Having just become a father for the first time in October I suspect I’ll be playing a lot more child friendly titles on my Xbox One, so what better way to start things off by checking out Ben 10 on Xbox One.

Developed by Torus Games, Ben 10 is based on the popular Cartoon Network show conveniently titled “Ben 10”, which follows the adventures of a boy called Ben Tennyson who has the ability to transform into various aliens with differing powers. All in all, there are 10 alien forms to choose from, with only 4 available from the off including Four Arms and Heatblast. There are also special areas for these specific aliens to unlock, which means you may need Four Arms’ super strength to tear open a gate for example.

Ben 10 Four Arms ripping gate open
Four Arms has his uses.

The game itself is set across the length of three episodes, in which Ben faces the likes of Queen Bee, Zombozo and the Weatherheads – some crazy robots wearing suits. The overall length of each episode is fairly short and in terms of value for money it probably wouldn’t warrant it.

Each level is selected from the camp site where Ben’s grandpa Max and Gwen have set up pitch in the Rust Bucket camper van. I believe the villains are also from the TV show, having only seen a few episodes from a few years ago I can only assume so, but each super villain features their own individual boss battle with cut-scenes.

Ben 10 alien selection screen
Ben 10 has 10 aliens to play as, each with their own unique abilities.

Cut-scenes and acting throughout was generally poor, with very little attempt at humour which was something I normally expect from a children’s game. The graphics are also vibrant with a comic art direction. I do feel like there could have been better and more animations for attack moves though, just to give combat more strength and muster.

Generally the game’s combat felt a little sluggish and too basic, with input lag on the controller leading to a difficulty in linking combos. Very often you would press Y to dodge then follow up with an attack but this wouldn’t follow, despite spamming the attack button. However, what was satisfying were the Ultimate Attacks, which kill everything on screen – well most of the time, although one pesky enemy always seems to avoid it somehow. Overall I would say the combat is what you would expect for a game aimed for children and it does the job well enough. I’ve played much worse in the past, believe me.

Overall, I would say that the game felt very short going through the episodes and within about 2 hours I had finished all the episodes and the only thing I had left to do was find the collectible SUMO cards on each level. Other than that, there’s really no other reason to keep playing which is a shame and a common mistake made by a lot of games.

Ben 10 isn’t going to push the boundaries for graphics or story. It also isn’t going to win any awards either, but it is a fairly solid game aimed for fans of the show and children.

CX Score – 55%

Pros

  • Ties in well with Ben 10 show
  • Very easy to play

Cons

  • Input lag on controls when attacking
  • Relatively short and no replay value
  • Combat system too basic
CX Score
  • 55%
    CX Score - 55%
55%

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