Zoobles are a popular line of toys that are spring-loaded marbles that pop out into an animal when they touch a magnetic surface. So basically it’s Bakugan for girls. Now your kids can make Zoobles “spring to life” on Nintendo DS as they take care of their new pals and make more Zoobles friends!

The best way to describe this game is it’s like a cross between a virtual pet simulator and Animal Crossing geared toward the very young. In each world you pick a Zooble pal and must keep it happy by playing with it, keeping it clean, and putting it to bed when it’s sleepy. The happier your friend is, the more “Zoints” you earn. When you collect enough Zoints, you can unlock new friends plus other goodies, and eventually, even new worlds to explore.

The game is also like a simplified Animal Crossing, too. Your Zooble lives in a “Happitat” that you can decorate with furniture you get as presents from Zooble friends. You can grow veggies in your garden and pick fruit from trees. You can eat these foods, give them to friends, or cook up new dishes by mixing the food ingredients together in your house. Collect hidden objects in each world to unlock other goodies. Talk to your Zooble friends and give them food or play jump rope or hide and seek with them to make everyone happy.

Kid Factor:

With six worlds to unlock and explore, plus dozens of Zoobles to meet and befriend, your kids won’t get bored for quite a while. Touch screen controls are easy to figure out. Reading skill is helpful but not necessary, yet sometimes it can be hard to know what your Zooble friends want since they all speak in gibberish. The DS game even comes with a real life Zooble toy, but since the DS cartridge doesn’t come in a hard case, it may be tougher to keep up with the game. Zoobles! Spring to Life is rated E for Everyone.

Tags: Game Reviews