#AD. We were kindly gifted access to the Ben Ten Power Trip game for purposes of this review.
Evil Hex has cursed Europe – and only Ben 10 can stop him! Explore a 3D world filled with combat, puzzles and secrets as you save the day!
Is Ben Ten suitable for children?
Ben 10 has been one of the most popular science fantasy cartoons aired on Cartoon Network. My son loves that Ben Tennyson is a relatable 10-year-old who gets frustrated with his family, has challenges with peers, and gets caught up in problems that he cannot solve alone. He leans upon his closest relatives – Grandpa Max and Gwen for help as they travel the world. His journey is about becoming a responsible hero as a child with his own flaws. As a parent, Ben Ten’s superhero is preferable to me as a role model over characters geared towards teens and adults such as those from Marvel etc. When facing evil, Ben is a normal boy that can morph into one of 10 different alien creatures with the help of a powerful watch (Omnitrix). Violence is at a fantasy level that I would recommend 7+. Kids are impressionable. If parents have strong feelings about not letting younger viewers watch cartoons containing violence, then we encourage age appropriate recommendation on the animated series and gameplay.
Ben Ten Power Trip game.
BACK STORY: Ben and his family are enjoying their European vacation… until evil magician Hex unleashes the power of four mysterious crystals! Only Ben 10 can break the curse – so get ready to transform into powerful aliens to battle enemies, solve puzzles and freely explore an exciting 3D world. It’s hero time! With Gwen and Grandpa Max on your side, all the humour and rivalry from the Cartoon Network show is here. And since four arms are better than two, Kevin Levin is along for the adventure in local split-screen co-op. This is one Power Trip you’ll want to take again and again. It’s hero time!
- Platform Reviewed: PC via Steam. Min OS Windows 10 / 8 / 7.
- Platform Available: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4 & Xbox One.
- Developer: PHL Collective.
- Publisher: Outright Games.
- Release Date: 9 Oct, 2020 and available from Smyths Toys and Amazon.
Ben Ten Power Trip Play.
As Ben Tennyson, it is up to you to save the world! After a good introductory narrative the gameplay objectives are pretty simple, Ben gets given ‘seek and do’ missions (through conversations with characters) to achieve – starting with simple checkpoints, take this here etc that are guided by arrows and distance countdowns. It is great for encouraging children to problem solve, improve critical thinking, reasoning, and reading comprehension following instructions. Each level has a different back drop – a park, a city, occasionally falling into a purple, lightening filled void world!
Part of getting from point A to point B is also about avoiding getting defeated by random monster attacks.
Combat in this instalment is at first rather basic which as a mother I liked as its not solely just a ‘beat’ em up’ game. That said, my boy loved the punching, kicking, laser blasts and transformation sequences. Speaking of enemies, enemy design my initial thought is ‘somewhat bland’ at first being uncharismatic spider-esk robots but this builds as you work through the game which is reassuring in a way that my son was not automatically scared and I felt I could leave him to play unsupervised.
Unlock and transform into all Bens incredible alien forms! Each alien has their own different special abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Learn the unique combat moves of each character to defeat enemies. They are restricted to a few move sets. That said, you have the option to improve each alien and upgrade which gave Leo a huge sense of achievement (there was lots of whoop yeah’s!)
There are extra items like coins and power bars that you will need to collect throughout the levels which Leo liked as he felt there was ‘lots to do.’
What did my nine-year-old enjoy about the game?
Now, Ben 10 has many video game adaptations, but Leo wanted review the game individually instead of as a comparison to what he had played before. Fans of the franchise will appreciate the story and familiar characters as he did. He tested the game on the PC, which is not our usual play platform, but it was easy to use. This was helped by the design of the simple, child friendly navigation menu with map, inventory, alien stats and play bars.
Watching it, I thought the game a little repetitive going from one area to another, but Leo was entertained for hours.
To travel distances fast Ben Ten can jump on a scooter which was a feature Leo really loved! Similarly, with discovering when you umped on bushes they acted like trampolines. He felt it was packed with action and ‘not boring’ – his favourite alien is Heatblast who ‘shoots cool fire.’ At first Leo didn’t like that when battles begin, they are enclosed in a purple box of light so there is not much room to move the main character but quickly got used to it.
Play is interspersed with video clips, calls and character information keep things interesting. We are a few days in of gaming and he is still not near completion which is good in terms of game longevity!
Design and graphics of Ben Ten Power Trip.
With the character interactions, I like that you can speed up conversations. I think it would have been better if they used cartoon animation than 3-D work. It felt too stiff and the characters mouths either did not move or moved awkwardly when ‘talking’. Did this borrow my 9 year old, nope, not a smidge, I am obviously just too picky.
Voice acting came across well and there were options for different languages. The graphics of the game were decent with good attention to detail such as background trees moving. The resolution was clear, and colours bold and bright. Leo really liked the look of the in-game world, especially the city level.
Sound wise it was loud and clear through laptop speakers so likely better if using headphones. Background music can get a bit samey.
As a parent I feel this is a great game for children; the familiar characters, playability, mission approach and as a plus for parents – there are no in-game purchases!
Included in the images are the New Ben 10 Omnitrix Creator Set, New Ben 10 wave 11 action figures and Ben 10 Blind Bags!