Remember back in the day, when television didn’t suck? Remember in the early to late 90’s, when cartoons went through a renaissance era? I would always wake up on Saturday mornings to catch all the new episodes of my favorites. Nowadays, I can count the only good cartoons we have on one hand.

An example of a good cartoon

Max and the Magic Marker is very cartoony. From the main character, Max, with his big orange pompadour that would give Conan O’Brien a run for his money. The villain is a bumbling oaf, that looks almost like he could have been some kind of vegetable. And then of course, Max’s weapon, an orange felt tip marker that can materialize doodles to overcome puzzles and obstacles.

It’s been a while since WiiWare got an original IP. When I first caught wind of Max I thought, “Oh look, another Scribblenauts.” I was dead wrong. Max is a game all its own. In Scribblenauts you’re able to make anything appear by typing a word. Max makes you draw the objects yourself. Sure, there may not be as many possibilities, but it forces you to use your imagination.

Check out that pompadour! Eat your heart out Conan!

The visuals were the ones that caught my attention. It’s no secret I love cartoony graphics, and as I mentioned before, Max is very cartoony.  The game offers different worlds, and each of them is visually pleasing, despite minor changes between levels.

The soundtrack is awesome, if only because it’s accordion heavy. I don’t remember hearing any accordions in any game soundtrack, so hearing them was rather new to me, almost surprising. I only wish there were more songs. Every world seemed to only have one tune attached to it, no matter what level you were on.

This game is hard, plain and simple. I figured being able to draw my way out of any obstacle would be simple. Let’s just say, the physics engine is so good, you’ll be pulling your hairs out in some levels. The engine really is quite polished though, and handling Max and his marker are quite easy. Solving every levels puzzle? Not so much.

Max and the Magic Marker feels like a really awesome Saturday morning cartoon. The concept is creative, the visuals are stupendous, and the execution is charming and quirky.

The Awesome

-Cartoony Visuals, awesome antagonist and protagonist

-One of the most creative IP’s on WiiWare

-Polished Physics Engine

-Tons of levels at an excellent value

The Not So Awesome

-Some levels run together

-Harder than watching an entire episode of “Total Drama Island”

-Has a bit of a learning curve

Verdict

Despite minor flaws, Max and the Magic Marker is a breathe of fresh WiiWare air. The physics engine is as rigid as World of Goo, and the concept is as orginal as Lost Winds. And at 1000 WiiWare points, this innovative piece of awesome is quite the steal. Three words: Buy. This. Game.

Score: 9/10