If you haven’t seen Adventure Time, it’s a peculiarly surreal children’s cartoon show, relating the adventures of Jake and Finn and their japes in the land of Ooo.

Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom, for the PS3, takes the pair into uncharted territories in search of three princesses in need of rescuing. The game is presented in a top down format and consists of a non-linear game play over a large map, which may feel a little limited as you have no idea of what the next section looks like. Thankfully there is a handy map which gives you the overall perspective on the playing area.

Along the way you will meet many of the characters from the show and the overall look retains much of the show's visual motifs. Primarily you play as the human, Finn, with poor old Jake starting life as Finn's personal shield. The additional characters provide jumping off points for side quests as they invariably need things hidden in the world.

It’s a pretty solid game. But then it is essentially The Legend of Zelda, leaning heavily of many of the game mechanics of its original. I suppose there is a case to be made that it’s a form of flattery and they have certainly chosen their model well. However, it does not make for the most original game and also means that a lot of the signature visuals from the show have had to be toned down to fit the format.

The majority of the time will find you fighting monsters, either in dungeons or on the open map, breaking open bushes and jars in the search for gold and goodies and solving fairly simple puzzles. The age seven on the front of the case is there for a reason and the game is at a level pretty perfect for its target audience.

Collect rubels, the games currency, and you can visit the Choose Goose Store where you can pick up the boomerang in the shape of a banana to supplement the grass sword that you’re originally provided with. It makes combat easier as you don’t have to get so close to the skeletons and knights. You can also purchase a plastic bag, which you will need to get into one of the castles. If you’re bored, you can also make a visit to the Pottery Barn, where you can smash jars to your heart's content, until you get removed by the Banana Guards.

For the most part the look of the show has been retained and this is helped by having the show's vocal actors providing the voices for the game. Plus they have added a few bells and whistles to the Zelda format to stop the game feeling like a rip off and more of a homage to an age of 8-bit games, which considering the show references games so much, it fits the overall feel of Adventure Time. On the down side there are only three main castles and a handful of side quests, so it’s not going to be the longest game you’ve ever played.

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Charles Packer