Reviewed: December 5, 2005
Reviewed by: John Dewesse
Publisher
D3
Developer
AWE Games
Released: November 1, 2005
Genre: Adventure
Players: 1
ESRB: Everyone
8
7
7
7
7.5
System Requirements
Screenshots (Click Image for Gallery)
Cabbage Patch Kids – I shudder to think of those creepy disembodied heads staring up at me from the garden patch, giggling in high-pitched voices as they plot to steal my soul.
Those dolls have given me the creeps since I was 9-years-old, back when girls and their Cabbage Patch Kids oozed cooties. Fortunately, my wife fondly remembers playing with Cabbage Patch Kids and I want to thank her for helping me get through this review of Cabbage Patch Kids: Where’s My Pony?
In all fairness, this new title from D3 Publishers of America is a nice title for little girls. It’s easy to play, sweet as Southern iced tea, and completely family friendly. The game features a straightforward storyline (help reunite the Cabbage Patch Kid with the lost pony), plenty of puzzles, and some mini-games.
Cabbage Patch Kids: Where’s My Pony? is a basic adventure game for girls ages 3-5. You walk around the screen, pick up clues, and talk to friendly woodland creatures who tell you where to go next. The controls are easy to use and so is the clue inventory screen.
In the opening screen, you are asked to pick one of nine Cabbage Patch Kids to play. Some of the dolls have cutesy names like Samantha Sunny, while others have beat-up names like Dominic Alexander. Once you’ve chosen your kid, it’s time to visit the nearby farm and pick out one of four ponies.
The ponies want a treat and the first puzzle is figuring out what to feed them. If you want to adopt Carrot Top, for example, you have to go find the carrot clue. You then get a chance to frolic with your new pony for a few minutes before disaster strikes.
As the pony is being transported to the Cabbage Patch Kid’s home, the trailer comes unhitched and the poor pony is left all alone in a deep forest. Now, it’s up to you to help the pony find the right path home before nightfall. Adults will easily figure out the puzzles, but the game’s challenges are just right for little ones. In one screen you have to find an old curtain, a door, and a stick to make a sailboat. In another, you have to help a free a group of sheep who were trapped in their pen. If you’re going the wrong way, the game gently prods you back on the right path.
Meanwhile, your Cabbage Patch Kid has also gone looking for the lost pony. The story alternates between the pony’s and the doll’s point-of-view. There are also some mini-games that give a break from problem solving. For example, in one game you have to catch the flying “bunny bee” with your cursor 10 times before the bee tells you which forest path to take. I liked how the mini-games prepare little kids for a lifetime of playing Internet Pop-Up games instead of doing office work.
In all seriousness, the game has good messages for kids. Before your Cabbage Patch Kid can leave to search for the pony, he or she has to eat breakfast and turn off all the lights. There are also bonus tracks of the Cabbage Patch Kids television show on the CD, which teaches kids to share, help friends, and try their best.
All in all, this game offers plenty of fun to youngsters, even if grown-ups may find the adventure a bit repetitive.
The graphics are an interesting mixture of real photographs in the distance and three-dimensional animations in the foreground. The Cabbage Patch Kids and the ponies look like toys come to life, even if the dolls move rather stiffly around the screen. The settings are colorful and full of details, such as butterflies or jumping fish in the river.
Little girls will be enchanted with the scenery of forests, farms and small towns. My biggest complaint is the game doesn’t show much action. When the Cabbage Patch Kid makes the sailboat, the screen goes blank and suddenly the doll is now a few miles down the river. A few more cut-scenes between puzzles would have been helpful, but I can’t beat this title up too much when adult adventure games do the same thing.
The voice acting is pretty good, on par with an average cartoon. Some of the computer characters are entertaining to listen to, especially the turtle who talks like Woody Allen. I found most of the ponies and Cabbage Patch Kids sounded alike. The music is fluffy but forgettable. Once again, the music and voiceovers will appeal to youngsters even if there is little here to entertain the adults.
This title has the same lack of replay value as many adventure games. Once you’ve reunited kid with pony, that’s it. While you can always pick a new Cabbage Patch Kid and a new pony, the puzzles and mini-games will still be the same. It was hard to judge the amount of game time it takes for kids to solve the adventure, since an adult can breeze through in little over an hour. My wife also mentioned the dolls and horses should come with printable adoption papers. She’s the expert in these matters, so I’d have to agree the developers should have paid a little closer attention to such details.
There are three factors that add to this game’s value. One is the $20 price tag, which makes this a very affordable Holiday gift. Second, little kids will probably not mind the repetition as long as they can try out new dolls and new ponies. Third, this game is completely family friendly. Unlike Spongebob Squarepants or the Teletubies, the Cabbage Patch Kids offer no fart jokes or subversive messages about alternative lifestyles to make parents feel uncomfortable.
Cabbage Patch Kids: Where’s My Pony? offers a fun family adventure, even if it may not be the most original game on the market. The puzzles and controls are easy enough for young kids to figure out and enjoy. This game is a good buy for any little girl who likes the Cabbage Patch Kids or horses.
As a guy who will probably be a dad in a few short years, I’m glad to see the wholesome Cabbage Patch Kids are still alive and well in the era of “pimp my ride to da skank club” Bratz dolls.
Those big pupils and smirking grins still creep me out, though.