There hasn’t been a bigger cultural export from Australia than Bluey since the likes of Crocodile Dundee. Bluey is everywhere, so it makes sense that she and the rest of Heeler family get their very own video game.
Bluey, the TV show isn’t just loved because it’s adorable but because it teaches great lessons and has fantastic characters that resonate with both kids and adults. You’d hope if they were making a game of it, it could do the same at least.
The Bluey game has you, and up to three other friends or family play through several “episodes” as you take the Heeler family all over to find the hidden treasure that Bandit and his brothers hid when they were kids. The episodes in the game are presented exactly like the TV show with the “this episode of Bluey is called” before the adventure kicks off.
The story will take you around the Heeler house, their backyard, and other locations from the show. Each episode has a mini-game unlocked at the end that you can play after at anytime as you explore Bluey’s world. The tasks in each episode can be completed with just one player, but you’d certainly get more out of them doing it with friends or family. They’re simple tasks like playing Keepy Uppy or moving furniture so you can climb and collect items. There’s also an episode where you have to do the bidding of a Chattermax to help shut it up and save Bandit and Chilli from a headache.
The episodes last only a little longer than most episodes of the TV show but are fully voiced by the show’s cast, which helps with authenticity. It looks like you’re just playing an interactive episode of Bluey, even on the Switch.
Outside the main story, there are a bunch of stickers and items to collect around each of the game’s locations. Finding these will unlock more dress-ups that each of the characters can choose to wear. Each player can dress up in different outfits, from a traffic cone to a chef’s hat. Kid’s will enjoy just exploring the Heeler house and the Bluey world, it’s insanely detailed and the first time you’ve been able to just explore their house.
While the gameplay is inoffensive and straightforward, it’s okay for kids and great for the parents who will have to play along with their kids. The real meat of the game, though, is the story, and while it doesn’t cut as deep as some Bluey episodes, it at least does have a lesson to teach.
The problem is it’s all over very quickly; I was able to blast through the entire game in just a little over an hour. The four episodes in the game go very quickly, and then you’re left to hunt down all the collectables and unlock the different costumes.
Even though the story is short, the list of items to collect will keep kids preoccupied for some time. Like the TV show, though, this is something kids will come back to and play again and again, in different costumes and playing as all the other characters.
Bluey The Videogame is an excellent adaptation of the TV show, but I wish there were more episodes in it – it can be breezed through in a couple of hours, at least by an adult. While it lasts, it’s another fun Bluey adventure that kids will come back to, and parents can still enjoy with them. Just wish there was more of it.
Rating: 3.5/5
Put a pin in it.
Preinstalled this time.