Reviews of interactive experiences designed with younger players in mind.
Quirky, charming puzzle game where you swap tiles to help Red Riding Hood get through the woods safely. It really makes the most of its mechanics, and the par rating and unlockables help to create a positive experience for players of different ability levels. Tiles are easy to differentiate visually and the whole game has a distinctive aesthetic that adds to its fairytale appeal. The little bursts of dialogue at the end of each level are a fun addition, too. 5/5 stars - outstanding.
Delightfully whimsical interactive exploration of the alphabet. Bold, simple designs make this a visually stimulating experience, while the audio for words and letters helps to link sounds with writing. Moving the pieces around to get to the next word or letter can be surprisingly entertaining. Bonus points for including diverse skin tones in the illustrations featuring people! 5/5 stars - outstanding.
This short interactive experience is packed full of character. The art style and audio design bring the story to life in a fun and charming way. Bonus points for also using strong visual cues to represent auditory information! Female-only protagonist, though this is only apparent through the description, as the game uses no words. 4/5 stars - excellent.
Hectic party game for 2-4 players. Play as sheepdogs in either co-op mode or versus mode, herding sheep to safety - or peril, if they're your opponent's! Nice mix of dog avatars to choose from. 4/5 stars - excellent.
Sweet little physics-based space minigolf game. It's clear that a lot of love went into the design. However, a tutorial or descriptions of the effects of certain obstacles would have been nice, as opposed to learning by trial and error. 4/5 stars - excellent.
Simple, fun colouring game with three modes: match the original colour scheme marked by dots, freely choose your own colours to fill in, or doodle instead of simply auto-filling sections with colour.
You can toggle audio colour naming on or off, which is helpful for introducing younger players to different colours. Bonus points for encouraging adults to play alongside children, and for providing them with discussion points in the menu! 4/5 stars - excellent.
Find the cat (and everything else the cat wants you to find for it) in this straightforward short game. Search a series of hand-drawn environments that are just cluttered enough to make it challenging without being overwhelming. There's a red highlight when you hover over the right thing, which serves as a helpful way to progress if you get stuck. 4/5 stars - excellent.
Cute, fun bird maker with a nice range of design options. 4/5 stars - excellent.
