Bluey: The Videogame
PlayStation 4
Before playing:
I know you are probably thinking that this is a strange game for me to play through. Admittedly, I don't care one tiny bit about Bluey. If I didn't have a child of my own, I probably wouldn't have even known who or what Bluey is. But the fact is, I do have a child of my own. And wouldn't you guess it, he's a Bluey fan. When I was checking out kid friendly games on PS Plus, Bluey was one of the first games to catch my eye. I've been trying (with varying degrees of success) to get my kid interested in video games, and I figured this would be as good a game as any for him to check out.
We played through the game's story mode together, but once story mode was over, he immediately lost interest and wanted to move onto something else. Me, being the trophy hound that I am, looked online and saw how easy Bluey was to platinum. When he went to bed, I came back and completed all the extra modes and gathered all the collectibles myself.
When all was said and done, I had a shiny new platinum trophy in my collection. Yay. But was the game any good? Would I recommend it to people with kids? Is it fun to play even if you don't have kids? That's what we're here to find out.
Story:
This game follows the format of the show exceptionally well. The entire plot line is told across four different episodes. Bluey and Bingo discover a piece of a hidden treasure map that once belonged to Bluey's father. The rest of the pieces belong to Bluey's uncles and grandfather. The game revolves around collecting the missing pieces of the treasure map so that you can find whatever it is that was buried 30 years ago.
Once the pieces are collected, Bluey and company dig up the hidden "treasure" only to discover that it is just an old action figure that Bluey's brothers wouldn't stop fighting over when they were kids. Bluey and Bingo are initially disappointed, but they learn a very valuable lesson about sharing and kindness and blah blah blah. Like I said, the game follows the format of the show very well.
Gameplay:
There really isn't much to this game. It is important to know coming in that this is 100% geared towards kids. It's not a "kids game" in the sense that Mario and Sonic are games that kids can play. This is specifically geared towards small kids. Unlike Sonic or Mario, grown adults probably aren't going to get much out of this.
Events unfold like you are playing through a few episodes of Bluey. Like I said, gameplay is very simple. You generally have something to collect, or something you need to look at in order to advance the story. Sometimes you just need to walk from here to there.
As you are playing, the characters will interact and the story will unfold. It really is like playing through an interactive version of the cartoon. And honestly, that's all there really is to it. You walk around and pick stuff up and do what you're supposed to do, and eventually you'll beat the game. There is no dying and no combat of any kind. It's a game you are supposed to win.
I didn't get much out of the story mode (aside from mildly enjoying the story, I suppose). But the game does offer some replay value. The whole map opens up and you can revisit old locations. You can pick up collectibles and add items to your sticker book. Since I decided to go for the platinum trophy, I ended up revisiting each location and finding everything there is to find.
You can also participate in minigames. I suppose these are here for the multiplayer aspect. I forgot to mention, you can pick which member of the family you want to play as during the story mode. You can play with a second player, who controls another family member. It's a good cooperative game that you can play with your kids. Reminds me a bit of the Lego games (minus the combat and puzzles) among other couch co-op experiences reminiscent of games in the 80s and 90s.
Anyway, back to the minigames. There are four different games. The one that stands out is The Floor is Lava, where you must jump around from object to object to collect stars. You aren't supposed to touch the floor. There's also a game where you must bounce a balloon a number of times in the air without letting it touch the ground. There is also a minigame where you must tag your opponents to freeze them, as well as another game where you must chase the Chattermax around and catch it.
I suppose this would be a lot of fun to play with a small child. It's too bad mine just wanted to watch and didn't want to participate. I think he would have had fun!
The graphics are probably the best thing about this game. This really looks like an episode of Bluey come to life. It's almost indistinguishable from the cartoon. There's really nothing else I can say.
Sound:
Again, the game is indistinguishable from the show, this time in the sound department. It sounds exactly like if you were watching an episode of the show. If someone was casually walking through and not paying attention, they'd totally think you were just sitting there and watching the show.
Overall:
It's hard for me to grade this, because this game was clearly not meant for me. If you look at my experience with the game from a completely "how is this as a video game?" perspective, it is not great. It's simple, it's way too easy, and I was over and done with the game in just a couple of hours. I probably would give the game something like a D+. I mean, it is not terrible or unplayable or anything like that. It's just... empty. It's simple. There's no challenge whatsoever.
But then I have to look at the whole picture. Technically, the game is incredible. It looks, sounds, and feels exactly like an episode of Bluey. It's amazing, really. I wish I'd had a game like this when I was a kid with all the shows I used to watch. Sure, we had some great TMNT games, but can you imagine if they'd had the technology to make them cartoon-perfect back then? Or maybe a cartoon X-Men or Bobby's World? Technically, the game is a marvel.
I also have to look at the target audience. Would a 5 or 6 year old like this game? I think they would. They wouldn't see the flaws. It wouldn't be easy for them. The game has a great story. It has lots of couch co-op family friendly multiplayer options. I could totally see this game being a hit with the kids. And that's exactly who it is made for. So to me: the game does its job. I may not necessarily like it as a video game, but it does its job.
But how do I grade it if I personally didn't like it? It's not a game I would recommend to anyone at all. I am not going to be like: Oh hey bro, you gotta play Bluey! It's not a game I'll ever come back to again (unless my son suddenly decides he wants to play through it with me). It's just not a game I consider "fun" and it doesn't really appeal to me as a gamer.
So as you can see, I am conflicted. The game is great for its target audience, but less than stellar for your average gamer like me. I think I'll compromise with the final score. I think the fact that it appeals to kids and it is such a faithful adaptation of the show leaves a positive lasting impression in my mind, even if I personally didn't find the game that fun to me. So I'll give it a....
THE GRADE:
C+
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