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Overview
Take the role of the jaded Incan Emperor, Kuzco, in The Emperor's New Groove. Unfortunately, Kuzco has been turned into a llama. He eventually encounters a llama herder named Pacha, and now the emperor and Pacha must travel through villages, jungles, and rivers to reclaim the crown. On each level, Kuzco much search for items that open other areas of the stage for exploration. However, some areas are no-llama zones, and Kuzco will not be able to pass. Luckily, there are potions that will change him into a turtle, rabbit, or some other creature. For those who enjoyed the film, actual movie clips and voice work from David Spade help the game look and sound like the movie. All of the action and excitement of the Disney film comes home in The Emperor's New Groove.
Trivia & Facts
Star Dingo of GamePros website-only review commended the game's self-aware sense of humor and level variety, though they also noted the game's similarities to other 3D platformer games, concluding that "The Emperor may have found himself a brand new groove, but the gameplay sits squarely in the niche formed by a thousand other 3D games...".
Demo versions of The Emperor's New Groove on PlayStation were exhibited at the European Computer Trade Show in September 2000, alongside other upcoming games from Disney Interactive.
The PlayStation and PC versions of The Emperor's New Groove were developed using the same game engine as Croc 2, following Argonaut's common strategy of reusing game engines and development tools from their previously created games.
Argonaut developed The Emperor's New Groove at the same time as Disney's Aladdin in Nasira's Revenge, another 3D platformer also built from the Croc 2 engine.
Before its release on the PlayStation, Argonaut believed that The Emperor's New Groove had potential to be updated and rereleased on upcoming next generation consoles, but an updated game was never attempted.
Sam Kennedy of Electronic Gaming Monthly praised the game's presentation, noting that it had "wit and sarcasm" similar to the film it was based on, but was more critical of its gameplay, calling it "a mixed bag" and praising the level variety but criticizing the repetition of certain gameplay elements.