Tak and the Power of Juju

Tak and the Power of Juju is an action-adventure platforming video game developed by Avalanche Software and published by THQ for the GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Game Boy Advance. The game was released in North America on October 15, 2003 and in Europe on March 12, 2004. The Game Boy Advance version was also released on a Triple Pack cartridge bundled with SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge and Rugrats: I Gotta Go Party in 2005. The game spawned two direct sequels, Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams and Tak: The Great Juju Challenge, as well as two spinoffs based on the Tak TV series, Tak and the Guardians of Gross and Tak: Mojo Mistake.

This article is about the video game. For the television series, see Tak and the Power of Juju (TV series).
Tak and the Power of Juju
North American box art
Developer(s)Avalanche Software (GCN, PS2)
Helixe (GBA)
Publisher(s)THQ
Producer(s)Nickelodeon
Writer(s)Randolph Heard
SeriesTak and the Power of Juju
Platform(s)GameCube, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance
Release
  • NA: October 15, 2003
  • EU: March 12, 2004
Genre(s)Action-adventure, platformer
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

The gameplay mostly consists of platforming obstacles and puzzles. The player has a health-meter represented by the feather on Tak's head. Tak's abilities are jumping, attacking, and a unique feature, the ability to interact with and get past obstacles with the help of animals.

  • Orangutans: Bend trees, then release them. If the player is standing on a specific leaf, they will be sent flying. This is usually to cross large gaps and chasms.
  • Rhinos: Can be guided to smash obstacles, usually walls, while being ridden by the player.
  • Monkeys: If attacked in some way, they will throw a coconut at whatever is nearest to them.
  • Emus: Controllable when ridden with a larger jump distance than Tak.
  • Sheep: Can be placed on treadmills to activate primitive contraptions such as doors and simple lifts.

When the player receives the Spirit Rattle, they gain access to the use of "Juju Powers" which are acquired by collecting tokens scattered around the environment. To restore Tak's health and mana the player must collect feathers, which are much more common in the environment than Juju Power tokens. The game heavily features collecting various other items. One of the game's developers said that the gameplay was based on Sly Cooper, the level design on the Jak and Daxter trilogy, and the humor of Ratchet and Clank which are all PlayStation exclusive franchises.

Plot

An ancient prophecy foretells that the Moon Juju, the kind protector of the Pupanunu people, would be weakened by the evil Tlaloc, an embittered Pupanunu shaman, so he could turn the Pupanunu people into sheep as revenge for not being made high shaman in favor of another shaman, Jibolba. The prophecy also mentions a great and mighty warrior trained by the high shaman who would restore the Moon Juju, defeat Tlaloc, and bring peace to the Pupanunu people.

Having escaped Tlaloc's spell, Jibolba believes his apprentice Lok to be the warrior of the prophecy and prepares to send him off; however, it appears that Lok has been turned into a sheep. Jibolba sends his younger apprentice, Tak (voiced by Jason Marsden), to find magical plants and change him back, though it turns out not to be Lok, but his squire Tobar. Jibolba tells Tak to obtain the Spirit Rattle, which allows the wielder to communicate with powerful Juju spirits to assist him, while he finds Lok.

Tak returns with the Rattle to find that Lok has been trampled to death by a herd of sheep. Jibolba has Tak collect 100 magic Yorbels and Lok's spirit from the spirit world, allowing him to successfully resurrect Lok. An unfortunate side-effect of the resurrection, however, is a severe case of diarrhea (or the "Resurrection's Revenge", as Jibolba refers to). Tak obtains the Moon Stones instead while Lok recovers, restoring the Moon Juju to full strength.

The Moon Juju reveals that the warrior of the prophecy is not Lok, but Tak, as he has already fulfilled almost everything the prophecy predicted. Using his arsenal of Juju spells, Tak defeats Tlaloc and turns him into a sheep, finally fulfilling the prophecy.

Development

Tak and the Power of Juju was developed by Avalanche Software for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance. The game was developed under the aegis of the Nickelodeon television channel, a precedent at the time because the game was not based on any of its then existing shows or films.

TV series
Main article: Tak and the Power of Juju (TV series)

Tak and the Power of Juju is a CGI television series that debuted on Nickelodeon on August 31, 2007. Tak and the Power of Juju consists of two eleven-minute stories per half-hour episode. It is Nickelodeon's first CGI series (produced in house) and the company's 31st Nicktoon. The series is directed by Mark Risley and Jim Schumann.

The television series tells of Tak and his friend, Jeera, including his master, Jibolba, and other characters. Tak is faced with the responsibilities of being a shaman as he daily has to save his village from villains. The series aired every Saturday and was not as popular as other Nicktoons, and cancelled its run on January 24, 2009, due to low ratings and mixed to negative feedback from critics and viewers alike.

Reception
Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
GBAGCPS2
Game Informer5/10[1]N/A6.75/10[2]
GameProN/AN/A[3]
GameRevolutionN/AN/AC[4]
GameSpotN/A6.8/10[5]6.8/10[5]
GameSpyN/A[6][7]
GameZone7/10[8]8.4/10[9]7.8/10[10]
IGN5/10[11]8.2/10[12]7.9/10[13]
Nintendo Power3.6/5[14]3.8/5[15]N/A
OPM (US)N/AN/A[16]
X-PlayN/AN/A[17]
The Cincinnati Enquirer[18]N/AN/A
Aggregate scores
GameRankings62.74%[19]73.90%[20]72.50%[21]
Metacritic60/100[22]71/100[23]68/100[24]

The game received "mixed or average reviews" on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[22][23][24]

References
  1. "Tak and the Power of Juju (GBA)". Game Informer. No. 129. GameStop. January 2004. p. 160.
  2. Lisa Mason (November 2003). "Tak and the Power of Juju (PS2)". Game Informer. No. 127. GameStop. p. 150. Archived from the original on November 9, 2005. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  3. The D-Pad Destroyer (October 15, 2003). "Tak and the Power of Juju Review for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 12, 2005. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  4. GR Chimp (December 2003). "Tak and the Power of Juju Review (PS2)". Game Revolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  5. Ryan Davis (October 28, 2003). "Tak and the Power of Juju Review (GC, PS2)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  6. Ray Barnholt (November 22, 2003). "GameSpy: Tak and the Power of Juju (GCN)". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  7. Ray Barnholt (November 22, 2003). "GameSpy: Tak and the Power of Juju (PS2)". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  8. Michael Lafferty (November 3, 2003). "Tak And The Power Of JuJu - GBA - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 4, 2005. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  9. Louis Bedigian (November 2, 2003). "Tak And The Power Of JuJu - GC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on June 6, 2009. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  10. Michael Knutson (October 28, 2003). "Tak And The Power Of JuJu - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  11. Craig Harris (October 29, 2003). "Tak and the Power of Juju (GBA)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  12. Mary Jane Irwin (October 13, 2003). "Tak and the Power of Juju (GCN)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  13. Mary Jane Irwin (October 14, 2003). "Tak and the Power of Juju (PS2)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  14. "Tak and the Power of Juju (GBA)". Nintendo Power. Vol. 164. Nintendo of America. December 2003. p. 151.
  15. "Tak and the Power of Juju (GC)". Nintendo Power. Vol. 164. Nintendo of America. December 2003. p. 138.
  16. "Tak and the Power of Juju". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Ziff Davis. December 2003. p. 178.
  17. Skyler Miller (December 1, 2003). "'Tak and the Power of Juju' (PS2) Review". X-Play. TechTV. Archived from the original on February 18, 2004. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  18. Marc Saltzman (January 9, 2004). "PC, console titles now designed for mobile play". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on November 6, 2007. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  19. "Tak and the Power of Juju for Game Boy Advance". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on September 9, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  20. "Tak and the Power of Juju for GameCube". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on September 9, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  21. "Tak and the Power of Juju for PlayStation 2". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  22. "Tak and the Power of Juju (gba: 2003): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  23. "Tak and the Power of Juju for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
  24. "Tak and the Power of Juju for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
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