My 6-year-old and I have been playing an advanced copy of Bluey’s Quest for the Gold Pen on Nintendo Switch, and honestly, she’s absolutely obsessed. The game is adorable, it’s fun, and the controls are so intuitive.
At this point, my daughter has been playing on the Switch for a while. She’s played a little bit of Roblox on multiplayer with her brothers, some classic Mario games on the Switch Online platform, and wandered around Animal Crossing: New Horizons for a bit without much interest. She’s also a pretty strong reader, so I felt confident introducing a new game that I thought might rely heavily on her reading skills (it doesn’t).
I handed her the Switch with Bluey’s Quest for the Gold Pen installed, and sat back to watch her play. Here’s what we think.
This Game Is VERY Bluey
My daughter loves Bluey. We watch the cartoons, and most of the items on her Christmas wish list this past year were Bluey toys. Like many families, we enjoy it together, and our household generally agrees that it’s as much a show about parenting as it is a kiddie cartoon.
The game hits this note perfectly. It starts with Bluey, Bingo, and their parents, Bandit and Chilli, spending a rainy day at the table with colored pens and paper, and creating an imaginative story. The fun is disrupted (or is it just beginning?) when the girls’ dad, Bandit, won’t share the gold pen, making it impossible for “Bingoose” to lay a golden egg.
From there, it’s a fun story of gentle teasing and playfulness from the parents, while Bluey and Bingo quest to retrieve the golden pen.
The Gameplay Is Intuitive But Never Boring
The controls are simple, and at any moment, your child can double-check which button performs an action by glancing to the right of their screen, where both text and a representative icon appear.
They’ll start by proving to Chilli, the Creator of Worlds, that they’re ready to take on King Goldie Horns (Bandit). This means they’ll need to find 8 lollies, which they do by completing simple puzzles that involve moving objects and performing basic tasks. Then they’ll need to start collecting goose food, so that Bingoose can lay magic silver eggs to defeat their dad — I mean, King Goldie Horns.
As the levels progress, the characters gain access to more challenging tools and gameplay.
I’ve watched my daughter become frustrated with some games as they become more complicated, but Bluey’s Quest for The Gold Pen continued to be fun, and just the right amount of challenge to maintain her interest as we hunted down beads, ladybugs, and goose food, and tried out mechanics like a cool rideable glider.
What Else Do We Love?
While the game’s dialogue is all spoken, you can also turn on subtitles. That makes the game even more accessible, and it works well for times when we need the volume off.
Between levels, there are short video transitions in which Bandit and Chili’s parenting styles are pretty clear, and we see their support for their daughters as they work together and get creative.
All of it is as charming and full of gentle humor as the show, and watching Bingoose lay eggs cracked my daughter up. As the challenges became slightly more challenging, they always felt like something worth trying again, never something that just wasn’t worth the effort.
Even my older kids poked their heads over her shoulder to get a peek at the gameplay, and were interested enough to give it a try or to ‘help’ with a puzzle or two.
Our Conclusion: The Game Is As On-Point As A Bluey Episode
If you’re a Bluey fan, you’ll know exactly what we’re talking about.
Like an episode of Bluey, it’s primarily for younger viewers/players, but will catch your older kids’ eyes too. They will very likely offer their help, or try a level out when the littlest kids are otherwise occupied. You may even find yourself jumping in to try out some challenges.
Meanwhile, your youngest kids will find that roaming the gamescape is simple and fun, and a good early (or even first) experience with console games.
My 6-year-old says her favorite part is “Using the magic wand to move those blocks and things”—in other words, solving puzzles that involve moving parts around. She also really enjoys helping Bluey and Bingoose outsmart King Goldie Horns over and over.
Aside from the gameplay, the story is sweet and cute, and you can tell that it’s written by the show’s creator, Joe Brumm. Everything about it feels like an interactive episode of the cartoon.
The game officially releases for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and PC on May 28. We love it, and we think you will too.
