Review: Sesame Street: Once upon a Monster

First of all before I formally begin this review, I think it’s important to have realistic expectations. There is no way you can compare a game like this to the likes of Gears of War, Uncharted, Call of Duty etc. I aim to review Sesame Street: Once upon a Monster as the game it is and the game it is, is a family game designed for simplicity and fun, it’s certainly not for the hardcore! Once I was able to get this aside I did strangely find myself enjoying the game, perhaps, it was my nostalgia craving for Sesame Street that did it but at its core you’ve got a game that young fans of the show will love!

The game begins with a short live action cut scene featuring Elmo and Cookie Monster, it’s all authentic, the trademark Cookie Monster humour is there (he reminds us that his favourite book includes cookies, more cookies and the best part cookies!) and the subtle lesson story-telling of Sesame Street remains. Once you get past the first cut scene you’re greeted with simplistic design and instruction, Elmo talks you through how to start the game and really gets the player involved as he ‘notices’ that you are stood waiting to play with them. It’s a very clever device to make the player feel immersed in the world and in the game, for a young child it will feel very much as though the game is interacting with them as well as the other way around.

The graphical presentation is lovely and the bright colours really shine through in HD, don’t expect Crysis or Rage but the art style remains authentic to the Sesame Street franchise and the vivd colours are a visual treat for all ages! All the voice-overs are official and it really does help, this was something games like LOST: The video game suffered on and children should enjoy the fact that they get to play with recognisable characters.

The game is split in to six chapters and includes various mini-games, as well the staple achievements you can also unlock ‘stars’ which rate you on your in-game performance, the more stars you get the better you have performed. The game revolves around helping Marco and the other monsters to get ready for Marco’s birthday party this involves getting the party itself ready and rounding up the other monsters. For example one of the first mini-games sees you collecting decorations for the party and it is a joy and even Kinect responded fairly well! You have to direct a monster named Marco (with Elmo en-tow) through the forest whilst avoiding obstacles and using Elmo to collect the decorations that hang from the trees. To move you would lean to the left or right, to jump you jump, to duck you duck and you use your arms to reach for collectibles hanging from the trees. It feels like a completely natural control set, the only let down in this mini-game was a slight delay in jumping something that Kinect Sports (particularly in hurdles) also suffered from. It’s not likely to affect a younger player but if you find yourself playing alongside your child it can become annoying as you find you have to time the jump way in advance for it to register successfully.

As well as fairly active mini-games they are more mundane ones such as ‘dress-up’ where you swish your arms to rotate a clothes rail and push your arms forward to select the correct outfit that each character asks for, this does appeal in relation to the show, (Katy Perry goes to Sesame Street to play dress-up with Elmo!), but compared to some of the other mini-games it feels a little lazy and dull, particularly when you are required to assemble around 9-10 outfits one after another, still the younger players this game is aimed towards should find it enjoyable.

Another mini-game I enjoyed sees you flying with Cookie Monster and Groover up a tree collecting fruits (nice touch, no cookies, healthy eating!), the fruits as with the other mini-games are for the party and again Kinect responds really well. You flap your arms to fly (like wings) and tilt yourself left and right to change direction. As with all the mini-games they are impossible to fail and this in the placid nature of the franchise and for the benefit of the young players who want a simple game that they can pick up and play instantly. Of course there are many other mini-games available, one notable game mode revolves around dancing, it is fairly self-explanatory, you copy the dance moves which are shown on screen. It feels like there is a good variety of mini-games to keep the game fresh and exciting particularly for the younger players. Aside from motion control the game also utilises voice recognition that is used to cleverly to blur the gap between the player and the in-game characters. An example being when you must shout ‘Macro’s’ name to get his attention.

The game also boasts 2 player co-op which is great for parent – child play or sibling play, it’s a nice touch and re-emphasises one of the games messages which is that you should work together! Co-op also allows for the avoiding of any tantrums or arguments, (unless you’ve got 3+ kids then you may have a power struggle!), as virtually the whole game is co-op compatible.

Whilst the game does feel fresh, the same mechanics are often recycled, a trait that helps to keep the game simple for young children who then only have a few motions to learn. All the mini-games are re-playable and a child is likely to find at least one they really like and then repeatedly play it! That said sadly the game is only around 4 hours but there are promises of future game content and as all the mini-games are re-playable it’s easy to go back to play again.

All in all Sesame Street: Once upon a Monster is very difficult to dislike, the bright colours, the classic loveable characters and the trademark humour (which will bring a smile to all ages!) makes this one of the best Kinect experiences for children. The high production values means this doesn’t, despite it’s short length, feel like a cheaply made game, in its genre it feels very much like a AAA title and if you’re planning on treating your kids to a new game this holiday season then you really don’t need to look much further because here is a game with a lot of heart and a lot of good and honest fun.