A JOYFUL TIME FOR EVERYONE.
I have zero relation to the show Bluey. I know what Bluey is but I have no children and the show came out in 2018 when I was 26 which is around the time I joined the site. I know Bluey is extremely popular and is generally one of the more commonly praised series by parents but that isn’t enough to get me to watch a show made for young children that I have zero nostalgia for. However, I did ask to review this game and a large part of it is an indie game called Toem which is a game about photography which I have played and enjoyed, and that Bluey’s Happy Snaps reminded me of in the trailer for it. There’s not a lot of games where photography is the key gameplay element and I wanted to see how well Bluey did in the very niche genre. The answer is very well.
The main gameplay is a scavenger hunt for specific photos in each location with only a certain amount needed to unlock new areas. Some photos require doing actions within the world like handing the camera to Bluey’s mom Chilli so she takes a photo of Bluey kicking a soccer ball or setting the timer and running to a spot to be in the shot within the time limit. Movement in the world is done in a 2D method similar to old belt scrollers but when taking photos the camera switches to first person 3D with no movement and no zooming so the game is very easy to play for those who aren’t familiar with video games which is the core audience. In between areas during travel the game turns into a shooting gallery where the goal is to take photos of specific animals which is a lot of fun and takes the slower paced mechanics and puts them into a faster paced environment where the car doesn’t stop moving.
PLATFORMS: NS1, NS2, PS4, PS5, XB1, XSX, PC (REVIEWED)
MSRP: $39.99
PRICE I’D PAY: $39.99
In every level there’s secret photos to take and small minigames to play, scrap books to decorate with stickers and tape and digital color pages to unlock and color. Each area has toys that are interactive like chalk that draws on the sidewalk and kites that fly around. There’s a lot of content here for a really good price. As an adult I enjoyed the game and it reminds me of games I played as a kid but way more in line with what modern games are which Wacky Worlds and Busytown on Sega Genesis never did because they were very different from what else was on consoles at the time.
Also, as someone who has no relation to Bluey I am impressed with the writing and the voice acting. It’s genuinely funny and charming, I had a couple of laughs throughout but for the most part this game felt like a warm hug. The graphics are fantastic, it’s such a pretty game, the artwork matches the show really well and there’s a lot of small references that went over my head as not a watcher, but I have come to learn things from the show from Drew. The fact the world looks great in 2D and 3D when in first person is really underrated when that’s not a thing most games do and for young fans of Bluey I’m sure seeing all the little details up close will be exciting. Going into first person to take photos also allows players to see new angles of stuff which is where some photos will be found too which was always neat as a fan of games that play with perspective.
There are only two faults and a minor criticism I can find with the game. There was one character whose voice lines didn’t play, and it was odd and I’m not sure what the issue is, but Bluey’s aunt had dialog but no audio which stood out because this game has a lot of voice acting including audible clues for each photo needed. The only other fault was that taking a photo of Bluey’s house needs to be done way closer than getting the whole house in the shot so essentially a picture of the front door triggers the sticker unlock, not a pic from the sidewalk and it’s not clear why it’s not accepted. The criticism is that one of my favorite parts of the game is Grannies, which might be one of the funniest things in the game and is just chaos, is locked to the Deluxe Edition. It’s one level that should have just been included because it adds content to a game that is relatively short (outside of 100% completion) but I’m also 34 and the aforementioned Busy Town was about an hour of gameplay at most and I played that over and over.
Bluey’s Happy Snaps is a warm hug of a game. It made me feel joy and I think it’s a great place to start young kids with video games. Where their video game journey goes from there is up to them, but I think it’s a great way to get used to controls and 3D space and aiming in really healthy ways. Maybe they will grow up and try Toem. Early last year I reviewed Carmen Sandiego from Gameloft Brisbane, the studio that made Happy Snaps, and it was okay. Happy Snaps is great and I think parents and kids will enjoy it a lot and I hope the team at Gameloft Brisbane take a lot of pride in this cause I do think it’s one of the best games for young kids out there.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.