Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 3 Night of the Quinkan is more of the same gaming fun that was present in the previous Ty 2 GBA game. There are plenty of boomerangs for fighting and lots of different vehicles to drive around, plus a plethora of upgrades to purchase later in the game. This is a bouncy, fun game, but there’s not a whole lot different from the previous Ty games. Still, for those who want more Ty, and for those who’ve never played a Ty game, this is a good platform experience, especially with the $20 price tag.

The story this time is that evil spirits known as Quinkan have invaded the land of the Dreaming and Ty must once again join forces with the Bush Rescue Squad to banish them forever. Basically, there are lots of baddies all named “***quin”. Ty will spend the majority of his time leaping from ledge to ledge, collecting opals and taking out the bad guys.

Ty can jump and glide, but not double-jump. This is sorely missed, as the glide leaves a lot to be desired as a means of locomotion to out-of-reach places. For those of us who are somewhat arcade-challenged, these jumps are frustrating, as Ty has to be standing just right in order to affect the correct gliding sequence. Kids will likely have a problem with many of these jumps.

Opals are the currency of the game, and are used in various stores scattered around for bigger and better ‘rangs, as the various boomerangs are called. Power-ups for the vehicles can also be purchased at stores. The price tag for the best weaponry is quite high, though, and will require lots of opals. Not to fear, though, as players can replay the finished levels again for more opals to take back into the next levels. And, bunyip stones that can be exchanged for berries (found lying around) will upgrade the ‘rangs that Ty has in his arsenal, too.

The vehicles are pretty cool, and consist of two robotic-type costumes, two flying machines and a “crabmersible” that moves around the map. The robots, called “bunyips,” are way cool.  They were present in Ty 2 in a limited fashion, but take up a much greater part of the gameplay in Ty 3. These play like “mech-warrior” type robots, and are quite fun to move around and blast the enemies with all sorts of great gadgetry. The airplane is fun to play, too, in a shooter-type mission. The crabmersible is more mundane, and basically serves the purpose of moving around from level to level.

The graphics are bright and colorful, and look nice and cartoonish. Everything is brightly lit and easy to see. Ty and his compatriots are animated very well and move fluidly, but the quins don’t seem to be drawn as well, for some reason. The sound effects are average, and the music is pretty forgettable.

Taken as a whole, this is an amusing platformer that features a variety of gameplay, with shooter missions and mech-warrior raids adding a good bit of diversity. The collection of opals becomes somewhat boring after awhile, but the exploration of various levels is fun enough. The jumping could be better designed, though. The game is attractive and will appeal to kids with its cartoon appearance and funny “down-under” terms and quips, but the jumping may be a little problematic.  At the same time, older gamers may find it too easy and short. Probably best for kids ages ten and up.

Gameplay: 8.0
Lots of variety adds an “oomph” to this game. There’s enough different types of levels to keep interest throughout the game. However, the game itself is rather short and there’s not a whole lot of exciting platforming going on.

Graphics: 8.0
Great graphics, we liked the look of the game.

Sound: 7.0
The sound effects are adequate, but the music could be better.

Difficulty: Medium
The game isn’t too difficult, and the bosses aren’t impossible to defeat. Ty’s jumping could be designed to be easier, though.

Concept: 7.0
There is nothing new here, but the execution is good.

Overall: 8.0
A cute and fun platformer with lots of variety. The item collecting could be more fun, but the other aspects are engaging, especially the bunyip machine levels. A good game for older kids who enjoy action and platforming that’s not too easy, but not too difficult, either.