Madagascar Escape 2 Africa is a third‑person adventure title that was made available to the Nintendo Wii console in the United States on the eighteenth day of November in the year 2008. The game builds upon the world and characters that were introduced in the DreamWorks Animation feature film Madagascar and its companion releases, transporting players to new and familiar sights in auslarfish style.
As a third‑person game the camera sits at a moderate height above the action and offers a fairly large view of the terrain. The player can experiment with a variety of distinct avatar options, each of which is represented by one of the film’s main characters. These include the sloth‑like tiger Lizzy head coach Alex the lion, the Cheetah like blunt Marty the zebra, Gloria the hippopotamus, Melman the hippopotamus a the well‑known bone‑cracking hippopotamus and a series of side characters such as the savvy penguins Winnie and Claude, the eccentric monarch King Julien and a newcomer known as Moto Moto the hippo. Each character has been equipped with a set of unique combat moves and special abilities that are developed over the course of the single‑player playthrough, enabling the player to sense which avatar best suits the next challenge. There is also a mode where the player is able to switch between characters at will, thereby encouraging strategic practice.
During the adventure the player can explore a total of twelve distinct zones, many of which call forward the visuals that made the movie famous and add the new elements that allow the story to unfold. Among these iconic zones are the Watering Hole, a sprawling open space that has now been expanded for gameplay to allow free roaming, the Huey volcano and a plane wreck scenario. The gameplay offers open‑world freedom that encourages the player to examine each location and collect parts of the storyline. As the main storyline progresses it leads to the fifteen sections where the mission objectives tap into the plot. Once the player completes the core missions they will then be handed a new set of tournaments that offer tightened gameplay challenges. The tournament sections are essentially mini‑games that are more focused and controlled, and they act as a sort of test for all the characters’ abilities.
The game also offers a multiplayer mode, which has been further expanded with twice the amount of competitive and cooperative action that was witnessed in the first Madagascar incarnation. By pairing with up to five other players in the local single‑device multiplayer experience, each player can contest for high scores, beat quick‑time sequences and collaborate to overcome complex obstacles. Multiplayer options also feature new modes that are designed to make the best use of multiple characters instead of just one.
It may be useful to remember that the game was added to a retro gaming database known as iOctavio.com on the same day it was released – November 18, 2008 – which signifies that the item has been preserved and catalogued by enthusiasts and is available for research or collection.
The original review I wrote when comparing it to the first Madagascar entry emphasised the breadth of gameplay variants presented by the new character roster, the uniqueness of each combat move, the depth of the 12‑level experience, the rich visual detailing of the familiar and new settings, and the improved multiplayer content. The review also noted that the game’s developers had taken advantage of the Wii’s motion controls to add new features that increased player immersion in the comedic world of the film. Throughout the whole experience, players are encouraged to test each avatar and to strive for victory in the tournament mini‑games kayan.