Jambo! Safari Ranger Adventure

Using your Wii console to simulate a safari park is a great concept. Imagine the fun you could get up to in a safari simulator, where the park is yours to roam and the animals run free. As a new recruit in the safari park, your mission is to save sick animals and take part in the daily running of the attraction. Sounds like great fun, so how does the whole concept realistically work on the Wii?

The first main point to note is that Jambo! Safari: Ranger Adventure is aimed at younger players. The immediate indication of this is that one of the first options asks you to choose a difficulty between “easy” and “hard”, where “hard” is for ages 10+. But that’s fine, I take this as an opportunity to go back to basic gaming and enjoy being a big kid!

The aim of the game is to treat sick animals within the safari park, as well as take part in missions along the way, in order to become an official park ranger. There is plenty to learn and practise at, especially at the beginning of the game, where your character will learn how to drive the car and carry out tasks inside the ranch.

In Single Player mode, firstly you choose a character, and from then on it is your job to get 10 certificates to qualify as a ranger. There is a “home” area known as the Ranch, where animals that you catch will stay in the Animal Enclosure. There is also a Garage where your car can be customised, My Place that allows you to customise your character and view your awards, and a Park Map that can be referred to before going out into the main park.

So then you get to learning the ropes of the game, which is when you realise that actually it could all become a bit repetitive and won’t be half as easy as you first imagine. Mostly, you will spend time trying to handle your vehicle, which has no sense of steady acceleration or braking. The Nunchuk is used to steer, accelerate and brake in the jeep while the Wii Remote is used to carry out all other tasks, the biggest of those being to catch the sick animals but using just a rope and a net. The actions include twisting the Wii Remote as if it were a rope (only in the hard mode), and then throwing your arm forward as if to throw the rope. This is a great method of control and really puts the Wii Remote to good use.

Catching the with the rope isn’t the problem, but throwing the net can prove a bit tricky and after a few goes it gets a bit frustrating. You must keep in control of the vehicle whilst pulling the rope with just the right strength (using the B button), and then when there is a white ring around the animal you can throw your arm forward to throw the rope. But you have to be fairly accurate with the throw and I can see many 10-year-old children getting a bit angry (well, if they’re anything like I was at that age!).

In my opinion, the best and most amusing reward for catching the animals is the rather entertaining animation that shows your character wresting with wild beasts such as lions, giraffes and ostriches with bare hands. This character has to be one of the bravest in computer game history! On the other side of the coin, there is the sense that whilst chasing the animals they are become distressed. It is very difficult to drive towards animals slowly given that your vehicle is not able to do so, and not to come to their attention. It would be much better if the animals did not have to be chased at such a high speed and then grabbed with a giant net. Or maybe I was doing it wrong?

The main point is to catch unhealthy animals, but you can also capture healthy ones and give them some “Nurturing”, as well as give them silly names of your choice.  You can tell what the status of the animal is while you drive around the park by using the Wii Remote to point at the animal. There will also be an emoticon above the animal when it is in a particular mood, which is all explained in the instruction manual. When you do encounter injured or sick animals, you will be guided as to what treatment to give them and what actions to make with the Wii Remote or Nunchuk. There are a few minor flaws in this area, for example I was told I had rubbed enough ointment into a lion’s thorn ridden side, there was clearly a large patch that was untreated. I’ll admit though, I am nitpicking because actually when you keep in perspective that this is a children’s game then it’s fine.

There are a few obvious problems in this game that make it slightly less believable, but then considering that it is aimed at a younger audience, these small matters can be forgiven. For example, there are no consequences to running over animals, crashing the car into rocks or wrapping ropes round trees. While it could be interesting to watch kids being careful not to hit a tree, I suppose it’s supposed to be a fun offering for them to concentrate on making animals better, and not to avoid a trip to the local garage to foot a hefty bill. There are also some long loading times that do slightly detract from what you were aiming to do in the first place.

If you want a change from the main game, there are Party Games for 2-4 players; Ostrich Racing, Jam Ball, Stone Skipping and Meerkat Mayhem provide good laughs, even if they do lack a little bit of substance. All of these make very good use of the Wii Remote and its motion sensor, which is a great addition to make sure that these games are not forgotten about as mini-games sometimes can be.

There is also a multiplayer option in the main game, which can be joined at any time (apart from when a mission is being completed) by a second player turning on another Wii Remote. This is useful for catching animals within the main part of the safari park, as the first person is in charge of driving the jeep and both players can catch the sick animals.

All in all, this is a good starting point for young Wii players for many reasons. It will teach them many new Wii controls as well as maintain their interest for a significant amount of time, especially with the addition of Party Games and co-op play mode. There is also a portion of education when in the Animal House, with information cards about the animals, so the important species information is not forgotten by Sega. Older players would get bored I think, especially with the repetitive nature of catching the animals. It’s definitely one for the kids, but I don’t see that as a problem, in fact I think it’s quite a good concept to keep them occupied without the need for violence and anger!

+ Good opportunities to progress as a Park Ranger
+ Colourful and fun scenery
+ Good use of Wii Remote controls

- Catching animals can be repetitive
- Controls for jeep could be better
- Loading times can be slow

SCORE – 7/10