Madagascar on the DS is basically the movie turned into a chaotic little platformer. You bounce between Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, and the rest of the crew—each handles differently, which keeps things from getting stale. Alex’s roar stuns enemies, Gloria the hippo just bulldozes through stuff, and Marty… well, he’s fast but kinda fragile, so good luck with that.

The levels are these bite-sized chunks of jungle, city, and circus mayhem, with some light puzzle-solving (mostly "hit this switch" or "stack these crates") and a few weird minigames thrown in. The controls are simple, but the camera angles can be janky—classic early DS platformer stuff. If you liked the movie’s humor, there’s plenty of dumb one-liners and penguin antics to keep you grinning.

It’s not deep, but it’s a solid pick if you want something colorful and uncomplicated for short bursts. Just don’t expect a masterpiece.