Down to the Woods (video game)

Down to the Woods is a 3D action-adventure platforming video game developed by Ministry Interactive Software and published by Cradle Network. It was released for the PlayStation 2 on 13th February, 2004, with a Xbox port following two months later.

Plot
Set in an old-fashioned village (though seemingly taking place in modern times, as televisions and game consoles are seen and mentioned), ten year-old mischievous troublemaker Gwendolyn is warned about Malicious Mick, supposedly the nastiest robber in the kingdom. Gwendolyn encounters Mick, and guides him to the village after he bribes her with a chocolate bar. Mick proceeds to steal from the village's people and also kidnaps Gwendolyn's brother, Hyd, when he gets in Mick's ways. Feeling guilty about what she has done, Gwendolyn goes forth to rescue Hyd. On the way, she meets some new people and begins to warm up to the friends she makes.

Gameplay
Down to the Woods is a 3D action platformer. Playing as Gwendolyn, the player travels thrpugh a large selection of levels, each of which have standard platforming levels as well as minigames.

The standard platforming levels play similar to other games in the genre. Gwendolyn starts off the game mostly helpless, being only able to move and jump. Eventually, the player is given weapons, such as a frying pan and taser, which allows them to attack enemies. Gwendolyn can also come across upgrades which allow her to do actions such as a double jump. Only one weapon and upgrade can be equipped at a time - the player can open a menu to toggle which ones Gwendolyn has equipped.

It is impossible for the player to die, as getting hit simply stuns Gwendolyn and/or cause a comical animation to play, whilst falling off the stage simply causes Gwendolyn to get carried back onto the stage. However, the Xbox version allows the player to earn Platinum Stars next to each level - in order to earn a Platinum Star, the player must beat the level without taking damage.

The PlayStation 2 version has the player immediately travelling from one level/minigame to another. The Xbox version, meanwhile, has a map which shows the player's progress.

Collectibles
The game's main in-game collectibles are Forest Coins. Gwendolyn drops ten every time she gets hit (though she can still pick them up before they disappear after a few seconds). Collecting Forest Coins and bringing them to the end of the level saves them in the player's inventory. The player can use their Forest Coins to purchase content for the game's Party Mode. Collecting all the Forest Coins in a level awards the player with a Tree Bottle Cap Badge.

Time Attack mode
After completing the game, players unlock Time Attack mode, where they can replay previously beaten levels and try to beat each one in the fastest time possible. It also gives the player another chance to earn a Platinum Star and Tree Bottle Cap Badge if they were unable to collect either the first time.

Levels
An asterisk (*) indicates a minigame.
 * Village Path
 * Sunset Stroll
 * River Ride*
 * The Burgulars' Hideout
 * vs. Nasty Nasal
 * Skate 'n' Scamper *
 * Spooky Town
 * Confusing Corridors*
 * vs. King Ghouly
 * Mushroom Mountain
 * Deer Dash*
 * The Gingerbread House
 * vs. Wicked Witch
 * Cold Cliff
 * The Great Icy Slide*
 * Sewer System
 * Rat Labyrinth*
 * Underground Railway
 * Abandoned Arts
 * vs. Magic Maniac
 * Victory Valley
 * Hang Glide Heights*
 * Sneaky Stairway
 * Radical Race*
 * Final Floor
 * vs. Malicious Mick

Party Mode
In addition to the game's main single player mode, Down to the Woods also features a multiplayer mode which allows up to four players to compete in a variety of modes. Players play as different colour-coded versions of Gwendolyn, and can unlock more outfits by purchasing them with Forest Coins.

There are two different modes the player can choose from, Races, which feature the players racing through shorter versions of the game's levels, and Challenges, where the players compete to score the most points in minigames. Additionally, the players can compete in Battle Cups, which each feature three races and two challenges. More race levels and challenges can be unlocked by buying them with Forest Coins.

There are no computer players in Party Mode. If only one person is playing, they will always be considered a winner even if they score no points. Additionally, races will end automatically if not all players make it to the end within ten minutes.

Development
Development on Down to the Woods began in mid-2002, a short while after the release of Penny's Paradox World. The character of Gwendolyn was created as being sneaky and troublesome, with the idea that playing as a flawed protagonist would make the game more entertaining. The one-off segments and minigames were added into the game in order to stop it from appearing too similar to other platformers.

Down to the Woods features minor profanity, with the words "hell", "damn", "crap" and "piss" being said several times. This was supposedly done in order for the game to be awarded a higher rating and to prevent the idea that games produced by Ministry Interactive Software are only targeted towards little girls.

PS2 vs. Xbox

 * The Xbox version features additional shading and visual effects that are missing in the PS2 version.
 * The map showing the player's progress is exclusive to the Xbox version. The PS2 version simply takes the player to the next level.
 * Platinum Stars earned for completing levels without taking damage are only included in the Xbox version.
 * A few additional platforms and barriers were added to certain levels in the Xbox version to make certain obstacles and challenges less frustrating.
 * In the PS2 version, the Party Mode has an additional menu where the player can choose between a two-player or four-player game (the latter requires a multi-tap plugged into the console in order to select it). The menu is completely absent in the Xbox version.

PAL vs. NTSC

 * As was common with video games at the time, the PAL version boots up with a language selection option, which is completely absent in the NTSC version.

Reception
By 2006, the PlayStation 2 version of Down to the Woods had sold a million copies, and had been included as part of the console's Greatest Hits selection.

IGN awarded Down to the Woods a 7.5 out of 10, noting that the game "wasn't anything too original" but had fun gameplay and had plenty of replay value thanks to its multiplayer. A few critics noted that the PlayStation 2 version felt a bit unpolished, but the Xbox version fixed most of its problems.

On Metacritic, the Xbox version holds an average rating of 75 based on 28 reviews, whilst the PlayStation 2 versions has an average rating of 67 based on 34 reviews.