Doras Big Birthday Adventure

SCORE: 90

Dora and Boots have once again found themselves in a precarious position and it’s up to your child to help them get home in time for Dora’s birthday party. Dora’s Big Birthday Adventure is designed for younger children, but parents too can enjoy watching their little ones perform all of the various stunts required to get Dora and Boots home safely in this fantastic game for the Nintendo Wii.

If you’ve ever watched the Dora television series with your kids you’ll have a good idea of what this game looks like. This time Dora and Boots are trapped in a story book and the world your kids get to explore is full off bright colors and a wild assortment of fun objects that they can interact with. 2K Play has done an excellent job of designing this game for little ones. There are easy to understand on-screen animations showing your child what movements to perform. This makes it simple for them to look and learn what to do on their own and thus gets them excited when they figure it out. In addition to Dora and her boot wearing primate pal, the game features some other favorite characters from the TV show including the Snow Princess, Map, and Backpack. The game has no violent imagery, but does feature a mean witch, referred to as “La Bruja”, whose flying monkeys will attempt to impede Dora and Boots from getting out of the story book. During gameplay the graphics look much like the cartoon, but at certain points in the game Dora and Boots will stop to talk to the player giving more story details or instructions. The voice and animation synchronization in these sequences is horrible. It’s like watching a bad Kung Fu movie. The good news is that kids apparently don’t mind if Dora’s mouth is still moving several seconds after she’s finished speaking.

The audio is also just what you’d expect to find based on the TV show. The voices match the show exactly and the game is full of fun sound effects. The music is cheerful and fun to adventure along to. Dora, Boots, and the Snow Princess will encourage your child each step of the way clearing explaining what to do. You might even pick up a new Spanish word or dos if you listen closely. Of course there are no offensive words or sounds found in the game so parents can rest easy letting their small children give this one a go.

Dora’s Big Birthday Adventure is a little weak in the area of replay value. The game is quite short and pretty easy to get through. My 4 year old breezed through the game in less than two days playing here and there. That’s not to say that your kids won’t enjoy playing the game over and over. There are a few extra things you can do while playing such as collecting all of the crystals and objects you see and exploring small areas that you don’t “need” to visit during the course of play. You can also play all of the mini-games individually if you so desire. My daughters both enjoyed riding the unicorn in particular. Many of these mini-games can be played competitively by two players adding a new dimension to the game. There is also a secret code hidden in the user manual to unlock a special birthday dress for Dora. I guess poor old Boots doesn’t get any special party footwear.

I was very impressed with the game design in Dora’s Big Birthday Adventure. The game has obviously been designed with small children in mind. This is essentially a side scrolling platform game for little tots. The game makes excellent use of the Wii motion controller. Your kids will be helping Dora run, jump, climb, crank levers, row boats, dance, spin cakes, and pull on piñatas to name a few. These movements are a blast for kids to perform with the Wii remote and will draw them into the game not to mention that they’re not just sitting on the couch while playing. One of the things my 4 year old has trouble with on some games is pointing the Wii remote correctly so that the cursor appears on the screen. This game opts to have players hold the remote sideways and tilt left or right to move Dora or to select options on the screen. This works great for younger children who haven’t yet mastered the Wii controller and have trouble pointing it steadily. The basic goal of the game is to run along collecting crystals and other objects that will be required when you reach the end of the level (bubbles for your bubble car for instance). The great thing about the game is that it doesn’t penalize your kids if they aren’t able to collect every crystal or object. If you collect enough you get a badge or a sticker at the end of the level, otherwise the game just continues on as normal. Older kids can still enjoy the game by striving for a perfect record and collecting all of these crystals and objects. I appreciate the way that 2K Play has made this game accessible to children who are too young for most games but too old for baby games. Toddlers and preschoolers can just pick up this game and play it like an interactive version of the TV show.

This game is definitely safe for the entire family. The game is rated ‘E’ for everyone but will likely be far too easy for children older than 5 or 6. While this game wouldn’t be much fun for adults either, it is still fun to watch your child play and encourage them as they go. There is also a “Birthday Helper” feature built into the game that allows parents to take control of a second Wii remote during certain mini-games to assist if necessary. I should also note that parents shouldn’t expect any true educational value from this game. While there are a small handful of educational moments here and there, this game was designed primarily for entertainment and it does an excellent job of that. If your child likes Dora and Boots and is between the ages of 3-6 this is a fun, albeit short, adventure to have with your kids.
-Roger

Graphics: 86%
Sound: 96%
Replay/Extras: 78%
Gameplay: 99%
Family Friendly Factor: 92%
System: Wii
Publisher: 2K Play
Rating: 'E' for Everyone

Want more info on this product, or the company that made this product?
Set web browser to:
Link

Got a question, comment, or a concern regarding this review?
Email them to:
Roger@familyfriendlygaming.com