It seems like just yesterday that we caught a glimpse of Ty's third adventure at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, but from the looks of things, Krome Studios has been using the time well to further polish its upcoming action game. We recently got a chance to pick up a controller and guide the should-be-extinct marsupial hero through various levels, and Ty the Tasmanian Tiger: Night of the Quinkan looks to be enriching the traditional Ty experience, without losing the series' kid-friendly roots.

　　When throwing one boomerang doesn't work, the only thing to do about it is to throw two boomerangs.

　　The previous Ty games pit the furry protagonist against sinister but equally animal-like opponents, but Night of the Quinkan taps a bit of dark fantasy for its foes. When the Dreamtime world is invaded by the shadowy, joy-hating Quinkan, the bold Ty is only too ready to help boot them out like a true Aussie hero should. However, this unfortunately directs the Quinkan to Ty's own world, and when he returns, he finds that the dark menace is really giving the place a good reaming. It's up to him to gather up his Bush Rescue compatriots and save the world from all manner of naughty creatures before the Quinkan are able to unleash their powerful king. The game definitely has a bit of a darker taste to it than the previous titles, but it doesn't appear to have any of that "we're totally edgy now" flavor; there's still plenty of lighthearted humor and charm in the world and the characters, even if the surrounding environment has grown up a tad.

　　Previously we got hands-on time only with the kart racing portion of the game--which is a freely available multiplayer option from the beginning, this time around--but during this session we were able to check out some of the levels on foot, as well as some of the new vehicle types. The on-foot sections that we played were set in the hallways and grounds of a large fortresslike structure on a mountain, as well as in the twisty canyons and scattered scrublands of a rockier area. Ty makes his way nimbly around any terrain with brisk hops (or gliding jumps, if you hold the jump button down), and was outfitted with dual boomerangs in the stages we saw. We could pitch these 'rangs at enemies from afar and let them autotarget our foes, and during up-close combat Ty would automatically hold on to his weapons and just start mashing his enemies with them. You'll be able to upgrade your boomerangs using items called bunyip stones that you'll come across in your journeys, which can give your weapons various abilities. Examples include fire, ice, and lightning powers, as well as modifiers to the boomerangs' capabilities, like speed and the distance they can be thrown. As befits a game suitable for younger audiences (and older), the controls were easy to pick up quickly, and Ty moved smoothly and responsively. In addition, these varied levels didn't seem to suffer from any untoward loading times or screens, streaming nicely through the different areas.

　　While inside the fortress, we had Ty clamber into a powerful shadow bunyip (a large mechanized suit of armor) to battle some rather large Quinkan that had found their way inside. Bunyips can jump and throw mighty punches, as well as use a special laser attack to take out enemies quickly. The laser can be depleted but seems to recharge fairly quickly, and the bunyip is great for quickly taking out enemies.

　　We also got the chance to try out the new gunyip in a later level, which is a flying machine that lets Ty roam the skies to take down foes from the air. The gunyip roams what seems to be a slightly set path, but you can execute barrel rolls and loops to avoid attacks and obstacles. The plane is equipped with both air-to-air and air-to-surface guns, so you can fight opponents in the skies as well as bomb the ones lurking below on the ground. It's a nice new single-player gameplay mode, and much like with the kart racing games, you can also challenge a friend to gunyip dogfights if you so desire.

　　The final vehicle we fiddled with was the humorous crabmersible, a six-legged machine outfitted with pincers at the front to snip away at enemies on the go and with a gun to use to hit baddies at range. We used this machine to travel the dangerous roads between areas, and much like in previous games, green stars on the world map showed locations where we could pick up various side missions. There are apparently more than 30 such missions in the game, incorporating the various vehicles and gameplay types (there are even kart racing missions), and we were told that the game should have around 15 hours of gameplay all told.

　　It's a darker romp this time around, but there's no angst here!

　　Along with having shadowy, more fearsome foes, the world of Night of the Quinkan has a slightly richer look than its predecessors. It remains cartoony at its core, but it makes use of a darker palette and varied landscapes, along with new enemy types, to set itself apart just a bit. We fought against giant bunyips, large mutated lizards, and tall Quinkan with crystals jutting out at odd angles, among other creatures. The environments were similarly nicely detailed. The initial fortress we ran through was perched high in the mountains. The vistas had their bases frosted with thick clouds, and the outside desertlike areas were well populated with plant life and scads of enemies. The voice work wasn't fully complete, but what was recorded already was well delivered with plenty of humorous quips between characters, staying true to the series' feel. The music and sound effects also sounded like they were coming along nicely.

　　Ty the Tasmanian Tiger: Night of the Quinkan is a charming little action game that looks to be piling nice additions onto its original formula without losing sight of what fans hold dear about the series. Those looking forward to getting their marsupial heroism on will be all set this fall, when Night of the Quinkan is released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube platforms. Until then, keep watching this gamespace for more news, and check out the new screenshots and gameplay trailer.