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Madagascar for Nintendo DS
Madagascar for Nintendo DS is a side-scrolling platform game in which Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman leave their familiar zoo behind. Their journey takes them from New York to the island from the DreamWorks film. You run and jump through the different areas, collect coins and help the animal friends past enemies and obstacles. The touch screen lets you switch between the available characters. You can therefore immediately try which animal has the best way of getting past a difficult section.
Each animal brings its own moves. Gloria can swim, for example, while Alex uses his claws against opponents. You learn new actions along the way, allowing you to explore previously visited places again later. Keep an eye on coins that are still out of reach on your first visit. The main routes mainly use the buttons; short stylus activities change the pace in between. Cooperation between the four animals remains the central thread throughout their escape and island adventure.
You play the main adventure alone. The DS release also contains a separate minigame for two players through local DS Download Play. One Madagascar cartridge is enough, but both participants need their own compatible DS system. The additional systems are not included; a link cable is unnecessary. Playing through the main story together is not part of this two-player activity. To collect missed coins, you return to the levels in your own adventure.
Region and language
Our Nintendo DS games are European editions, unless stated otherwise. This product contains a loose cartridge for the European market. A box is only included if explicitly stated in the product details. We note any different region in the product details. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
This copy is the Dutch-market edition of Madagascar, with cartridge code NTR-AMGH-HOL. An English language option is not guaranteed for this edition.
Manual
With Madagascar for Nintendo DS, you receive a loose cartridge. A box and manual are not included unless we explicitly state otherwise in the product details. This is the standard way we supply this copy.
The history of Madagascar
Activision released Madagascar in 2005 alongside the first DreamWorks film about four animals from the Central Park Zoo. Vicarious Visions developed the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance games, while other studios made the console and PC releases. The handheld adaptation chose side-scrolling platform routes. This gave the same animals and locations a different playing format from the three-dimensional console versions, focusing on switching characters and using their individual moves.
Madagascar arrived early in the Nintendo DS's life, when developers were looking for ways to combine existing handheld genres with two screens. The game built on the platform approach of its GBA counterpart and used the stylus for actions including selecting an animal. Short touch-screen activities were added too. Most of the journey continued to rely on buttons, so the new input complemented ordinary movements without constantly changing the entire control scheme.
The four main characters give the adaptation a recurring pattern. You encounter an obstacle, choose an animal and try its new ability. Later moves also provide a reason to revisit familiar routes. Alongside the escape from New York and meetings with the island's residents, there was room for short side activities. The local two-player minigame is separate from that journey. This original DS release therefore combines a single-player story with a small wireless extra.
Similar games for Nintendo DS
Charlotte's Web on Nintendo DS likewise turns a film about animals into a platform adventure with collecting and short minigames. Wilbur and Templeton help farm residents and collect objects connected to their story. Madagascar more often lets you switch directly between four animals to use their physical abilities. Both give familiar figures concrete tasks, but Wilbur's calm farm activities and caring differ from the escape and obstacle courses featuring Alex and his friends.
New Super Mario Bros. for Nintendo DS, like Madagascar, revolves around side-scrolling running, jumping and finding secrets. Mario gains different abilities from powers such as the Mini Mushroom or Blue Koopa Shell, whereas Madagascar distributes its differences across four animals. With Mario, you therefore consider which power to keep; with Madagascar, you consider which character you need now. Mario's routes generally place greater emphasis on precise jumps between moving hazards.
Yoshi's Island DS ties different abilities to the babies riding on Yoshi. Deliberately choosing another partner resembles switching between Madagascar's animals. Yoshi also uses eggs as aimed projectiles and explores levels stretching across two screens. Madagascar stays closer to a film's events and locations and lets you directly control another animal, while new moves help you collect coins that were previously out of reach.
Kirby: Mouse Attack on Nintendo DS likewise offers side-scrolling exploration where new abilities open extra passages. Kirby gains them by inhaling enemies and copying powers; Madagascar teaches its fixed animal friends new moves. With Kirby, you also experiment with fire and ice in the surroundings. In Madagascar, the solution usually relates to the animal itself, such as using Gloria when water blocks the group's path.
Drawn to Life for Nintendo DS combines platform levels with touch-screen actions, just like Madagascar. The main difference lies in its creative approach: you draw your own hero and all sorts of objects before they appear in the game world. Madagascar uses the fixed film cast and lets you use the stylus for actions including switching animals. In Drawn to Life, the freedom therefore lies in the appearance of your creations; in Madagascar, it lies in making use of different moves.
