When I initially installed Ben 10: Power Trip, I will admit to the slight presence of hesitation on my part. Don’t get me wrong, I have no beef with Ben 10 as an animation series, but never having been a huge fan of the series I was anxious if I could enjoy this game. I am pleased to report: I most definitely did!
Here’s to a (not)relaxing family vacation…
Ben 10: Power Trip is a fun action-adventure game where you hop onto the scooter of protagonist, Ben Tennyson. Set in a European-Esque family vacation, Ben 10: Power Trip wastes no time in establishing the need for Ben 10’s abilities. But, in this quiet part of the world, what or who could want to create inter dimensional trouble? The game very early on reveals that it is none other than Hex – the magic-loving nemesis of Ben. This time, he has managed to acquire powerful crystals that can strip Ben 10 of his alien powers from the onset. Hex falls short of completing his plan, with the other crystals still to be found. This is good news for Ben 10 because he still has a shot at saving the world and all the others that Hex could destroy should he succeed.
By a stroke of luck, Hex drops a mysterious tablet containing clues to what Hex could be up to next. With the help of the amazing Gwen, Ben 10 can attempt catching up to his enemy, hopefully stopping him in time.
You’ve got to start somewhere…
The tutorial missions are great to get a hang of controlling Ben 10 and switching between his alien powers when you need them. No lie, I was annoyed on behalf of the homie Ben 10 because I felt the adults got a little too comfortable in letting Ben 10 do their jobs for them (major side-eye was given). But Ben 10 being the spotlight-loving teen he is, it was all fun and games.
You start with Ben 10 and then regain your stolen alien abilities through completing void rift missions. These appear as portals that stick out like a sore thumb. These voids often act as a way out of a seemingly closed-off environment without clear escape. While inside, you get a small introduction to whichever alien is there for you to collect by fighting off minion enemies. The void’s environment design showcases any other unique abilities of the alien – from climbing to torching things and soaring at great speeds. By the time you emerge, you’ll be ready to fight the impending danger headed your way.
Combat with flare (and flames)…
Let’s get into the fights. Combat is relatively simple in Ben 10: Power Trip, with an alternation between heavy and lighter attacks. With each alien equipped with various abilities, these can be used as deemed necessary. Sometimes you’ll require speed over strength, or force over flames. Whichever gets the job done. I enjoyed the combat in Ben 10: Power Trip because I felt the enthusiasm and personality of Ben 10 shine through in each character. I admittedly got cocky like our hero teen, it was inevitable.
As you progress, the fights and enemies get a little faster and a little more challenging (nothing for our boy Ben 10). This is where the level system comes through. When you complete certain missions or portions of them, you get the opportunity to choose your level-up skill. You can select between Damage resistance, Increased damage dealt, or Luck. The first two are obvious, but the Luck skill is not to be underestimated. Besides finding more treasure and loot, you are more likely to land critical “lucky shots” during combat. These shots are life-saving when your health is on a wing and a prayer in the middle of a mini-boss fight. So, I do recommend giving lady luck a shot.
In Ben 10: Power Trip the boss fights become utterly enjoyable when you have all the aliens at your disposal. Being able to utilize numerous techniques whilst dealing damage to the boss is a ton of fun. Unless you have the unfortunate experience of a glitch in a boss fight, you’ll love it.
It’s Ben 10’s open-world, we’re just living in it…
Ben 10: Power Trip is the first open-world game for the Ben 10 universe and it does a pretty decent job at it. It is large enough to have sights to see and things to do but compact enough to not get lost on a younger fan playing. Locations can be fast-traveled to once you discover them. There is no open-world game without side missions (how else are you suppose to play the game without endless distractions?). Ben10: Power Trip packs some nice side missions and activities throughout the open world. Some of these cannot be started while you are in the process of completing the main mission. Should you find the side mission way too appealing, you can quit the main mission you are in, but be aware that you will have to restart it when you get back to it.
My personal favourite side activity was getting to constantly shut down lord decibel’s “world tour”. When you are not on the main mission, you can find a pair of speakers randomly blasting loud music with the pixel face icon of lord decibel in a portal-like door. When you enter it, you must shut down the party by reaching the stage while avoiding the Hypno-tiles that get you lost in the music and failing the task. There are quite a few scattered around if you look hard enough. Oh, and there are puzzles galore to solve.
A surprise? For me and the homies?
If all this wasn’t enough to convince me, I found out that I get to play split-screen co-op mode by letting Ben 10’s frenemy, Kevin, tag along. But wait, there’s more! Just like Ben 10, you or your partner can also unlock Kevin’s alien powers and play as them all too. I loved this…well, my little brother was obsessed with being able to play too, so this was a well-welcomed bonus.
The visuals of Ben 10: Power Trip are decent and satisfactory especially for the first attempt at an open-world game like this. I did have moments where I felt like the scenery was lackluster but that’s only because they were technically on a “relaxing holiday”. The void rifts and boss fights made up for this big time. The voice acting was also pretty decent.
Final verdict
Overall, I had a very enjoyable experience playing Ben 10: Power Trip. It was a lot of fun stepping into the shoes of an extroverted and sometimes egotistical human teen with superhero alien capabilities who also gets to kick butt while on vacation. A nicely done game for anyone to enjoy.
Ben 10 Power Trip