Bluey Let’s Play, is an adventure game developed by Artax Games and published by Outright Games – The Family-Friendly Video Game Publisher as they like to call themselves. This train wreck came out on November 17, 2023. Based on the incredibly popular children’s television series Bluey, the title has won kids and parents alike through its heartwarming depiction of a dog family living in a dog-eat-dog world—literally. The game is available for the following platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Phew, that was a mouthful, wasn’t it?
With all that jargon about the release out of the way, let’s just talk about the game. As a 23-year-old man, I’m in no position to judge kids’ video games, but why not? Now, before you get your hopes up about the prospect of playing as Bluey and friends, let me just save you time right here: this game’s as much fun to play as watching paint dry if that. I’m pretty sure your embryonic fluid-spewing demon spawn would more enjoy that, than playing this. If only their attention spans weren’t wrecked to the point of no return-that is. But at least it’s not as bad as The Banana Game, which pretty much incentivized kids to gamble on non-existent Banana Skins, but that’s an entirely different story.
Initial Impressions: A Game for Kids? More Like Embryos.
Now, let’s address the elephant in the room: this game isn’t targeted for just kids; it’s targeted for those barely out of the womb. If your child still is getting used to the idea of having fingers, then “Bluey: Let’s Play” might be the perfect introduction to video games. For anyone older than that, though, this game is a glorified digital babysitter at which even a Tamagotchi would scoff. I mean, sure, it captures the colorful, bubbly aesthetic of the show, but that’s like saying a shiny wrapper makes the candy taste better. Underneath the surface, this game is a hollow shell of what a video game should be.
Bluey Let’s Play Gameplay: Where Fun Goes to Die
The gameplay is about as engaging as staring at a wall—and you might find the wall more stimulating. It’s a game full of simplistic tasks—such as trolleying furniture around, making a mess (which, oddly, the game seems to encourage), and playing mini-games that would bore even the most hyperactive toddler. Remember that really fun game where you keep a balloon in the air? Yeah, it’s here, and it’s just as exciting as you’d think—three whole tries before you realize that this is as good as it gets.
Co-op mode, which really should have been the crowning jewel of family playtime, is little more than an exercise in frustration. You can play as Bluey or Bingo or even the parents, but there’s no feeling of working together. It’s like they took the concept of cooperative gameplay and popped it in a blender before serving it really watered down. It is actually quite stunning how less thought was used to make this game even remotely fun for someone with a functioning brain.
Humor: Missing by a Mile
It’s one of Bluey’s TV show redeeming qualities: it can appeal to kids and adults with some clever humor and relatable situations. None of that spills over into “Bluey: Let’s Play.” The game tries to sprinkle in some humor here and there but is about as effective as a knock-knock joke told by a robot. The dialogue is excruciatingly basic, and any pretenses at humor are as flat as a whoopee cushion left under an anvil.
At times, you might even find yourself chuckling—not because the game is funny but because you can’t believe someone green-lit this disaster. It’s that kind of giggles that makes one wonder whether the developers really got whatever makes Bluey special in the first place. And if you’re looking for some sort of banter between characters, then you might as well forget it. It’s like the game views dialogue as if it were an option, with voice actors reading off lines from what sounds like someone who has never interacted with a human child in their life.
Bluey Let’s Play Exploration: A World Too Small Even for a Fetus
You must have thought that this would be an all-wide-open world to explore Bluey’s universe in all its glory. Well, prepare to get disappointed. The game’s world is shoebox-sized, with less to do in it. You will do a lot of walking around Bluey’s house, her backyard, and a couple of other uninspired locations that have absolutely nothing to do with exploration or discovery. It’s as if the developers thought that hearing the word “adventure” means walking from A to B and then falling asleep.
It teases you with the concept of exploration and then yanks the carpet from under your feet with environments as lifeless as they are limited. Very soon, these activities become repetitive; indeed, the lack of meaningful interaction makes you feel that it’s some inside joke you’re not getting. Even the most patient child would struggle to find anything worthwhile in this barren digital landscape.
Verdict: A Baby Game for Babies, and That’s Not a Compliment
“Bluey: Let’s Play” is, without hyperbole, one of the worst games I’ve had to sit through, and I’ve sat through some stinkers. This isn’t even a kids’ game—no, this is a game for baby-babies in their embryonic fluid-spewing stage who haven’t developed enough yet to realize they’re being palmed off with a tech demo masked as an actual game. It fails almost on all levels: the tedium of gameplay, the complete lack of sense in the attempted humor department, the non-factor of exploration, and the forgeability that will make this game as memorable as last week’s lunch.
If you’re thinking of buying this for your child, well, let me tell you not to. Far better ways to occupy your little one are by giving them a cardboard box to play with. At least then, they’ll be using their imagination, which is sorely lacking in Bluey Let’s Play
Buy Them Hot Wheels Instead
In the final analysis, “Bluey: Let’s Play” is an abomination dressed up as a video game. It’s not only bad for a kids’ game; it is simply bad, full stop. Save your money, save your sanity, and avoid this disaster. Your child deserves better, and so do you.