From time to time, the game will break up the running and fighting to put you in a special scenario or give you control of a new character. For instance, sometimes you will take control of a ballista and use fireworks to blast away enemies or arrows to remove obstructions in your path. Also, there are several quick-time button pressing minigames, as well as whole levels where you take control of either on of the Furious Five or their mentor, Master Shifu. Normally, a game like this can get boring with mechanics that become repetitious, but Kung Fu Panda manages to keep things fresh by constantly throwing new challenges your way.

Some might complain that the title is too short, and it will feel like no sooner do you put it in that it’s over. I didn’t feel that way at all and in fact believed the length to be quite fitting for a game aimed at a younger crowd. Furthermore, for those looking to elongate the experience, there are a number of side missions and collectibles to track down, so the game can be stretched a bit. More important than a game’s length is its pacing and Kung Fu Panda never once felt like it was dragging its feet or rushing through things; it all flows along perfectly.

In addition to the single-player mode, the game features a rather robust multiplayer, with gameplay options varying from your standard 4-person free-for-all, to Kung Fu Panda-themed Reversi and Mahjong. There are over a dozen multiplayer modes in all, but there is a catch; actually, two of them. First, there is no online player for Kung Fu Panda at all… none. This is a purely local affair, so unless you have 4 controllers and an equal number of interested parties, this mode might not see much use. Second, virtually all the multiplayer content must be unlocked by finding hidden coins in the single-player game. While a good number of the coins are fairly obvious to spot, others are hidden quite well and could be hard for a younger gamer to track down. Therefore, some might not be able to access all the multiplayer modes without consulting a strategy guide, and that is a shame for a game such as this.

The other major knock against most movie-based games is poor technical work, with shoddy graphics and mediocre sound rearing their ugly heads. That simply isn’t the case here, as the game manages to both look and sound great. The world Po and friends inhabit is vivid and interesting, and the characters themselves are all rendered quite nicely. It’s a bit of a testament to the development team to work so hard to make a game look so great that no one outside of fans of the movie will ever likely buy.

The sound work gets similar praise, with the voice acting crew getting an especially big thumbs up. While the actors who voiced the roles in the movie don’t make the transition to the game, the actors who fill in for them do a great job. In fact, you’d probably never know that the voice of Po wasn’t done by Jack Black himself if I hadn’t told you: it’s that good.