Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Wrath of the Darkhul King

The Video Game Critic (B-)

The cemetery, museum, and forest locations are mildly interesting, but the city areas tend to be repetitive and dull. Likewise, the underground crypts look like every platform game you've ever played, with their maze-like layouts and spiked pits. The production values are commendable, with a foreboding soundtrack and impressive cut-scenes. Not only do these scenes feature still photos of the show's actors, but there's a lot of funny text dialogue to go along with them. It's not for everyone, but fans of the television show may be pleasantly surprised.

neXGam (6.3 out of 10)

Buffy - Im Bann der Dämonen: König Drakhuls Zorn ist ein klassisches "Mittelmaß-Spiel". Bei dem ganzen Lizenzschrott, der uns um die Weihnachtstage ins Haus geflattert ist, weiß man es aber mittlerweile doch ein wenig zu schätzen, wenn ein Spiel sich zumindest gering aus diesem Sumpf hervor hebt. Wie auch immer... Spaß macht das Pfählen der Dämonen auf jeden Fall. Schade nur, dass aufgrund der Steuerung und der nicht ganz ausgereiften technischen Seite oft frustrierende Momente auftreten. Außerdem seht ihr nach knapp 4 Stunden den Abspann - und ich bezweifle, dass ihr danach nochmal Lust habt, das ganze in einem anderen Schwierigkeitsgrad durchzuspielen.

Game Chronicles (5.7 out of 10)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Wrath of the Darkhul King is regrettably a poor way to celebrate the end of one of the hippest shows on the WB/UPN. What little gameplay there is on this cartridge is mindless and not very fun. Save your money and apply it toward the Buffy season box sets when they release on DVD.

Game Over Online (52 out of 100)

I can't really claim to know Buffy as I'm not actually a big fan, so I'm not sure how real Buffy fans will treat the Darkhul King. I found it to be too tepid, the action too benign and the adventure too unforgettable to be one worth taking on. If you really want to rekindle Buffy ex post facto the end of the show, you might want to try the games on the bigger consoles to get your fix. Otherwise, you might as well stick to the tapes, as the only thing this game's slayer has in common with the show is the blond hair. Without the hair, this would be no more than a mediocre platform game.

GamerDad ( )

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Wrath Of The Darkhul King is not a horrible game, it's just generic, dull, and braindead. Instead of spicing-up the proceedings, the Buffy The Vampire Slayer license only further highlights the flaws of this title. It's completely uninspired plot would have never made the first-cut of any Buffy writers meeting, and this will instantly show-through to any fan who plays it. This is a mildly diverting game for a couple hours, and that is all it is. Anyone who is itching for a Buffy title to fill the void left after the show ended should pass and wait for something that stays closer to it's primetime roots.

Jeuxvideo.com (10 out of 20)

C'est une bien mauvaise surprise que cet épisode de Buffy sur Gameboy Advance. Sa réalisation peu soignée et son intérêt de jeu quasi inexistant en font une cartouche à oublier rapidement. La GBA regorge de très bons jeux d'action plates-formes, orientez plutôt votre choix vers ceux-là !

Defunct Games (C)

The Slayer's outing on the Game Boy Advance frustrates me. The combat is almost as good as in the Xbox games, but the platforming feels like it was spawned from a Hellmouth. It may be worth playing for hardcore Buffy fans, but others should just give it to Giles and forget about it.

GameSpy (45 out of 100)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a wonderful TV show that explored the emotional lives of its cast of characters to a degree rarely seen in any form of visual entertainment, while cleverly disguising those explorations beneath chop-socky action sequences; Wrath of the Darkhul King is a horrible side-scroller that can't even compare to such licensed-game "classics" as Yo! Noid and Wayne's World.

EAGB Advance ( )

Aside from the nicely digitized shots of the cast, which will no doubt please fans of the series, it's hard to find anything positive to say about this latest Buffy game for the GBA. To tell the truth, it bears nearly all of the annoying hallmarks of a typical TV tie-in game i.e. bland visuals, mediocre level design, unimaginative game play, crappy music and etc. and etc. and etc. All in all, Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Wrath of the Darkhul King, is nothing more than a rushed attempt at capitalizing on the Buffy name. Hopefully, Buffy herself will drive a stake through this cart and put it out of its misery. Recommended only for the die-hard fan.

IGN (4 out of 10)

The game just doesn't feel like it was handled by a competent Game Boy Advance design team; the collision detection in the combat engine is a bit wonky since some punches connect but others don't...and it's not exactly fun to miss stabbing someone in the chest by only a pixel or two when they're down on the ground. The in-game graphic style, full of awkward angles and poorly-drawn sprites, does nothing to "wow" gamers with special effects, and the scrolling perspective is actually hard to follow since due to the designers creating platforms that move deeper into the background for no real reason.

GameSpot (3.8 out of 10)

All in all, THQ dropped the ball with Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the Game Boy Advance. The game itself is a generic and frustrating side scroller that could have been much better had it spent a few more weeks in development. Likewise, more work should have gone into tying the game into the television show. There's nothing uniquely Buffy about the game, and that makes playing it that much more painful.

Jeux Vidéo Magazine (7 out of 20)

Fans de Buffy, un bon conseil : gardez plutôt votre argent pour la prochaine saison en DVD, certainement plus palpitante que ce titre insipide et carrément poussiéreux.

Digital Entertainment News (den) (3.1 out of 10)

If you forgot what used to make 2D sidescrolling games suck (not in a vampiric way), look no further. Even Buffy die-hards will be hardpressed to love it.

64 Power / big.N / N Games (21 out of 100)

Von diesem GBA-Spiel sollten selbst beinharte Buffy-Fans ihre Finger lassen. Ein Sidescrolling-Prügelspiel der stupidesten Art, inhaltsleer wie ein Sarg bei Mitternacht und stumpf wie ein abgenutzter Vampirzahn. Eure einzige Spielfigur ist die Jägerin persönlich. Willow, Xander und der Rest des Vampir-Killer-Kommandos tauchen nur in Standbildern auf. Die Gegner sind dumm wie totes Fleisch, kommen allesamt wie blöd auf einen zu gerannt und lassen sich mit pausenlosem Hämmern auf die GBA-Tasten problemlos pulverisieren. Richtig frustrierend sind die vielen Fallen und Jump‘n‘Run-Passagen, die wirklich pixelgenaue Bewegungen erfordern. Trotzdem hat man die 16 Level in weniger als einer Stunde durch und das Grauen hat ein Ende.

Gaming Age (F)

I can't think of a single positive thing to say about Buffy. It's boring, unoriginal, ugly, takes only an hour or so to finish, and falls far short of the mark. Even if you're a hardcore Buffy fan, I wouldn't recommend this sorry excuse for a game to you. Save your money and buy something worthwhile instead. If you absolutely need a vampire game, check out Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, which is infinitely superior. Just remember, whatever you do, stay away from Buffy. If you see it on store shelves and are even remotely tempted to buy it at the budget price...don't. Trust me, it's THAT bad.