Bluey: The Videogame review

12.01.2024 - 08:47 / pcgamer.com

What is it? A single-player interactive adventure with your favourite dog family.

Release date November 17, 2023

Expect to pay $40/£35

Developer Artax Games

Publisher Outright Games LTD

Reviewed on i5-8400 CPU @ 2.80GHz, 16GB RAM, Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060

Steam Deck Unsupported

Link Official site 

If you've somehow been living under a rock for the past few years, then let me explain the cultural phenomenon that is Bluey. Bluey Heeler, our titular hound, is the eldest puppy of Chilli and Bandit, and the cartoon focuses on the Australian family, the wild ride of being a parent and the complexities of childhood emotions. It weaves in humour for both adults and children, appealing to all ages—even if you're not a parent, guardian or cool aunt or uncle. 

As a mum to an almost three-year-old, I have been watching Bluey for a few years—Paw Patrol and Peppa Pig have no place in my house. In fact, I've been so enamored with it that I admit that I will even watch it on my own. Much like Star Wars: The Clone Wars, it is much too good for children alone. I have cried at the Baby Race and Sleepytime episodes (if you say you didn't, you're lying), and the toys Chattermax and Unicorse—a Furby's evolved, nightmarish cousin and an obnoxious hand puppet—are my sworn enemies as an adult who does not enjoy loud toys. In terms of representation, if you don't think Chilli and Bandit are two of the most realistic portrayals of millennial parents, then you need to wise up.

Much like how Bluey is a show for the whole family, Bluey: The Videogame is a fun co-op experience for kids and the young at heart. Naturally, it's very much on the simple side for adult gamers, but it proved rather challenging for my wee boy. It supports controller use only, which is fine for an experienced player like me, but not for my tiny-handed companion who picked my Elite Series 2 controller up by the joysticks then promptly dropped it. 

Bluey definitely doesn't have obtuse gameplay by any means: you'll get a brightly light path to clearly demonstrate where you should move items to, and the controls are easy to remember, particularly with the visual prompts. Annoyingly, however, the HUD doesn't update to represent PlayStation controls, so your completely competent gamer gal here was pressing X and jumping around a lot because I didn't realise I was actually meant to press square. I can't help but feel that there are a lot of children out there who will figure that one out quicker than I did.

There are lots of little collectibles to find that fans of the show will recognise, represented in the form of stickers and toys. There are five key locations to visit, with 12 collectibles to find per area. Finding these items like Chilli's hockey sticks or