Genre: Platformer
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Krome Studios
Release Date: October 11, 2005

After saving his homeland twice against overwhelming odds, what do you do for a third go-round without getting old? Well, if you’re Ty the Tasmanian Tiger (or most sequel-laden franchise mascots, for that matter), it looks like it’s about time to taken on a Common External Enemy That The Entire World Must Rise Against (tm)! Fortunately, in this case it doesn’t make for a half-bad game.

The story begins with Ty being summoned by the Bunyip Elder to the otherworld known as The Dreamtime, to drive out the Quinkan that have taken over there. At present, the Quinkan’s origin is mysterious—all we know is that they’re an ancient evil force, and that they resemble various evil creatures, from reptilians to aliens to the Heartless from Kingdom Hearts. Ty thinks he can take them on in his present state—he’s told that he’s sorely mistaken. However, with the help of a magical gauntlet and a large mech, he’s able to rout them completely.

After taking some time to train, Ty decides to go home—however, in a twist of fate, a small snag in the portal he’s traveling through knocks him off-course for a few seconds.
Once Ty gets back, he finds out that the few moments he spent in the gateway equated to six months in the real world—and in that time, the same creatures he just defeated have now set up shop here, leaving Burramudgee in ruins. With the entire place under siege, new friends and old must join forces to regroup, revolt, and finally rebuild. Should Ty and his friends prove unsuccessful, the Quinkan will release the Quinking, a being of ultimate evil and limitless power. However, there’s a (convenient) legend of a magical boomerang that may be able to turn the tide… if Ty can find it.

During the prologue, while Ty is in The Dreamtime, a mechanic is introduced by the name of Close Rang(e) Combat. Bestowed unto Ty via the Bunyip Gauntlet, this allows Ty to engage the enemy with in-close fighting techniques and combos with his dual boomerangs along with his standard tossing. CRC is activated instantly when close to an enemy, and tossing is triggered from a distance. It’s highly intuitive, and leads to faster, higher-numbered combos if you’re quick enough with your thumbs.

Ty 3 also introduces a customizable boomerang system. After collecting Bunyip Stones and placing them in themes boomerang chassis (which can be bought in shops), those same ‘rangs will be granted powers that can be mixed and matched. Over 2,000 combinations are possible, but as in any game of this type, it’s all about picking the right tool for the right job.

Also native to this installment is a host of new vehicles for Ty to help him in his quest. First off there’s the Shadow Bunyip, a black mech that packs a mean punch, and an even meaner laser cannon. You can upgrade its weapons at a shop for even more firepower, and it’s invaluable to have around. Next up is the Crabmersible, which is just what it’s name implies—a submarine built like a crab. It’s neat quirky fun if nothing else. Finally, there’s the Gunyip, Ty’s tool for aerial battles.

Minigames such as kart racing return, and the gameplay is once again mission-based. All of the missions, as before, involve a variety of gameplay types. One may have you using some of Ty’s mechanical arsenal, others may have straight-up platforming, another may be a kart race. The missions can be completely in any order you wish, given to you as a list of tasks that will trigger events in the story, or unlock new missions and bonuses.

Night of the Quinkan stretches the PS2 and the Ty graphics engine to their fullest capacity ; the environments are larger, there are water effects, and the textures are more detailed than before. The soundtrack falls in line with that of the older games, even with the game’s slightly darker premise.

Ty’s always been a name in decent action-adventure and titles, and this latest installment looks to continue that tradition. With easy and intuitive gameplay, new vehicles, new upgrade systems, new fighting skills and more ‘rangs than you can shake a stick at, you’ll be able to have yourself a good old time down under next month.