The setting for Bratz: Girlz Really Rock is a camp, so you'll see plenty of rustic cabins and outdoor vistas in addition to other characters loitering around waiting for some interaction. The NPC and character voices are actually funny, sometimes in an obvious way and sometimes unintentionally, we suspect. After the initial movie that introduces Girlz Really Rock, we didn't see much of an attempt to create anything like a slick package in terms of cut-scene animation or movies. Each girl packs a PDA-style device that takes and makes calls, along with the ability to snap photos as you wander around camp. This is one of the cooler features in the game's design, and taking good shots allows you to earn points for your prowess as a photographer during the fashion mini-game. Lots of little collectibles and extras are included in the game, but before you can enjoy these, you'll have to bring a high tolerance for some very repetitive gameplay. I'd like to believe that girls aren't less sophisticated or intelligent than boys, which runs contrary to some assumptions that this girl-focused game seems to be making. There are some neat ideas under the surface, but almost none of them are well implemented. Even the music, which should be a big focus of a game that carries a major storyline dealing with the Bratz attempt to rock out and win the camp's music contest, leaves much to be desired.
We all know from playing music games in various forms that the variety of the music plays a role. Just jamming to the same tune in Rock Band gets old after a bit, which is why downloadable content is all the rage. Girlz Really Rock includes a few snappy tunes, but mostly rehashes content and forces players to put songs together piece by piece. Reading the back of the box, you might assume that the musical mini-games will actually have something unique in them, like learning to play an instrument. Instead we find a watered-down music game that only requires you to press buttons in sequences, along a timeline. It's a poor man's Rock Band to be sure...