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 On 05/18/2024 at 08:32 AM by Cary Woodham See More From This User » |
Recent reviews I’ve written over at GamerDad.com are blooming, so please click on the links below and read as many as you can and maybe post a ‘like’ or comment or two. I’d appreciate it. OK let’s begin!
Bluey: The Video Game (Switch)
I freaking love the Bluey TV show! It’s a kids show but has so much to offer for adults, too. The show is set (and animated) in Australia, and stars a family of four cartoon Australian Cattle Dogs, or Blue Heelers for short. The family consists of Bluey, the titular playful and curious six year old, her younger sister Bingo, and their parents: Bandit and Chilli. They all learn lessons through play and imagination, and some of the topics are more serious things that only adults would truly understand. These can range from moving away, infertility, dealing with ADHD, and even death. The show strikes a balance between making things easy for kids to understand, but deep enough to keep adults interested. So when I heard last year they were making a Bluey video game, I tried to get a review copy of it. I wasn’t able to unfortunately. You win some, you lose some. But when I saw the game on sale recently, I decided to get it and review it.
When I first started playing Freedom Planet 2 for this review, the first thing I thought of was how much things have changed since then, as it’s been nearly ten years since! Gaming-wise, I reviewed the first game on a totally different console generation. Also, Freedom Planet was meant to play like a classic 2-D Sonic style game, at a time when there wasn’t a whole lot of good 2-D Sonic titles around. But since then we’ve got Sonic Mania and Sonic Superstars, both of which are fairly decent (although I still like Freedom Planet 2 more). My life has also changed a lot since then, as I have a different job and live in a different place than I did back then. Even the world has changed, thanks to the COVID pandemic and whatnot. And now we finally have a sequel to Freedom Planet, and it’s vastly improved over the original game. Also I’d like to add that I’m so thankful for XSEED, the publishers of this game, as they’ve always been supportive of me and this site since they’ve been around.
There is a genre of game called “Sokoban” in Japan and you’ve probably played a game like this, or at least as a puzzle in a dungeon or whatnot. Any game where you push blocks to certain spaces to solve puzzles can be called “Sokoban.” So here’s one called SokoFrog where you control a frog pushing around blocks.
Mimi the Cat: Mimi’s Scratcher (Switch)
Help a cat reach her scratching post in Mimi the Cat: Mimi’s Scratcher. It’s a “Sokoban” style block pushing puzzle game with a few twists. Mimi’s scratching post is usually too high for her to reach, so you can push blocks and climb up them. You can even push two blocks together to make a higher block, but you can’t push it around then. Climbing on top of a box also lets you jump down over a gap. Finish a level by reaching the scratching post.
Repair cars as quickly as possible in this madcap multiplayer game. Manic Mechanics takes a lot of inspiration from other games of this ilk, especially Overcooked. But instead of being in a kitchen cooking food, you’re in a garage fixing vehicles.
Flightpath: Adventures in Venaris (PS4)
What happens when you combine a 2-D vertically scrolling shooter with a choose your own adventure book? You get Flightpath: Adventures in Venaris, that’s what. Choose from three different characters, a detective, a mechanic, and a racer (who also happens to be a rabbit) each with their own spaceship and shooting styles. Each character has his or her own story, and depending on which choices you make in the levels, you can alter the story’s outcome.
Make your own pixel art style pictures with blocks that resemble LEGO pieces in nBlocks for Nintendo Switch. And that’s it, really.
Pretty Girls Escape PLUS (PS4)
Play a color matching block puzzle game while being accompanied by cute anime ladies in Pretty Girls Escape PLUS. I’ve reviewed this game before, but I’m not sure what the PLUS adds to it as it feels like just more of the same.
And that’s all for now! Thanks for reading my reviews and posting ‘likes’ and comments on them. I do appreciate it. Later! --Cary
I quite liked the Bluey game. I played it on Game Pass and completed everything. I just read an article on Associated Press talking about how adults love the show too and get something out of it. Thanks for the Blue Heelers info. I didn't know that about the show.
Also the term "sokoban". I'm going to try and remember than when I next play that sort of game.
Yeah all the dog characters in Bluey are based on real dog breeds. I want to get a real Blue Heeler and Red Heeler and name them Bluey and Bingo. And I'm sure they'll be just as well behaved as they are in the show. :)
There's a touristy shopping area where I live called Grandscape, and I read that on June 4, you can buy 5 dollar tickets to get your picture taken with Bluey and Bingo and get a goody bag, too. Tickets sold out the next day! Also in July, Bluey will make an appearance at a minor league baseball game stadium near where I live called the Frisco Rough Riders! I bet that sells out, too!
oh boy, I hope they don't come to my library on a Sunday. My co-worker is actually afraid of mascots, not to mention he doesn't like Bluey. I, however, would love to see them. I may have to check out their appearances on youtube.
There's an episode of Bluey where they go to a hardward store. it's called Hammerbarn. So a few months ago, they did a promotion with an actual hardware store chain in Austrailia. Over there they have a version of our Home Depots and Lowe's called "Bunnings.' So for one month, they changed those stores to be Hammerbarns! You could meet Bluey and Bingo, do kids workshop activities, and buy exclusive products based on the show! I work at a major hardware store and I wish they'd do that here!
Neat.
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