Yes, I'm giving this game a serious review.

This is clearly a game for little kids, and frankly there's a lot I can criticize it for. But, it... wasn't... that bad?

It definitely is a VeggieTales video game. The visuals look the part, all the characters have their actual voice actors, and there are even lessons given at the end of each level. The level aesthetics are solid; I especially like Level 3's techno-vaporwave look ripped right out of Phantasy Star Online. There are also a surprising amount of collectibles to find, even to the point where I missed plenty of them on my first time through most levels. These collectibles can earn you unlockable songs from various VeggieTales episodes, which is always a good thing in my book. I honestly believe I would have had a good amount of fun playing this game as a kid. It's simple enough to understand while having just the right amount of challenge for young, inexperienced players.

The thing is... I'm not a young, inexperienced player. Once the novelty of having an actual VeggieTales platformer on the PS2 wore off, I was left with a shallow, underbaked adventure. Character control and movement is super slow, and the camera needed some polish. The game smartly prioritizes platforming and puzzles over action and combat, but barely any of it is super engaging or interesting. The level design, game mechanics, and especially the boss fights are really bland on the whole. Even for something as silly as LarryBoy, there was a lot of missed potential in the gameplay.

The storytelling and music also could have used some more work. It's great that the original voice actors are present, but the script they are given is pretty lifeless and juvenile, unlike the best of what the actual show has to offer. The background score is just reused instrumentals from various VeggieTales episodes and CDs; I don't recall hearing a single original track in the entire game. I wouldn't usually harp on a kid's game for stuff like this, but this is a VeggieTales game, and the franchise usually nails these things even by adult standards.

All that said, I didn't really have a bad time playing it. It may be because of my attachment to the series, but I can see myself playing this again if only for novelty's sake. Most people probably won't enjoy this, though. It's not frustrating or awful, but it's pretty bland, shallow, and forgettable.

But always remember... God made you special and he loves you very much. ;)