If you have children, or you have a relative with young children in your family, then you may have heard of Paw Patrol by proxy. My three year old niece sure cannot shut up about it, just like how I used to watch the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon back when I was her age. At the risk of sounding like the oldest boomer in the retirement home, kids are quickly getting more tech-savvy than us dumb adults can even comprehend. So it’s no surprise that publishers would decide to make a few Paw Patrol games for them to enjoy. I was expecting for a handful of mobile games to be everything that franchise would get in terms of adaptations. But Outright Games, the one keeping the torch of cartoon games alive, just decided to drop the nonsensically long-named Paw Patrol: Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay for consoles.

Making games catered towards a very young demographic is actually much harder than you’d think. You’re dealing with a crowd that isn’t used to game physics, difficulty settings, or often times even reading as a whole. The Paw Patrol cartoon is aimed at three year olds, for example. You have to put all of these factors into consideration: this is NOT aimed at adults. Some of the issues I’m going to point out in this review are things that might be boring for us, cynical grownups, but are completely ignorable when you think with the innocent mindset of a toddler. One thing I cannot say about Paw Patrol: Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay, is that it is half-baked when it comes to providing a child-friendly experience. It’s competent, unlike Race With Ryan. It’s just not not for us as adults.

This game features a surprising amount of gameplay styles and control schemes. But at its core, this is a very simple platformer with no enemies, or any conception of harm for that matter. Pick up collectibles, such as dog treats and medals, then do whatever the human boy tells you to do. You’ll be given control of a few adorable pups per level and it’s up to you to use their abilities in order to solve a few character-specific puzzles. Just pick the right character, stand near the obstacle, press the triangle button, then partake on a simple QTE minigame to solve whatever you need to solve.

Make sure to collect all items in each level, as you will unlock character profiles and extra minigames as a result. Those minigames range from a simple snow-cleaning road adventure to the simplest rhythm-based dancing minigame in mankind (and canine) history. They are fun enough to distract the little ones for hours on end. It also works as a great reward for them, giving them a true sense of accomplishment. The game isn’t very long, as to be expected, so the minigames are crucial to extend its overall lasting appeal.

When it comes to its presentation, Paw Patrol: Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay certainly gets the job done. It recreates the TV show’s visuals to a very impressive degree, even if that cartoon isn’t exactly the pinnacle of CGI effects. Characters are cute and recognizable, and the framerate is stable. I wasn’t able to detect a single visual glitch throughout my whole playthrough, so that’s a plus, I suppose.

The sound department is a mixed bag, on the other hand. The soundtrack itself is surprisingly varied, with some pop punk, funk, orchestral, and even electronic tunes featured throughout the levels and minigames. Some of them are actually quite catchy, which definitely surprised me.

The problem lies in the voice acting. As to be expected from a franchise aimed at small kids, it’s not good. It’s amateurish and simplistic. That’s not the biggest problem, however. The problem lies in the terrible sound mixing, with voice clips sounding much louder than the music being played on the back, and the fact that every single menu option is shouted by the game’s human protagonist whenever you highlight it. I get it, some kids who’ll play this game aren’t even old enough to read, but the developers should have added the option to turn this off, as it becomes way too tiresome after a few mere seconds…

As a cynical adult, I obviously find Paw Patrol: Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay to be one of the most basic gaming experiences I’ve had in years. But I am not its core audience. When you assess it through the eyes of a toddler, this is actually a pretty decent game. The visuals emulate the show with perfection, the controls are polished, and the music is catchy. It’s very easy, to the point a five year old can probably platinum it, all while feeling accomplished as a result. As far as educational and preschool-oriented games go, Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay is easily one of the best out there.

 

Graphics: 7.0 Paw Patrol: Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay recreates the TV show’s visuals to a very impressive degree, even if the show isn’t exactly the pinnacle of CGI effects.	Gameplay: 7.5 It’s a bog standard 3D platformer with simple puzzles. Easy QTEs and minigames complete the package. It’s not impressive, but it’s not glitchy either.
Sound: 6.0 The soundtrack is surprisingly varied, and occasionally catchy. The voice acting, on the other hand, is pretty bad. To make matters worse, there is a TON of voice acting in here.	Fun Factor: 6.5 It might look like a boring slog for adults looking for a challenge, but when you analyze it through the perspective of its intended audience, Paw Patrol: Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay ain’t half bad. It’s polished, it’s easy, and it does feature a meaty amount of content.
Final Verdict: 7.0

Paw Patrol: Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay is available now on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Switch.

Reviewed on PS4.

A copy of Paw Patrol: Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay was provided by the publisher.