Disclaimer: We received Bluey the Videogame on the PS4 to review free of charge, but words and pictures are mine. This post contains affiliate links, see more information here.
I think we can all agree that Bluey is bloody fantastic. Even my kids – long past the CBeebies world, but sharing a TV with a 4 year old at the weekend – have to concede that it’s a lot better than Gabby’s bastard Doll House or in fact any of the other brightly coloured and very loud abominations out there. It’s something we can all enjoy together. Even the adults. Especially the adults.
Bluey the Videogame review
Bluey the Videogame by Outright Games has been released just in time for Bluey-obsessed kids across the globe to say ‘oooh, I want that please Santa!’. It promises 4 player co-op, which is something we’ve always looking out for. But is it any good?
I thought I’d hand over to my eight year old, my chief game tester, for this one.
In his words:
Bluey the Videogame lets you play as one of four iconic Bluey characters (Mum Chilli, Dad Bandit, Bingo and of course Bluey). You can pick your character and you can dress them up in hats which your choose. The aim of the game is to complete a map while looking for stickers, which appear as sparkling objects.
Bluey the Videogame is a teamwork and strategy game. You pick up objects you have found, like a football, and you can kick them around or into goals. You can play four minigames, ‘Keepy Uppy’, ‘Ground is Lava’, Magic Xylophone’, and ‘Chattermax Chase’. They aren’t very difficult although on Ground is Lava you can fall off things a lot which is annoying.
You can pick up objects and move them around and you can bounce on beds, and (if you’re Bluey or Bingo) get on Mum or Dad’s shoulders and drive them about.
You go to four different locations; the creek, your house, the park or the beach. You can play ‘free play’ where you explore or play an episode. There are four episodes to play; Rescue, Holiday, Chattermax and Adventure (NB I have no idea if this is right, I wasn’t paying attention). It has a multiplayer mode going up to 4 players great for siblings playing. Even though it’s Bluey, which is meant for younger children, it is a fun game, good for any age. If you play multiplayer and go off the screen you will get bounced back so little brothers and sisters can join in. I think if you’re Bluey though you’re in charge. The graphics are stupendous (he likes long words), it’s just like watching an episode of Bluey. You can find hidden objects by jumping on things or moving objects to find them.
Right, so – he liked it. But what did I think?
Well, it’s alright.
Bluey the Videogame certainly looks the part. It is, in agreement with my youngest, just like watching an episode – with bright colourful 2D graphics and the voices of the original Bluey cast. So far so good.
In theory, the four player mode is great; the controls are easy enough to manage that a four year old can do it, but in reality it’s frustrating when you’re playing with a small one and everyone’s moving in different directions, so you have to wait for them to get to wherever you’re trying to go. Also, obviously everyone wants to be Bluey, which means it’s unlikely to be harmonious from the off.
The biggest gripe is that gameplay is simple and short and can be completed quickly – in about an hour. I hadn’t realised that my son had completed it until I sat down to write this; which changed my opinion somewhat. That’s IT?!
The minigames are ok, but not ones you’ll go back and play again and again. It’s just a little bit…disappointing.
It’s such a shame it isn’t as good as the show. It had so much promise, but is lacking.
Young kids will probably like it, but the appeal is going to be limited once the episodes are complete, and even a young kid will probably get them done in 20 minutes. It doesn’t have the amount of gameplay – and don’t see it having the long term appeal – of something like Kirby even though it’s not far off in terms of the cost. For just over £30 you might think that an hour or so of quiet time is worth it, but I feel like it’s fair warning to put that in there. My eight year old has definitely got more mileage out of FIFA (god help me) and my ten year old has been playing Animal Crossing for years without getting bored.
I feel like Bluey the Videogame is fun for little fans of the show, and even older kids like mine will give it a go and complete it, but the makers could have put a lot more into it if they’d tried. It’s sadly underwhelming; I suspect they may have been rushing this for the Christmas market.
How much and where to buy
If after reading this Bluey the Videogame review you’re still keen to try it, you can buy it Bluey the Videogame on PS4, PS5, Switch and Xbox from Amazon for around £33.
I’ve heard everyone saying the same thing I figured being as cheap as it was, to good too be true. Think they could’ve put more effort into it, or get a different company to design the game maybe another one will be made in the future