Review: Paul’s Shooting Adventure

There I was inputing my code for the prepaid Wii/DSi points card given to me for my birthday, when all of a sudden a game by the name of Paul’s Shooting Adventure catches my eye. A baby superhero saving the world from an Alien race by shooting down as many of them as possible just sounded like something that was worth playing. If not for this strange setting alone, I may have not given this more than a single look. Guess the real question here has to be, is this a fun time in the crib, or a dirty diaper that nobody wants to go near?

Developer:ICM
Publisher:Agetec, Inc.
Genre:Side Scroller Shooter
Platform(s):DSiWare
Price:200 DSi Points ($2)
If you like: Old school shooting fun, babies, a charming premise, responsive controls, sometimes neccessary powerups, and saving the world from aliens.

There is no story to speak of here, all you need to know is that Paul is a baby superhero who lives in the ocean, which is being invaded by aliens, and he needs to get rid of them the only way he knows how, by shooting them down one by one. The premise here is simple, get from one end of a level to another, fight a boss, rinse and repeat until the game is over, and that’s about it. Controls are easy to understand, press the a button to shoot, hold it down for a charge shot, move with the d-pad, and switch between each powerup with the L and R triggers. Level designs are basic, yet very colorful and easy on the eyes, same goes for the character designs as well. Music and sound effects are acceptable, but nothing too special.



Paul’s Shooting Adventure is fun, yet really simple when it comes to how challenging each level is to complete. For the most part, repeatedly tapping the shooting button will get you through each stage in no time. There are other instances that occur in which a different attack will be required in order to get rid of certain types of enemies. For instance, using a long range weapon like a throwing stick may help take down the legs of a squid faster than a single projectile beam would. While this may change up things a little bit from time to time, more often than not, this will just make an already easy experience that much easier.

Replay value is almost non-existent here, because all players get for their hard work is a score ranking on a local leaderboard, but since this is a 2 dollar download, something like this is just a minor problem. The only other gripe I have with this adventure is that you have to constantly tap the a button to shoot, instead of just holding it down. My fingers became extremely tired after awhile, especially when there were certain stages that took me more than one try to complete. Since holding it down sends out a charge shot though, I guess it’s understandable why they didn’t make the controls work this way.

Paul’s Shooting Adventure is a simple, addicting, and very entertaining side scroller shooter that will appease new and seasoned gamers alike, especially those looking for a fun title at a discount price. A much better alternative to changing a dirty diaper, that’s for sure. (B+)

 - Matt H.