A game is definitely more than the sum of its parts, yet especially in reviews, we tend to evaluate certain areas separately. For instance in Raccoon Rising, a reviewer might be completely blown away by the detailed art and clever use of 3d in the visuals, but totally be put off by the mechanics of the game itself.

With your home being attacked by robots, it's time to put those ninja raccoon powers to use. The gameplay revolves around vertical climbing. Tapping the screen will send you leaping in that direction, and progress is made by hopping back and forth across the screen until you hit the next checkpoint. Obstructing your path are such dangers as spikes, buzz saws and misplaced springs that can shoot you into said spikes if you're not careful (and while we're on the subject, just what is it with platformers and spikes anyway)? Slicing through a barrel or log can give you a momentary boost up, and tapping in mid-jump will quickly slam you into the nearest wall.

All in all the controls provide a good amount of fidelity. What becomes frustrating is the lack of leeway in a lot of the jumps. On your journey upward it's very easy for a misplaced jump to send you exploding into the spikes, sending you back to the checkpoint. While the punishment for failure is miniscule, some sections of the game can really try your patience, especially because you get the feeling that it isn't entirely just your lack of skill at fault here.

With that out of the way, let's discuss how much time Romper Games have spent on the visuals. Each level starts off with an impressive camera sweep in 3d, finally settling on the 2d plane for gameplay. The story segments are presented in a lush and detailed comic book style, and the visuals are just an all round delight.

So that's Raccoon Rising. If you're not tired of this style of platformer and the grievances addressed in this review don't phase you, give this one a look. It's got a great visual style and a butt-load of content. Plus, who doesn't like raccoons?