Rabbids Invasion: The Interactive TV Show is a game designed for Kids aged 6+ using a camera on either Xbox One, Xbox 360 or PS4. I found this harder to review due to me being 21 years above the recommended age so I drafted in my son, Lucas who is 3 giving us an average age of 15. Okay so our average age might still be a little older than what the game is aimed at and its a rather unconventional way to review a game but this is a family game and Lucas is scarily good at games for his age.
Gameplay: 6.5 out of 10 “Competition Time”
The game consists of a bunch of mini games during episode’s of Rabbids Invasion (Some or maybe even all of which have been on TV). The game has a tonne of content with up to 20 episodes and objects for the picture mode of which you have to unlock, meaning there is a whole lot of stuff to keep your kids busy. Gamers will battle it out with each other in episodes that will either run as a normal episode or a race. Normal episodes tend to hold a good story with the Rabbids drawing me in with their shenanigans. The players though must point to objects and items in the episode when prompted and the fastest gaining the points, other mini games will include copying poses the Rabbids find themselves, controlling the Rabbids with your hand and movement to collect items or more active, running on the spot, making climbing movements with your arms and so on and the player with the highest score wins. After a while some episodes became a little cumbersome with the repetition of point to this, point to that. The races however are much more entertaining, although they might contain the same mini games they are in no specific order and demand much more attention. I invited my brother to join me and my son to have a race and it was intense and hilarious each time, the competiveness was exuberant and brought this game to life.
Rabbids Invasion: Interactive TV Show also includes a picture mode in which the Rabbids join you in your living room for some selfies, unfortunately though the Rabbids are pre-programmed to do the same routine over and over and no real interaction takes place, being able to poke, or hit or even mimic you would have been great but although my son though it was fantastic I believe the picture mode might have a short life span before being ignored and forgotten.
Match the Pose of the Rabbids
Graphics: 8 out of 10 “Its the Rabbids Television Show”
Graphically Ubisoft couldn’t go wrong and they didn’t. This is an interactive TV show and all that was required was to upload an episode to the game and add the mini games. The episodes are exactly like the TV show on Nickelodeon and the mini games look fantastic too, the transition between the episode and mini games seemed flawless and there is not a huge amount of disparity between them.
Now to appeal to kids that either simply love cartoons or are actual fans of Rabbids, the game has to bright and colourful and Rabbids Invasion: The Interactive TV Show delivers perfectly. Kids will love how great this game looks.
Sounds: 8 out of 10 “Bwaaaah”
By far the hardest section to review given that Rabbids murmur and shout unfathomable sounds. Whilst their babbling and nonsense at times was quite amusing for me at times, it was hard not to notice my 3 year old finding the Rabbids totally hilarious. The sounds have been well cut from the TV show and popped straight into the game and it sounds like the TV show should with no issues at all.
The game even includes a mini game that requires the gamer to shout Bwaaaah for as long and as loud as you can. Lucas was impressive at this mini game and loved it, not sure my neighbours did but its a nice addition to the game that will keep kids entertained. Don’t let this mini game put you off, so far I have only encountered it in one episode and it won’t last long enough to drive you mad.
Scream and Shout Bwaaaah at your TV
Performance: 6.5 out of 10 “Mostly Excellent”
Using motion cameras in games is rare, its great to see something a little different, especially when the library for Kinect games on Xbox One is so miniscule, its a good game even if it is a little below my age group. The Interactive TV Show’s game performance is excellent for the majority of the time but there definitely were some confusing and frustrating moments. Pointing at items after my son, yet it the Kinect only picked up my gesture and awarded the points to me instead of my son and other times not picking either of us up at all. It probably happens more than it should especially with the Kinect 2.0.
Overall: 7 out of 10 “Party Fun”
This is a game built as a kids party game and it does a darn good job at it. The game is a solid and its target audience will lap it up but I do feel more mini games are needed and its one of the disappointments of the game. Although the game does a feel a little short on the mini games when playing with 3 players the competitiveness more than makes up for it and suddenly these mini games become so intense which is a sign of good party game.
Final Score: 7.2 out of 10 (See what this means here)
Rabbids Invasion: The Interactive TV Show is probably not the best Rabbids game you will ever play however it is still a great party game experience. The mini games are fun and competitive but lack a bit of variety unfortunately. The main thing is that the target market won’t be put off too much and parents will enjoy an alternative game that will actually get your kids off the couch and doing some exercise while playing. Sssshh! Don’t tell the kids! They won’t even notice!
Xplore Gaming 