UFO Interactive’s Johnny character has been getting around lately. He’s been a Kung-Fu master, a sharp-shooting cowboy, and even starred in his own LCD Game & Watch style game. Now he’s taking on the evil Mr. Wang and his gang as a super spy in this 2-D stealth platformer, downloadable from the eShop on Nintendo 3DS.

As Johnny, you’ll infiltrate secret bases filled with traps and snares. Johnny can jump, crawl, and use special items he acquires, like a stun gun or night vision goggles. You have 30 minutes to get through the complex and stop a satellite from destroying the city. If you run out of time, it’s Game Over. Don’t get caught by robots, lasers, or spotlights, or you’ll trigger an alarm and must leave the room quickly or face the consequences. If you trip a surveillance device or get zapped by enemies, you can come back to life at the cost of a good chunk of your time.

On the bottom screen you can view a map of rooms you’ve already visited. You’ll have to collect keycards and codes to bypass certain doors, and even play a mini-game or two. I do like the sense of humor in the game, but the difficulty and high learning curve hinders the fun. All the rooms look the same, so it’s hard to navigate. Plus, in many rooms you have limited vision, which hurts the stealth gameplay. But if you enjoy stealthy games with a high dose of challenge, you might enjoy this one anyway.

Kid Factor:

Johnny Impossible is rated E for Everyone with an ESRB descriptor of Mild Fantasy Violence. Johnny can get shocked and knocked around like Wile E. Coyote on the Road Runner cartoons, but that’s it. Reading skill is helpful, and younger players may get frustrated at the high challenge level.

Tags: Game Reviews