In Disney Channel’s hit cartoon series, Phineas and Ferb, two boys (the title characters), try and cram as much outlandish fun as they can in the summer break before school starts. Now you and your kids can have one last summer bash with the gang and help them find artifacts for their backyard Museum of Cool Stuff (Wii version reviewed here).

Quest for Cool Stuff is a 2-D platform jumping adventure. Most of the time, you play as Phineas and Ferb as they pilot their walking drill robot machine so they can unearth treasures in various parts of the world. They can collect sprockets to buy upgrades and parts for their drill machine, and other goodies to complete quests and add to their sprocket score. They can hop on stone guardian enemies with a well-placed jump or spin attack, as well as drill through blocks, swing, or wall jump.

Every so often you’ll play as Phineas and Ferb’s pet platypus, Perry, who is actually a secret agent in disguise. Agent P. hops his way through similar platforming challenges in order to thwart the evil scientist Dr. Doofensmirtz from taking over the Tri-State Area. Perry’s moves are similar to the boys’, except he can’t drill. But Agent P. can switch into regular platypus mode in order to sneak past the doctor’s surveillance spotlights. And just like in the show, the boys’ plots and Perry’s adventures intertwine in a crazy way by the end of the game!

In the boys’ backyard you can view the cool stuff you’ve collected in your museum, spend sprockets to upgrade your drill machine with parts, paint colors, sound effects, and more. Talk to one of their friends for side quest challenges when they arrive. The game retains all the voices, music, and humor of the TV show. Perry’s levels are especially funny, and further proof that he should probably get his own game (oh wait, he did, it’s a mobile game called Where’s My Perry and it’s a spinoff of the Where’s My Water game, both of which are fun). Quest for Cool Stuff may be a bit short and repetitive, but it’ll please young fans of the cartoon anyway.

Kid Factor:

Phineas and Ferb: Quest for Cool Stuff is rated E for Everyone with an ESRB descriptor of Mild Cartoon Violence. The boys and Perry can stomp and spin attack stone guardians and robots, but they just disappear when defeated. Likewise, when the heroes take too many hits or fall into a pit, they just disappear and return to the last checkpoint before anything bad happens to them. Reading skill isn’t needed, as most of the game’s text is accompanied by voices straight from the cartoon show. Some very young players may need help with some of the tougher jumping challenges later on, though. But the difficulty is still pretty light, checkpoints are frequent, and you get unlimited tries.

Tags: Game Reviews, Television