Bluey: The Videogame review

Bluey: The Videogame is a delightfully colorful adaptation of the beloved children's animation series of the same name. Hailing from Australia, the show is known for its engaging storytelling and exceptional animation quality. However, the game adaptation seems to fall a bit short of delivering the magic that the series consistently offers. Here, we delve into various facets of the game to understand where it shines and where it could do with some improvements.

Visual Appeal: A Spot-On Recreation

One of the most outstanding aspects of Bluey: The Videogame is its visual fidelity. The game does an impeccable job of recreating the show’s vibrant 2D animation style in a 2.5D environment. Characters appear nearly identical to their TV counterparts, complete with all the familiar looks and moves, which adds to the immersive experience.

The game’s colorful and chunky graphics effectively translate the charm of the Heeler family’s world. Settings like the house, backyard, playground, creek, and beach maintain aesthetic continuity, ensuring fans feel right at home. If you are a fan of Bluey's animation, this visual treat will not disappoint you.

A Short-Lived Adventure

Unfortunately, Bluey: The Videogame is surprisingly brief. It features just four main maps - the Heeler house and backyard, the playground, the creek, and the beach. The story arc is split into four episodes, each lasting 10 to 15 minutes. For a game priced at £35 in the UK, $60 in Australia, and $40 in the US, you can easily complete it in under an hour.

While there's an added effort to pad out the length through collectibles, everything can be gathered within two hours, leaving players feeling a bit underwhelmed for the price point. It appears there was a decision to make the Heeler backyard and house count as separate maps in the menu, which feels somewhat misleading given that they are connected spaces in the gameplay.

Gameplay: Cute but Lacks Depth

The premise of the game is charming enough. Set during school holidays, Bluey and Bingo embark on a quest to find a treasure buried by their dad, Bandit, and his brothers years ago. The narrative includes appearances by familiar characters such as Uncle Stripe, Muffin, Uncle Rad, and Grandad Mort. There’s even a moral element brushed upon in the final episode.

However, actual gameplay feels a bit shallow. The puzzles involve moving objects such as furniture or rocks to progress, and the tasks become repetitive quickly. Minigames like Keepy Uppy, Ground is Lava, Magic Xylophone, and Chattermax Chase attempt to diversify the experience but often fall flat in execution, sometimes even causing glitches.

Co-Op Experience: A Mixed Bag

Bluey: The Videogame incorporates a co-op feature, allowing players to enjoy the adventure together. When played as a group, however, the experience proves to be more challenging than it needs to be. Controls can become finicky, and character movements sometimes freeze, requiring players to reselect characters to fix issues.

The platforming sections are particularly problematic. Precision is key in these parts, but the controls often feel unresponsive, causing frustration, especially in a group setting. If you aim to play with more than one player, be prepared for a mixed, often frustrating, experience.

Minigames: Simple, Yet Flawed

Among the features of Bluey: The Videogame are its various minigames. Magic Xylophone, a freeze tag-based game, and Chattermax Chase, reminiscent of Halo’s Oddball, provide mild entertainment. However, technical issues and simplicity limit their replay value. These games could have benefited from more polish and variety to extend their appeal.

Technical Issues: Breaking the Immersion

Technical flaws are the bane of Bluey: The Videogame. Freezing characters, glitchy movements, and trouble interacting with objects mar the overall experience. Such issues break the immersive quality that the beautiful graphics and familiar voices otherwise create.

Dealing with these interruptions is particularly frustrating during cooperative play, where multiple players need to reselect their characters or restart sections to unfreeze progression. These technical hitches significantly detract from the enjoyment and flow of the game.

Price Point: Does It Justify the Cost?

The game’s brevity, combined with its glitches, makes it a tough sell at its current price. While we often keep the cost separate in-game evaluations, Bluey: The Videogame’s underwhelming content makes it hard to ignore. For £35, $60 Australian, or $40 US, players expect more than what this game has to offer.

Budget-conscious consumers might find it hard to justify purchasing a game that can be completed so quickly. Discounts or sales may make it more palatable, but its current price point feels disproportionately high for what it delivers.

Sound and Voice Acting

One of the saving graces of Bluey: The Videogame is its sound quality and voice acting. The original cast from the television series returns to lend their voices, providing a sense of continuity that fans will appreciate. This effort goes a long way in mimicking the series' cozy and familiar ambiance.

Sound effects are equally well implemented, maintaining the show's typical light-hearted and engaging vibe. The auditory experience effectively captures the essence of Bluey, and this high point certainly adds to the game's charm, even if other aspects fall short.

Replay Value: Limited Appeal

Given the game’s short length and minimal depth, its replay value is fairly limited. While the game does offer some collectibles and minigames that might encourage a second playthrough, the issues with repetition and technical hitches reduce the incentive to return after the first round.

Fans of the series might find joy in revisiting the game for its nostalgic elements, but even for them, the appeal will likely wane rather quickly. Additional content or better mechanics could have greatly extended its replayability.

Conclusion

Bluey: The Videogame manages to capture the visual and auditory essence of the beloved children’s series, but it falls short in gameplay, depth, and length. The stunning graphics and faithful recreation of the series' animation style are commendable, as is the inclusion of the original voice cast.

However, a combination of technical issues, simplistic puzzles, and an unreasonably high price point make this game a hard sell. If you’re a die-hard Bluey fan, you might still appreciate it for its aesthetic fidelity, but for most, it might be wiser to wait for a discount or even a more fleshed-out sequel.