Happy Feet (video game)
| Company type | Video game |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Founder | A2M (developer) |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Happy Feet (video game) |
| Owner | Midway Games (publisher) |
Happy Feet is an action-adventure game adapted from the comedic film sharing its title. Developed by A2M and published by Midway Games in 2006, it was made available on multiple platforms including PlayStation 2, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Wii, and Microsoft Windows. The original movie's voice cast, featuring Elijah Wood, Brittany Murphy, Elizabeth Daily, Dee Bradley Baker, and Carlos Alazraqui, returned to lend their voices for the game.
Across all systems, the game was met with predominantly mixed to unfavorable critiques.
Gameplay
The console editions (PlayStation 2, GameCube, Wii, Windows) offer three distinct gameplay modes: a dance mode inspired by Dance Dance Revolution, requiring players to follow directional prompts; a fishing mode focused on gathering items like pebbles, shrimp, and air bubbles; and a belly-sledding mode that involves timed racing or fish collection challenges. On the Nintendo DS, gameplay centers around rhythm-based sequences akin to Elite Beat Agents, but with reduced complexity.
Multiplayer functionality allows two participants to either compete in dance and swimming challenges or collaborate in belly-sledding activities. The soundtrack includes additional tracks not present in the movie, such as KC and the Sunshine Band's "Shake Your Booty" and Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive," enhancing the dance segments.
The Game Boy Advance edition stands apart as a 2D platformer where players guide Mumble through various objectives across levels. It incorporates rhythm mini-games featuring songs from the film’s soundtrack alongside other activities like sledding and fish diving that are necessary for advancing through the game.
Reception
Happy Feet received largely mixed to negative feedback across all its versions. According to the review aggregator Metacritic, both the PC and PS2 editions were met with "generally unfavorable" reviews—the PC version earned a score of 42 out of 100 based on four critiques, while the PS2 version obtained a 49 out of 100 from six reviews. Similar mixed responses were noted for the GameCube, PS2, Wii, and DS releases. In contrast, the Game Boy Advance version achieved somewhat more favorable to mixed evaluations.