At the very least, El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera looks good. The cel-shaded visuals match the look of the show really well - so while the gameplay may not match the show, at least the characters look like they should. There isn't that much variety between levels and they look halfway decent and are easy to follow. At certain parts of each level, the end boss appears in the background, which is one of the game's better visual touches.

The game's soundtrack has a great Mexican sound that really fits the pacing the gameplay is attempting to build. It's fast, loud and incredibly brassy - which is just a whole lot of fun. It does such a great job at creating a sense of forward momentum that you almost want to keep playing just to keep it going. Other than then music, there's little else to sound. There's no voice acting and very little in the way of sound effects.

El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera is a 2.5D side-scrolling platformer, though the extra 0.5D goes wasted for the most part since there is rarely any reason to move into the background. Each level is a giant obstacle course where you must collect a set number of coins (or, at least I think they're coins) while navigating a series of jumps. There are also a few mini-games, like a downhill race, though most of the game is composed of repetitious platforming levels and the occasional boss. There's also a bit of combat, though it doesn't amount to much of anything.

One of El Tigre's core issues is that it has little concept of its audience or license. A full episode of the show is included on the disc. Unless ever other episode finds Manny facing insanely hard obstacle courses, the game doesn't even attempt to match the show's concept. Granted, certain concessions need to be made for a budget title, but even then you expect the game to partially meet the expectations of its core audience. The platforming is fun for a few minutes, but takes such a drastic jump in difficulty early on that it ceases to be any fun. Halfway through the first level, I was frustrated enough to turn the game off, and were it not for the review, I wouldn't have given the game a second look - so I can only imagine what the experience would be like for younger gamers.

Gameplay is reminiscent of N+, but in all of the worst possible ways. Timed platform jumps make up most of the game, though the level designs feel completely random and lack any sense of unity or patterning. Jumping between platforms is inconsistent; some jumps are fun and challenging, though most are essentially leaps of faith. Platforms are either just out of reach of each other while other times you're asked to thread the needle between moving obstacles. The latter wouldn't be that much of an issue if the timings weren't so off. One obstacle moves fast while another goes slow, offering as little time as possible to make it through the gap. There's no limit to the number of times you can die, which is almost an acknowledgement of how frustrating the core gameplay gets.

The only easy thing about El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera are the controls. Although you can move into the foreground and background, there's very little reason to. Instead, you're moving forward the entire time, jumping your way to the end of the level. Jumping feels off and lacks the kind of touch needed for this type of game. There's very little tangible feedback when jumping, so you're never really sure how to time jumps, which is a pretty big deal since the game requires near-expert timing. This is especially problematic when trying to perform double jumps or when using spring boards.

Some areas add a timer into the mix and challenge you to collect tacos in order to keep the timer full. Surprisingly enough these are some of the better designed areas of the game. That isn't to say there aren't a few rough spots, though these areas convey the feeling the main game seems to be aiming for. The primary difference between the two level types is momentum. Timed levels are free of the stuff that clutter up the other levels; since you aren't stopping every few seconds to time a tricky jump, you're able to build up enough forward steam that jumps flow between each other.

Even as a budget title, El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera is a pass.