DreamWorks Over the Hedge: Hammy Goes Nuts!

About DreamWorks Over the Hedge: Hammy Goes Nuts!

DreamWorks Over the Hedge: Hammy Goes Nuts! is a 2006 companion title to the original movie game, released for the PlayStation Portable (PSP), Nintendo DS (NDS), and Game Boy Advance (GBA). Unlike the first game, which was a unified brawler/platformer across consoles, Hammy Goes Nuts! features three entirely different gameplay genres depending on the handheld. The narrative core across all versions involves the hyperactive squirrel Hammy and his friends attempting to help a beaver named Boris build a dam, though their motivations—often involving Hammy's lost cable TV signal—vary by platform. Each version was developed to leverage the specific strengths (or limitations) of its respective hardware, resulting in a trilogy of games that share a name but little else.

Technical execution and gameplay loops are distinct to each device. The PSP version, developed by Amaze Entertainment, is a 3D platformer that most closely resembles the previous console title; it features three playable characters with unique abilities and supports local wireless multiplayer for various mini-games. The Nintendo DS version, also by Amaze, is an isometric action-adventure game controlled entirely via the stylus. It utilizes the top screen for a map and a "sleeping human" timer, while the bottom screen is used for navigation and solving environmental puzzles. The Game Boy Advance version, developed by Vicarious Visions, takes a radical departure by being a miniature golf game. Players must move obstacles in a top-down view with Hammy before switching to another character to take a shot, using the physics-based golf mechanic to break human objects and reach the goal. Whether you are mastering the stylus-driven stealth of the DS or playing through the story-driven "Putt-Putt" of the GBA, Hammy Goes Nuts! stands as a curious example of varied platform-specific game design.