Ten Characters I'd Like to See In Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?!!
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My kids will probably hate me when it comes to TV time. Not only will I be ruling our future space console with an iron fist, but the cartoons that take centre stage on the Holo-Viewer 4000 will be under rigid scrutiny. It’s for their own good, really. I can’t have my offspring falling to the influence of those pop spewing Disney-droids. Surely it’s preferable they be raised on the likes of Regular Show, Pokemon, Avatar and Adventure Time? “If it was good enough for your early-twenties father, then it’s good enough for you”. Adventure Time, in particular, is a show defined by the diversity of its roster. The contrasting characters all add their own unique flavour that keep the show so delightfully fresh with each coming season. In truth, there’s not a single character I don’t want to be included in the upcoming DS and 3DS title. With a liberal dose of Ooo’s inhabitants and heavy input from creator, Pendleton Ward, there’s a strong chance the game will capture the show’s magic. With only a short teaser trailer available, it’s hard to tell whether the game will live up to its fans expectations, but so far, the chances are looking good.
1. Manfried the Talking Piñata
Whether announcing our entry into the Candy Kingdom or sending us off on a megaphone retrieving side-quest, everyone’s favourite anthropomorphic Piñata is more than welcome to hang around in my handheld
2. Choose Goose
The problem with Choose Goose is that he’s never been partial to accepting conventional currency. A trade of equivalent value (or the occasional entertaining worm dance) is the standard rate over at CG’s magical shack. If this trend continues into the DS then bartering with Choose Goose might not be as simple as your typical RPG exchange. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmriCh_CoOg
3. BMO
Based on the short teaser trailer, it looks like our bottom DS screens will get a very BMO-esque makeover as we stroll through the Land of Ooo. Other than that it’s unclear what kind of ingame role BMO will take. As this plastic bundle of cuteness holds permanent lodgings in Finn and Jake’s treehouse, it’s likely that’s where we’ll first encounter him. What role he’ll play beyond that is a mystery. All I know is that I can’t wait to see that smiling face plastered across my handheld. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baXo1mIOQKs
4. Gunter
If we take a look at the cover art for the standard edition, we can see the Ice King having constructed a life-size princess from a stinking pile of stolen garbage. Acting as the head for this pungent princess we clearly see a certain penguin sporting a fetching shade of lipstick. What exactly the Ice King is planning for his rancid creation is uncertain, but by the looks of that ‘Save me!’ sign the Gunter Garbage Princess might just be a trap to sucker in our heroic protagonists. Who could blame them? If it meant an appearance from Gunter I’d track that thing to the very ends of Ooo.
5. Snail
If the trend continues into the DS title then it’s likely the Snail will appear hidden away as an easter egg. Only time will tell if he’ll be the smiling snail of the earlier seasons, or the malevolent mollusc of more recent episodes.
6. The Royal Tart Toter
Despite his declined mental state, the Tart Toter is capable of unexpected bursts of eloquence and deep soliloquy whenever the mood takes him. If the need arises for Finn and Jake to take an unexpected trip to the Tart Toter’s padded cell in HIKWYSOG, I imagine it’ll be an experience to remember. I know if I ever needed some wise words of knowing guidance an emaciated and deluded Gingerbread man would be my first port of call. Especially if the advice is of his regular calibre… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8u097puKT8&feature=related
7. Marceline the Vampire Queen
A strained relationship with her father and a genuine affection towards Finn and Jake are often shielded with the guise of apathy. She may be an unrepentant trickster, but underneath her harsh exterior beats a caring heart and a loyal fondness for her new-found friends. It’s hard to imagine an Adventure Time game without Marceline. Playing such a prominent role in the show it’s almost certain that Marceline will aid in our battle with the Ice King. Unless we eat her fries, then we might have a problem. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UuWb1krp-4
8. Cinnamon Bun
If Cinnamon Bun makes the transition to the DS then it’s likely we’ll be party to many more of his unfortunate mishaps. If we ask him nicely, he might even show us some of his unmatched acrobatic skills…
9. Lumpy Space Princess
If the Ice King keeps up his princess-napping ways in HIKWYSOG, then a daring rescue of LSP and a few other of Ooo’s royal daughters might be on the cards come the games release. Let’s be honest though, the inclusion of Lumpy Space Princess is a certainty. There’s no way that WayForward could resist slumping up on these lumps…
10. Peppermint Butler
With Princess Bubblegum’s inclusion a certainty, it’s likely that her primary attendant will be making the jump to the DS as well. Hopefully, the dark history of Peppermint Butler will be explored a little more in depth. At the very least, I hope he serenades us once more with that gorgeous singing voice of his. |
Every video game hero needs an opportunistic merchant to supply a steady stream of dungeon-busting aides. For Finn, nobody fits the bill quite like Choose Goose. When our hero was in need of some flashy armour in Blood under the Skin, his first stop was the rhyme-obsessed waterfowl. When Finn was in need of a quick IQ boost in The Real You, it was Choose Goose who provided the Glasses of Nerdicon. Whenever there’s a problem, Choose Goose has the solution.
Am I the only one that hopes future handhelds shed gimmicks like 3D and take a swift turn down the BMO route? Offer me an adorable sentient handheld and I’ll be first in line at the midnight launch. Now that I think about it, if Nintendo are worried about competing with the emerging iOS market, maybe a fully-functioning BMO might be a way to recoup some lost sales? How many iPhones can skateboard AND magically teleport you inside their mainframes? Just saying.
Speaking of cuteness, I certainly hope this web-footed enigma belly slides his way onto the DS. Hailed as “by far, the most evil thing I’ve encountered” by Marceline’s father, nobody can be certain of what’s running through Gunter’s cute little head. With the Ice King appearing to be the primary antagonist of the new Adventure Time game, it’s almost certain that his right-hand penguin will be on the scene to ensure his potion bottles are kept safe and completely unbroken.
Tucked away in a hidden corner of every episode, a happy snail casually waves to Adventure Time’s more observant viewers. He’s floated on leaves, slouched on shelves and even been possessed by a creature of unspeakable evil. Following the events of Mortal Recoil the ever-present snail was imbued with the soul of The Lich: an undead sorcerer with a penchant for possession. Despite his shift in moral alignment the snail still makes his regular cameos; albeit with glowing green eyes and an pained air of corruption.
At its core, Adventure Time is the surreal trip into a colourful fantasy inhabited by talking candy and (mostly) gracious princesses. On the surface Marceline appears to be the antithesis of that. Compared to her leading female counterpart, Princess Bubblegum, Marceline provides a stark contrast to her prim and proper disposition. Yet, if we look past her wild exterior it soon becomes clear that there’s a softer side to Ooo’s resident bass-slapping vampire queen.
Also known as the rakish gent, Guy Farting, Cinnamon Bun is another of the Candy Kingdom’s more ‘half baked’ inhabitants. His onscreen appearances usually show the clumsy bun getting into all manner of unfortunate scrapes. He was the first guest to fall victim to the murderous party host in The Creeps; the first to be zombified in From Bad to Worse and in The Enchridion his tumbling antics nearly lead to the untimely demise of Princess Bubblegum.
Despite coming off like one of the petulant teenagers that frequent MTV reality shows, Lumpy Space Princess is an Adventure Time mainstay. After Princess Bubblegum, LSP is easily one of the show’s most recurring princesses; a high accolade in a land where turtles, bees, cotton candy, ghosts, peanuts and hotdogs all have their own royal dynasties.
Adventure Time seems to have a fixation with enigmatic lieutenants. Where the Ice King has the mysterious Gunter, Princess Bubblegum has Peppermint Butler; a suspicious character to say the least. He may come off as a dapper and attentive worker, but scratch away at the surface and we reveal a darker side to the Candy Kingdom’s head domestic servant. Don’t be fooled by the suave exterior, a passion for claiming flesh and a probable goblin homicide are just a few of the charges attributed to this mint. As the series continues, I can only see his rap sheet getting longer.