Tak and the Power of Juju is a platformer about the unlikely hero Tak who is trying to save his people, the Pupupunu, from an evil magician, Tlaloc, that has turned Tak’s tribe into sheep.  Ridiculous story aside, Tak and the Power of Juju hit Playstation and Gamecube consoles already, and the Game Boy Advance version offers a completely different experience from its console brethren. 

The first difference that gamers will notice is that Tak goes from the 3D quest on the consoles to a side-scrolling adventure.  Each area will consist of a number of stages, a la Super Mario Bros.  Much like its counterparts, however, there still is a lot of collecting, although a lot of it is superfluous and not essential for advancement.  For example, in the corner there is a number that tells gamers how many sheep (transformed tribesmembers) are on each stage.  Tak can find all of these sheep, or he can advance without finding one.  The game doesn’t particularly reward or punish you for this decision, which makes the collection aspect of the game seem unnecessary, an added on as a whim to complete the story.  The exploration element from the console version is all but destroyed by the side-scrolling formula, and the game, which was fairly easy before, is made much simpler because of this trade-off.  Also, the emphasis on jumping has also been lessened, although not completely abandoned. 

The story is largely untouched, although it is shrunken for its new housing.  The tale still progresses in mostly the same way, with Tak, a young awkwardly cartoony but still strangely endearing tribesman of the Pupununu people being thrust into the role of his people’s savior. 

The graphics are simple, but well-done.  Don’t expect the rich visuals of the console version however.  Still, for a side-scroller, the graphics are more than adequate.  The music is simple and functional, but not memorable, a trait that it shares with the console version.

One distinct change from the console version is that Tak begins with his fairly weak pea-shooter, and must find the more powerful club later in the game.  On the console version this is reversed, with Tak beginning with the club and later being able to use the pea-shooter, though in a much more diverse capacity, such as aiming at faraway targets in addition to foes.