Over one year ago during E3 2014, Microsoft showed off a trailer for one of their upcoming titles called Project Spark. For those who don’t know, Project Spark is a creator driven game along the likes of LittleBigPlanet in which the game’s campaign mode is made entirely from the in game level editor. This makes it possible to perfectly re-create those levels, or even design your own. At the end of the trailer, everyone was greeted to a nice surprise; as it was announced that Conker the squirrel would be a playable character in some form or another. It was also announced that he’d be voiced by the creator of the Conker series himself, Chris Seavor.
Flash forward to about a year later, where it’s now revealed that the Conker content for Project Spark will be an episodic series of games along with creation assets, so fans can make their own Conker games. Now, even though the creation pack has been out for some time, I’ve only now gotten around to it, because Project Spark is celebrating their first successful year after launch. To commemorate this, many expansions and bundles are half priced including the Conker set. I figured I’d check it out since I had $5 in Xbox credit from pre ordering Rare Replay.
So, Is the Conker Play and Create Bundle a steal of a deal, or does it have the makings of another bad fur day? When you buy the Bundle you get 2 things. These include Conker’s Big Reunion Episode 1, and Conker: Hail to the Remix. Let’s start with Conker’s Big Reunion First.
The story of Big Reunion takes place 10 years after the events of bad fur day, but instead of being a direct sequel, it’s just a side story. The plot synopsis is as follows: 10 years have passed since the events of Bad Fur Day, and to celebrate, Conker is hosting a reunion for all of his friends at his favorite bar, The Cock and Plucker. Once he arrives, he is unable to enter because he is told by Birdy the Scarecrow that he has a $300 bar tab he needs to pay off. From there, Conker sets off on a brand new adventure to pay off his tab and join his reunion.
Art style & Sound
To start off with, the art style is very nice. The game takes a bit more inspiration from the original Bad Fur Day instead of Live and Reloaded. Environments are bright, and Conker and co. are very nicely re-designed to look a bit more simplistic, but also very detailed. Everything from Conker’s fur to Birdy’s loose hay, to even the Tediz fluff and hand stitched texture are really welcome and suit the characters very well.
Sound is also pretty top notch. Original BFD composer, Robin Beanland, returns, once again, to score Big Reunion. Most of them are just slight updates of previous Conker tunes but are still as catchy and memorable as ever. The voice acting is also top notch. Once again, Chris Seavor, creator and voice of everyone’s favorite squirrel himself, returns to voice the titular character himself and all of his friends. Seavor is just as sharp witted as ever and never misses a single joke or beat.
Gameplay
Gameplay is identical to Bad Fur Day. Conker can run jump and even use his tail helicopter to double jump and hover across large gaps. He also comes equipped with his trusty Frying Pan which he uses to clobber any Tediz in sight. There are 3 specific areas in this episode that you’ll be exploring; each of which comes with their own gameplay style.
There’s the Tediz secret hideout which consists of a first person shooter segment, and a battle that you could say is very BALLSY. The Tediz brewery, which focuses on platforming, and even getting drunk enough to bypass a wall of beer that is aggressively spraying you off the edge. 3rd and final, you have the Tediz lumberyard, in which you have to sneak your way through the forest Metal Gear Solid style and even face off against a chainsaw wielding maniac with a twist. There’s some more stuff in there, but I’ll save that for if you decide to play through it. The different gameplay styles are very welcome and help the game from becoming too repetitive and stale.
The only real downsides are that the game is on the very short side. It’ll only take you about 30 minutes – An hour to complete the game, and there really isn’t anything to go back to after you complete the episode. Other than that, Conker’s Big Reunion is a fun, if not short, fun tribute to the series. Hopefully we won’t have to wait much longer for the developers, Team Dakota, to make the 2nd episode.
Hail to the Remix
The last thing to touch upon is Conker: Hail to the Remix. This is the creation pack that you get when you purchase the play and create bundle. This creation pack comes with everything seen in Big Reunion Episode 1. Everything from Conker, to Birdy, to even Fajo the Money Wad is there. It even comes with the Windy Grasslands Biome used to make the setting for the episode. The creation tools are very extensive and have given way to some very cool community levels. I’d recommend trying out R.T and Conker’s Other Bad Day Tribute just to name a few.
You also get a Conker as a playable champion for some of the other modes in Project Spark including Crossroads Adventure and Champion’s Quest: Void Storm. In these modes, Conker comes equipped with his Baseball Bat that he used in Live and Reloaded and his trusty SMG. He also has a special ability you can activate. When you defeat enemies, they will leave behind a wad of cash which Conker can collect. Once Conker collects at least 4 of those, you can summon a giant Context Sensitive Button out of nowhere and unleash a devastating special attack. Depending on your level, your special attacks can be anything from Deadly farts and throwing flaming cocktails, to turning into a giant lizard monster and calling in poo air strikes.
Final Verdict
All in all, the Conker Play and Create Bundle is a love letter to all things Conker. People who have played Bad Fur Day, wanting desperately for a long awaited sequel won’t find that here. However, they’ll still find enjoyment in it. This is also great for people who need a quick Conker fix before Rare Replay comes out. I was able to snag it for only $5, but even $10 is a steal for this pack and definitely worth picking it up. What’s even better is that Project Spark is FREE on both Xbox One and PC.
So what are you waiting for? Get out there and create some awesome new Conker games!
Final Rating: Buy