Yes, it's yet another kid's game for the Game Boy Advance based on the Canadian cartoon series of the same name. However, if you give it some time, you'll notice that there's a little more challenge in this one than you would think, and that the game isn't just a bunch of simple levels that you go through one by one.
This game can be played in English, French or Spanish. Besides a story mode, there is a mini-game mode, although mini-games have to be unlocked in the story mode in order to be played.
The story mode begins in the overworld map. Use the Control Pad to move Franklin around, and press A when near another person to talk to them. In the upper-right corner is your current fruit count, and in the lower-right corner is a compass telling you where to go next for your next task. If anyone has a yellow arrow pointing down at them above their head, you need to talk to them to continue the game.
The first person you need to talk to is Mr. Ray Owl, who is just in front of you at the start of the game. He will tell you that school is out for the summer and that you'll be able to have fun with your friends for the foreseeable future, then tell you about the compass in the lower-right hand corner.
To the east is Franklin's dad. He will tell you that there is a good wind and that you could go get your kite and fly it. From here, head northwest. You'll meet Franklin's mom, who tells you that you will have to organize things in your room in order to find your kite. This starts a mini-game, assuming that you choose the icon of Franklin shaking his head "yes" to play it with the Control Pad and the A button.
Clean Up Your Room!
You'll need to put the clothes in the dresser, the toys in the toy box and the kite parts in the bag. Use the Control Pad to move the item to where it belongs and press A to put it there. While the toys and clothes will repeat, the kite parts will not, and you'll be able to tell them apart from everything else pretty easily. When you get all six kite parts in the bag, you'll complete the mini-game.
From here, head east. There will be a big red number one very close by. Press A in front of it, and you can choose whether or not you want to play that level like you did with the mini-game from earlier. Obviously, we're going to be playing this level.
Level 1
A gust of wind has blown away all the pieces of Franklin's kite! Go look for them and pick them all up.
There are 60 pieces of fruit, and there are also 6 kite pieces.
Here, you'll be doing some platforming. Left and Right lets Franklin move, Down ducks, Down+Left and Down+Right crawls, and A jumps. Believe it or not, this game's engine is based on Postman Pat and the Greendale Rocket, which is only available in Europe and is made by the same developers.
As you play through this level, the game will give you a tutorial on how to jump with the A button, crawling with Down and Left or Down and Right on the Control Pad, and standing on buttons and pressing B to activate them and make things happen.
The red and blue ball is a trampoline that Franklin can use to bounce up to higher areas.
The red button makes a thing happen when you step on it and press B. When the game tells you to press the B button, you can press that button to do something. Here, you'll open the gate.
The white stick with the three lines at the bottom is your checkpoint. Walk past it, and you'll start there instead of at the beginning in case something happens to Franklin, such as falling into water. Jump on the rock platforms to get over the water.
This level is pretty easy; the trails of fruit lead to the kite pieces. The fruit will be useful later, as you'll need to collect the fruit in order to play some of the mini-games that this game has later on. Once you get all six kite pieces, you'll complete the level. Thankfully, you can always go back to previous levels to pick up any fruit that you missed.
Fly, Kite, Fly!
Keep Franklin's kite in the air for as long as possible. Don't let it hit the trees. Press the A button very quickly to keep Franklin's kite in the air. Just keep tapping A for twenty seconds and you'll pass. At least you don't have to press it super-quickly like in Greendale Rocket.
After you beat this mini-game, you'll talk to Mr. Ray Owl again. He will tell you about the friendship gauge to the left of a character's portrait when you talk to someone. By talking to people and doing things for them, you will fill that gauge up, and when you've filled the gauge all the way up, you've done all you can with that person in the game. You'll have to do everything to fill everyone's gauge and complete the game 100%. He then tells you to go meet Mr. Badger.
Mr. Badger is to the east. If you talk to him, he will tell you that he has lost all his letters, and asks you to find them for him. Go further to the east and you'll meet Bear. Bear will know what is going on and decides to go with you. A big red number two will show up not far from here. Walk up to it and start Level 2.
Level 2
Mr. Badger lost the letters. Go with Bear to look for the letters. There are 100 fruits and ten letters to collect.
The R button lets you switch between Franklin and your current ally character. Bear cannot bounce on the balls as high as Franklin can, but he can climb up trees and ladders such as telephone poles with Up and Down. Just switch to him and use Up and Down to climb. From there, you can jump to the side with Left or Right and the A button.
Also, enemies show up for the first time. If you run into a bee, you'll be sent back to the start or the nearest touched checkpoint. Also, now that you have a friend with you, you won't be able to activate a checkpoint until both Franklin and his friend walk past it.
When you activate a bridge, you'll need to get both characters to the other side individually. This will happen with other sorts of things, such as a series of platforms that you have to use to get someplace higher. Make sure Franklin and his friend are together at all times!
Bear can also push big heavy logs that can be used as platforms. Just keep moving into them and Bear will push them.
The blue button can be used more than once, and can control things such as where leaf platforms can be moved to. This can be used to get Franklin or his friend to a place that they usually could not get to.
Near the end, you'll need to use Franklin on the lower path, and you'll need to crawl in order to get under the spiders. Once you reach the end, head to the left, hit the red button and get Bear on the upper path. From here, you can head to the goal.
When you have all ten letters, talk to Mr. Badger to get the sailboat mini-game. By playing and beating the mini-game, you'll fill up Mr. Badger's friendship gauge all the way.
The Sailboat
Control the speed of the sailboat to avoid obstacles. Press the A button to fill the sails with wind and make the boat go.
Wait for the lily pads and sticks to move out of your way before tapping A to move the sailboat up. The whirlpools will slow you down, but if you mash the A button, you'll make it past them.
While you have 100 seconds, you will have to mash the A button like no tomorrow in order to make it to the finish line and beat the mini-game. My hand hurt after doing this one. (That's ironic, considering how easy the kite game was.)
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