Bratz: The Movie

The Bratz: The Movie is the one in a long line of subpar movie licensed games. The game revolves around the four protagonists Yasmin, Jade, Sasha, and Jade. The group of teens seems to be passionate about one thing…shopping. The feminist crowd that has long railed against female stereotypes like Barbie must have somehow missed the Bratz.

The game was developed by Disney Interactive Studio and published by THQ. The game features four chapters. Each chapter allows you to control one of the four Bratz. The game's content mostly revolves around The Bratz favorite activity…shopping. Players will saunter through the mall snagging designer jeans or rollerblading around town to grab items while taking time to catch up on the local gossip.

Just For Girls

This game shamelessly targets its demographic with on the nose stereotypes. The game's narrative is simplistic to a fault. The developers do not even attempt to provide any depth of context. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. There have plenty of successful games that relied on gameplay alone. I mean a plumber trying to save his kidnapped girlfriend from a giant turtle is not exactly Shakespeare. The truly disappointing part of Bratz is that not only is it a failure as a storytelling mechanism, but it is also a failure as a game as well. It drowns the player in tedious repetitive activities that are not even much fun the first time around.

Plenty to Wear but, Nowhere to Go

The one place where this game does shine is its character customization. Bratz can hit the mall and try on a wide variety of cutesy tween outfits that will delight players looking for some digital dollhouse fun. Players can even purchase virtual pets and dress them as well. The game allows the player to mix and match a variety of different looks. Before you get judgmental; exactly how much time did you spend in the Fallout or The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim character creator getting your avatar just the right look? This kind of virtual dollhouses can be very appealing to players of both genders in the right context.

Not a Good Look

The game's graphics are frankly not good. The framerates are all over the place and the textures seem to tear easier than tissue paper. The cutscenes in the game do not suffer from this problem so it is obviously the engine's rendering capability that is to blame. Yet even the cutscenes are visually uninspiring.

Sounds Good to Me

One bright spot in this game, however, is its music. The music if light and spiffy and possesses positive messages appropriate for the age group. Just as with the character creation, the variety in the soundtrack is impressive.

Conclusion

The Bratz: The Movie inherits its dated and stereotypical view of pre-teen girls from its movie license and does nothing to improve upon it. The game has players complete uninspired tasks using subpar graphics and repetitive, boring gameplay. The game narrative lacks any attempt at depth but, given the subject matter that is likely expected. Where the game really shines is in providing players with a virtual dollhouse where they can customize the look of each one of the Bratz. It also features a family friend positive soundtrack that will have parents and young teens bopping along to upbeat tempos with reaffirming messages.

Pros

• Tween Girl Fun
• Great Virtual Dress Up
• Fun Movie Tie In

Cons

• Lack of Comprehendible Narrative
• Plenty of Technical Glitches
• Not Much to Do Except Get Dressed