Bluey's Quest for the Gold Pen

A few final thoughts on Bluey’s Quest for The Gold Pen; I do wish Bluey moved faster, there were more quests and more variety for set collection. (This would have fleshed out each land for me and made the game a bit longer.) Fans of all ages will like this game. Cozy childhood nostalgia for some adults, and a fun romp in Bluey’s world with puzzles, gnomes, and Mum and Dad for the kids.

Bluey's Quest for the Gold Pen likely won’t do much for older players or people who don’t care for the source material, but it’ll absolutely be a hit with kids who like the show. The gameplay is straightforward but solidly enjoyable, and the presentation feels like a perfect extension of the source material. If you’ve got a child who loves Bluey, this is definitely a great choice for their next gaming outing.

Bluey's Quest for the Gold Pen is a substantial improvement over the last game, offering up a bunch of well-realised worlds to explore with charming visuals and engaging puzzles. It retains the essence of the original show, but thanks to the adorable narrative, Bluey and Bingo can finally break free from the overly-familiar TV locations. Repetition does quickly seep in thanks to the focus on collectibles, but I'd wager that younger audiences probably won't care about this too much. The lack of a proper co-op mode is a bizarre omission, however, and the experience would have definitely benefitted from voice acting throughout. Still, this is a fine effort from Halfbrick, and an easy recommendation for the summer break from school.

Bluey’s Quest for the Gold Pen is an unremarkable, mindless, repetitive bore only notable for its Bluey branding. The plot, a new story by the show’s creator, is barely a premise as the characters show no growth narratively or mechanically. Very young players might be entertained but will need a parent or older sibling to read the dialogue in this entirely single-player adventure. The touch controls from the original mobile release are here and work fine, though.