Another big budget animated film and another DS game to go with it. Rio, released by THQ, takes the colorful flick about a domesticated, flightless bird named Blu who travels to Brazil and thrusts it into a not-so-typical platformer. A mix of rhythm gaming action and mini-games keep Rio just above the standard licensed release.

- Fans of the film will find this simple, musical tie-in enjoyable -

The basic gameplay structure of Rio for Nintendo DS consists of Blu running non-stop across the screen. Using the stylus, you can control him (which is basically just a lot of jumping) to avoid obstacles. However, the real gameplay comes in the form of tapping the screen at the correct moment when an instrument appears. By doing this, you slowly create a song, adding more and more instruments and sounds as Blu runs along. There is really no purpose to the song you’re creating other than to tell you how well you are doing on that stage, but missing too many of the ‘beats’ or hitting too many obstacles causes the level to end. Pixel hunting (in this case, collecting flowers) is still a lot of the game, keeping Rio in touch with its typical, film-based DS platformer roots. There are a couple of gameplay change-ups throughout (a mini-dance game and whatnot), but there is nothing new here that the average gamer will find completely enthralling or unique (though what did you really expect?).

The game is also quite short. I sat down to play Rio before bed one night and beat it in about an hour and a half, so there isn’t a lot of content here, or challenge for that matter. There are no complicated stylus moves, and it’s pretty easy to hit the rhythms right. There are a few mini-games, but all of them run out of steam fast. There is one with the bulldog from the film where you grab as many birds as you can in a straightforward platforming level, another featuring a virtual parrot that will repeat what you say into the microphone (you can also poke it, which was fun for about a twenty seconds), and a dancing game where, if you dare, you can take a picture of your face on your DSi and put it onto the dancers.

- The vibrant environments are pleasing to the eye -

Luckily, Rio is bright, colorful, full of latin rhythms, and it's a good choice for fans of the film (or your little kid brother / sister). Gamers seeking a good Nintendo DS game wrapped up in a franchise package will find something mildly delightful, but hardly anything to go out their way for. There is plenty of Rio imagery throughout for any Rio fan, and enough simplicity for even for the most casual gamer to get it. Rio shines from being an incredibly happy, colorful, cute, and musical game.

GameDynamo's Score for Rio (DS/DSi)

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