In spite of the nice introductory cinematics, there is no genuine set up for your journey through The Kore Gang. With a comically innocuous scene of creatures interrogating a scientist, you get a feel for the game’s sense of humor and solid voice-acting, but very little in the way of actual story. As such, you are plopped into your multi-utility robotic suit without any real sense of why you’re doing what it is you’re doing. The first of the main characters comes off as a free-spirited, thrill-seeker of sorts, so her eagerness for adventure allows you to get to the action quickly.

The opening level restricts your suit’s abilities, giving you enough time to get used to them. It is deliberately paced in such a way that a younger or inexperienced player can acclimate easily to The Kore Gang’s mechanics. Similarly, rather than bombard you with story details at the very beginning, bits and pieces of it are interspersed throughout your adventure, funneled to you via radio contact by the imprisoned doctor that you are tasked with rescuing, or through quick (and sometimes musical!) cutscenes.

The developers did a fair job presenting a decent-looking game on the underpowered Wii console. The character models have a slight claymation look to them, allowing for leniency in the exaggerated animations. As the antagonists are underground-dwellers, it was a pleasant surprise to see how bright and varied their settings were. Since these creatures hope to one day live on the surface world (hence the subtitle "Outvasion from Inner Earth"), they designed their quarters to best imitate it, leading to diverse and vibrant level designs. With plenty of swirls and twirls in the predominantly blue and orange environments, and curling tentacle-like appendages on various enemies and your robotic suit, The Kore Gang’s design has hints of Tim Burton’s style and charm (many designs seemed pulled almost directly from The Nightmare Before Christmas).

The three main characters that make up The Kore Gang can all somehow control the same mechanical suit and each provides a unique ability to help you progress – the female adventurer is adept at climbing and is the only one who can double-jump, making her perfect for the plentiful platforming sections; the young boy, brash and bold, is the only one capable of combat; and his dog, the quickest of the three, is best utilized for simple puzzles. Switching between the characters is an instantaneous action (just press the C button), and the game is structured in such a way that you will need to alternate between them constantly.

Aside from the many linear puzzles, The Kore Gang is very basic, comprised of little more than platforming, collecting, and short bouts of simple combat. Finding your way around is simple as each stage leads to the next, and there’s only ever one way out at a time. To keep your interest as your character wades slowly through each environment, you can collect floating blue and purple glowing creatures with the Wii Remote’s pointing mechanic (collect the indicated amount and you earn a medal that unlocks miscellaneous prizes at the main screen).

The platforming is unfortunately quite sticky, but considering you’re controlling a hefty robotic suit, it’s perhaps expected. The startlingly quick jumping animations afford you good vertical distance, but little horizontal distance. The result is constant falling and backtracking to where you fell from, making even the simplest of platforming segments more difficult than they should be.

The combat is loose and imprecise. When hits against enemies should register, but don’t, fights devolve into mashing the B button and flailing as you hope that one of your many attacks do connect. To compound this, enemies can fall or disappear into the scenery. These foes can continue to attack you while you’re unable to attack them. A few hits from The Kore Gang's lowliest grunt and you will go down. There are ample automatic save/instant respawn points should your suit explode, but those are offset by the surprisingly small health your character has.

The Kore Gang is fundamentally flawed in the bulk of its gameplay. Both inconsistent platforming and combat can make for a frustrating experience, especially considering the audience that this game is geared towards. Charming design and choice voice acting will keep you playing, but the lack of options beyond the solo campaign means there’s little incentive for replaying.

GameDynamo's Score for The Kore Gang (Wii)

	Score	Description
Graphics	61	Some flashbacks are told with insanely simple narration voiced over still pieces of what look to be concept art. Unoriginal, but appealing designs.
Sound	69	The voice acting often does not match the animations, but is overall a bright spot, bringing character to the characters. There’s lots of mad-scientist music, mixing fear and whimsy.
Gameplay	52	The pace of the game is quick, but the movement of the characters is ploddingly slow – an unfortunate mechanic considering the platforming and combat genres are at their best with fluid movements.
Play Value	54	The game isn’t difficult by any means (at least not intentionally), and even a novice player can complete the quest in a few hours. It’s also very short.
Final Score	60	Cartoon physics and characters breaking out in song during cutscenes ensure an enjoyable, if oftentimes frustrating, experience for the younger set.

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