Sprung (video game)

Sprung is a video game for the Nintendo DS. It was released in North America on December 7, 2004. Sprung puts players in the shoes of either Becky or Brett who try to get an NPC of the opposite sex to fall in love with them. Players "flirt" their way through conversations; player responses influence the resulting NPC dialogue. Sprung can be regarded as a dating sim, though the linearity and variety in the game (as well as its humor) lend it more to being an adventure game. The working title for Sprung was Crush.[1] Two spin-off mobile games were later released featuring characters from Sprung; Love Triangle: Dating Challenge was released in 2005 followed by Heartbreakers in 2006.[2]

Sprung
North American boxart
Developer(s)Longtail Studios
Publisher(s)Ubisoft
Composer(s)Tom Salta
Platform(s)Nintendo DS
Release
  • NA: December 8, 2004
  • EU: March 11, 2005
Genre(s)Adventure
Dating Simulation
Mode(s)Single player

Story

Brett and Becky have been friends for as long as they could remember. They go on a trip to a ski resort as an attempt to find love, have fun, and seek new opportunities. Brett is torn between his long-standing crush on Becky and desire to play the field. Brett tries to navigate love on the mountain with a zany cast of eligible bachelorettes while helping his close friends Danny and Lucas with their own mischief. Along the way, he has to deal with Elliot and Conor, two pretentious men who are richer, more charming and more famous than him. In Becky's story, she uses the vacation as an escape from her recent ex-boyfriend Sean only to have him arrive at the same time. After dramatically telling him off, she pursues a career in waitressing or modeling, and focuses on her relationships with her friends, advancing her career path, and finding love while on the mountain.

Critical reception

Sprung received "generally unfavorable reviews" according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[3] Praise was given for the game's comedic writing, with Nintendo World Report calling the game "bizarrely fun" and writing "only someone who hates comedy could dislike this game".[12] The Sydney Morning Herald called it "always entertaining and occasionally hilarious."[16] The game's dialogue-based gameplay received mixed reviews. eToychest called it "surprisingly addictive" and described it as "amusing and well-written" but remarked that the gameplay could "alienate some gamers who do not have an affinity for games whose primary game mechanic is based around retention."[14] In a mixed review, GameSpot described the gameplay as "frustrating" but the art as "fairly smooth and effective."[8] IGN also praised the game's animation, calling it "incredibly well done, almost feature film quality".[10] The game was criticized for its minimal use of the Nintendo DS's touch screen.[4][17]

In a retrospective review, Sprung was again praised for its writing and humor by Rice Digital. The publication described the game as a "movie plot turned interactive" and a unique release for its time.[17]

See also

References
  1. Harris, Craig (October 7, 2004). "First Info: Crush". IGN. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20051020195927/http://www.gameloft.com/product.php?product=74&game=10671&navigation=overview&product_name=Love+Triangle+%3A+Dating+Challenge&clid=39
  3. "Sprung for DS Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  4. Parish, Jeremy (December 14, 2004). "Sprung". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2009. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  5. EGM staff (January 2005). "Sprung". Electronic Gaming Monthly (187): 140.
  6. Mason, Lisa (January 2005). "Sprung". Game Informer (141): 149.
  7. Silverman, Ben (December 21, 2004). "Sprung Review". Game Revolution. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  8. Davis, Ryan (December 14, 2004). "Sprung Review". GameSpot. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  9. Theobald, Phil (December 16, 2004). "GameSpy: Sprung". GameSpy. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  10. Harris, Craig (December 14, 2004). "Sprung". IGN. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  11. "Sprung". Nintendo Power. 188: 114. February 2005.
  12. Shughart, Ty (December 27, 2004). "Sprung". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  13. Van Leuveren, Luke (August 7, 2005). "Sprung Review". PALGN. Archived from the original on October 6, 2009. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  14. "Sprung". eToychest. Archived from the original on December 13, 2004. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  15. Schaefer, Jim (December 26, 2004). "DOUBLE TROUBLE: New DS games lack the originality to fill two screens". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on December 28, 2004. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  16. Hill, Jason (March 3, 2005). "Fast and fluid". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  17. "Sprung: The dating sim that has aged like fine wine?". Rice Digital. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.