Tak and the Power of Juju

This article is about the video game. For the television series, see Tak and the Power of Juju.
Tak and the Power of Juju
North American PS2 box art
DevelopersAvalanche Software (GCN, PS2)
Helixe (GBA)
PublisherTHQ
ProducerJohn Blackburn[3]
ArtistJeff Bunker[3]
WriterRandolph Heard
SeriesTak
Platforms
Release
GenresPlatform, action-adventure
ModeSingle-player

Tak and the Power of Juju is a 2003 platform game developed by Avalanche Software and published by THQ for the GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Game Boy Advance. The game was released in North America on October 15, 2003 and in Europe on March 12, 2004.

Gameplay

Tak and the Power of Juju is a platformer game in which the player controls Tak, who can jump, attack, and interact with animals to overcome obstacles. The player's health is represented by the feather on Tak's head and, along with mana, can be restored by collecting feathers found throughout the environment. After obtaining the Spirit Rattle, he gains access to "Juju Powers", which are acquired by collecting tokens scattered around the environment.

Plot

According to an ancient prophecy, the Moon Juju, the guardian of the Pupanunu people, will be weakened by the evil Tlaloc, an embittered Pupanunu shaman who seeks to transform the Pupanunu into sheep as revenge for not being made high shaman in favor of another shaman, Jibolba. However, a warrior trained by the high shaman will restore the Moon Juju, defeat Tlaloc, and bring peace to the Pupanunu.

In the present, Tlaloc transforms the Pupanunu into sheep and steals the Moon Stones, which the Moon Juju uses to protect them from evil. Jibolba escapes Tlaloc's spell and believes his apprentice Lok to be the warrior of the prophecy. However, as he prepares to send him off, he discovers that he has seemingly been transformed into a sheep. Jibolba sends his younger apprentice, Tak (voiced by Jason Marsden), to find magical plants and change him back, though it turns out not to be Lok, but his squire Tobar. Jibolba tells Tak to obtain the Spirit Rattle, which allows its wielder to communicate with Juju spirits, while he finds Lok.

Upon returning with the Rattle, Tak discovers that Lok has been trampled to death by a herd of sheep. Jibolba has Tak collect one hundred magic Yorbels and Lok's spirit from the spirit world, allowing him to resurrect Lok. However, since Lok suffers from diarrhea (or the "Resurrection's Revenge" as Jibolba calls it) as a side effect of the resurrection, Tak obtains the Moon Stones while he recovers, restoring the Moon Juju's power. The Moon Juju reveals that the warrior of the prophecy is not Lok, but Tak. Using his Juju spells, Tak defeats Tlaloc and transforms him into a sheep, fulfilling the prophecy.

Development and release

The concept for Tak and the Power of Juju originated at Avalanche Software as early as 1995,[4] inspired by a team member's dream of playing a video game with a witch doctor protagonist.[3] Initial concept art and pitches were developed by 1998.[4] Avalanche pitched the game to THQ, who in turn proposed the concept to Nickelodeon. After nine months of further refinements, the concept was sold to Nickelodeon.[3] Its development marked an innovative approach in creating an intellectual property for video games before expanding to television.[5]

Avalanche CEO John Blackburn listed Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Ratchet & Clank, and Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus as influences on the game, and looked to Super Mario 64, Yoshi's Island, and The Lost Vikings as examples for its design. The game's focus on humor was inspired by Looney Tunes, and was done to make the characters more easily likable and to broaden the game's appeal to all ages. Nickelodeon contributed story, character development, voice talent, and scripting by Randolph Heard, while Avalanche retained primary creative control due to Nickelodeon's lack of hands-on experience in game development.[3] Maryland-based band Wakefield recorded a cover of Iggy Pop's "Real Wild Child (Wild One)" for the soundtrack after playing a beta in-studio.[6]

The game had a marketing budget of $8.7 million.[7]

Reception

The game received "mixed or average reviews" on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[8][9][10] GameSpot gave both the GameCube and PlayStation 2 versions a 6.8 out of 10, writing, "Tak and the Power of Juju can serve as a decent platformer, but if you're in the market for one, it shouldn't be your first choice."[15] The game sold more than one million units.[30]

During the 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, Tak and the Power of Juju was nominated by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences for "Console Children's Game of the Year", but lost to Mario Party 5.[31]

Sequels and spin-offs

Main articles: Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams, Tak: The Great Juju Challenge, and Tak and the Guardians of Gross

The game spawned two direct sequels, Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams and Tak: The Great Juju Challenge, as well as two spinoffs based on the Tak television series, Tak and the Guardians of Gross and Tak: Mojo Mistake.

TV series

Main article: Tak and the Power of Juju (TV series)

Tak and the Power of Juju is an animated television series that debuted on Nickelodeon on August 31, 2007.[32] Directed by Mark Risley and Jim Schumann, it was the first CGI series to be directly produced in-house by Nickelodeon.[33]

References

  1. ^ "What's New?". Eurogamer.net. 2004-03-12. Archived from the original on 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  2. ^ Burnes, Andrew (2003-10-15). "Tak and the Power of Juju Out Now". IGN. Archived from the original on 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  3. ^ a b c d e GameSpot staff (October 17, 2003). "Tak and the Power of Juju Q&A". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  4. ^ a b IGN staff (October 15, 2003). "Tak Developer Interview". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on August 6, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  5. ^ Calvert, Justin (October 15, 2003). "Tak and the Power of Juju released". GameSpot. Fandom. Retrieved January 11, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ D., Spence (August 13, 2003). "Wakefield Tak(le) The Power of Juju". IGN. Retrieved January 11, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ Parisi, Paula (August 10, 2004). "Game points". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 3, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2024 – via Gale Research.
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  10. ^ a b "Tak and the Power of Juju for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
  11. ^ Reiner, Andrew (January 2004). "Reviews: Tak and the Power of Juju (GBA)". Game Informer. No. 129. GameStop. p. 160.
  12. ^ Mason, Lisa (November 2003). "Reviews: Tak and the Power of Juju (PS2)". Game Informer. No. 127. GameStop. p. 150.
  13. ^ GR Chimp (December 2003). "Tak and the Power of Juju Review (PS2)". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
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  18. ^ Lafferty, Michael (November 3, 2003). "Tak And The Power Of JuJu - GBA - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 4, 2005. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  19. ^ Bedigian, Louis (November 2, 2003). "Tak And The Power Of JuJu - GC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on June 6, 2009. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
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  21. ^ Harris, Craig (October 29, 2003). "Tak and the Power of Juju (GBA)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  22. ^ Irwin, Mary Jane (October 13, 2003). "Tak and the Power of Juju (GCN)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
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  24. ^ "Now Playing: Tak and the Power of Juju (GBA)". Nintendo Power. Vol. 164. Nintendo of America. December 2003. p. 151.
  25. ^ "Now Playing: Tak and the Power of Juju (GC)". Nintendo Power. Vol. 164. Nintendo of America. December 2003. p. 138.
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  28. ^ Saltzman, Marc (January 9, 2004). "PC, console titles now designed for mobile play". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on November 6, 2007. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  29. ^ Camron, Marc (Spring 2004). "Reviews: Tak and the Power of Juju". Pocket Games. No. 14. Ziff Davis. p. 48.
  30. ^ Douglass C. Perry (July 26, 2004). "Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams: First Look". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  31. ^ "2004 Awards Category Details Console Children's Game of the Year". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  32. ^ Ryan Ball (March 9, 2006). "Nick Dishes New Shows, Development Process". Animation Magazine. Animation Magazine, Inc. Archived from the original on August 28, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  33. ^ Rick DeMott (August 14, 2007). "Tak's Got the Power on Nickelodeon". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on October 6, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
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