I still remember the very first game I beat on my own.  It was Mickey’s Space Adventure on our family’s Apple ][+.  The game was kind of a mix between a text adventure like Zork but had pictures and word cues like a point and click adventure.  I just remember the sense of pride and accomplishment I got after beating it.  And yeah it was a game for little kids, but I WAS a little kid at the time!  It just stuck with me and is why I have a strong interest in educational games for kids.  I never pooh-pooh those kinds of games like a lot of other reviewers do, I always welcomed meeting with companies like Humongous when I wrote for The Dallas Morning News, and it’s why I still write for GamerDad.com now!  So I’m really glad to get the opportunity to review Hamster Bob, an interactive coloring book adventure on Switch for the youngest gamers.

Meet Hamster Bob.  He loves coloring and having fun with friends.  On each coloring page, you’ll be tasked with coloring a few items, like an animal or food.  In between coloring, you may have to drag and drop what you colored somewhere, or do a simple counting activity.  You’ll use a simple paint program with a couple dozen colors to choose from, and you’ll color each part separately and never have to worry about coloring outside the lines.  Hamster Bob will guide you along the way.  After each coloring page, you’ll unlock food you can feed to Hamster Bob, as well as dress him up in different outfits on another screen.

There are two ways to control the game.  In handheld mode you’ll use the touch screen, while on the TV you’ll use the JoyCon to point a cursor on screen like a remote.  Playing the game in handheld mode is way easier, especially for younger gamers.  You’re free to color things anyway you like, so if you want Doris Duck to be a sickly puke green with brown spots, go right ahead.

The only problems I had with the game are very minor and hardly worth mentioning, but I will anyway!  Hamster Bob has a sickeningly sweet syrupy Barney the dinosaur style voice, which may annoy some adults and older gamers.  Also the text just feels slightly grammatically off, stilted, and disjointed.  For example, Hamster Bob will say stuff like, “I like coloring, eating, and laughing.  I heard you like it, too.”  I mean, it’s not bad, it just bothers the old school newspaper editor in me.  But other than that, this is a great game to download for younger players if you have a Switch, and has plenty of activities to keep them busy.

Kid Factor:

Nothing violent or objectionable here.  There is text in the game, but it’s almost always followed by spoken voice, so reading skill isn’t required.  Hamster Bob is rated E for Everyone.

Tags: Game Reviews