march to its own beat. The wordy title alludes to that, and the storyline, which boasts both a funny, original premise and a sweet animated graphic novel style, drops further hints.
But "Thingys" really wears its style on its sleeve during the tutorial phase, which is presented in tandem with the game's first level and features dialogue boxes you literally have to climb on to advance.
"Thingys" puts you in control of three swappable teenage zombies, and learning how to use their special abilities by climbing aboard the text boxes that teach you these techniques is, in addition to efficient, a pretty funny harbinger of what (hopefully) is to come.
Unfortunately, all that ambition levels off a bit once the tutorial ends and all the requisite introductions are made.
"Thingys" does some cool things with its three-character premise, and some of the levels, which require you to regularly swap between zombies in order to best utilize each character's special traits and move forward, are designed well. But the game grows only so challenging, and it isn't long before you start to sense the developers had some good ideas but held back so as not to overwhelm younger players who might be drawn in by the game's cartoony visual style.
Some repetition also kicks in as the game goes on: Levels often offer a single means of advancement, and once it becomes second nature that you need X ability to get past obstacle Y, things feel a little too mindless.
All that remains, then, is the combat, but the flimsy fighting controls are where "Thingys" stumbles hardest. They simply lack the precision and proper collision detection they needed to feel even a little satisfying.
A few brain-based mini-game challenges break up the action, but only one (which is best left unspoiled due to its ties to the storyline) really stands out as anything beyond a fleeting diversion.
Ultimately, "Thingys" works best as a gateway game for kids who want to play something that wasn't completely lobotomized for their consumption.
It's not incredibly brilliant, but it isn't your typical piece of Nickelodeon-licensed garbage by a long shot, either. The rest of us, meanwhile, can wait and hope for a sequel that takes these clever ideas and gives them the intellectual oomph they're clearly capable of achieving.
