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Shaun the Sheep Review for the Nintendo DS (NDS)

Shaun the Sheep Review for the Nintendo DS (NDS)

Not Great, Not Baaaaaaad

I would like to say that Shaun the Sheep is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, but Shaun the Sheep is a sheep in sheep’s clothing. This is a kid’s game through and through. The problem is deciding if this game is right for a specific child. It’s easy, very easy. It’s repetitive and somewhat boring. Don’t let the suggested age guide fool you; there are young kids out there that can kick my butt when it comes to games.

Shaun the Sheep screenshot

They would find this game laughable. At the same time, kids that don’t play a lot of games, or maybe need a little extra time in their development phase, are likely to get the most out of this game. But there’s one thing that we can all agree on: Shaun the Sheep may look a lot like the animated series, but it’s incredibly dumbed-down in terms of its humor and in terms of being a video game.

A spin-off from the popular Wallace & Gromit series, Shaun the Sheep shares the same kind of stop-motion, clay-mation animation. It’s been very well replicated on the DS, surprisingly so. I was very impressed with the richness of the images as well as the smoothness of the animation. But it’s not all sunshine and lollipops. Very little essence of the series is captured. It’s as though the developers are targeting a younger and mentally slower demographic than actually watches and enjoys the show. The sight gags are few and far between, and the ones that are included have been sanitized. And, considering this is a Disney Channel series, this game is virtually germ-free, so to speak. Kids deserve a little more grit, after all, they like to play in the mud.

The object of the game is to locate a number of missing sheep and get them back in the pen before the farmer gets back. There are about a dozen sheep wandering aimlessly about the farmyard. First, you have to locate one, and then you have to find some way to get it to follow you. Sometimes they go along peacefully, but other times they either run away or require a different form of persuasion. If they run away, you can track them down using the onscreen map. This is how you’ll locate them in the first place. If they require more persuasion, a mini-game will be employed to help motivate them back to the pen. There are only a few mini-games and they vary in fun and intensity. Once you have found a stubborn sheep, the map will display a red star indicating the location of the mini-game you’ll have to use on that sheep. Finding the game will require you to trek around the barnyard resulting in more virtual legwork.

Shaun the Sheep screenshot

In one mini-game you’ll have to play a guitar, while another involves jumping on a trampoline in order to rescue Timmy who is walking on a tightrope. Then there is rolling up a ball of yarn, washing down a mud-covered sheep, and that old blowing-into-the-mic trick. These games don’t require much in the way of strategy or dexterity. There aren’t very many mini-games to begin with, so the longer you play, the better you will become at performing them. This can get a little tedious. To unlock all the mini-games, you will have more collecting to do. You have to pick up chicks. You have to track down and deliver a dozen baby chicks to a worried hen. They are spread throughout the environment, but they’re not as difficult to find as they are tedious to deliver. Each one has to be delivered separately. This really bogs down the gameplay, but it’s a necessary evil if you want to play some different mini-games, and you surely will, considering the lack of modes and gameplay elements.

Shaun the Sheep screenshot

All the controls can be relegated to the stylus. Almost as unique as the graphics are, the control system is based on the point-and-click method, which is unusual for a game aimed at such young players. Simply use the stylus to interact with any object or character. Poke people, places, and things to move around and interact.

Shaun the Sheep screenshot

It’s a great feeling of instant gratification, as you don’t need to move a cursor around with a mouse. However, the D-pad can be used in place of the stylus if you find you’re more comfortable with it. The stylus does give you greater control, but I imagine little hands can get tired of holding it after a while. Thankfully, blowing into the mic is not a primary control configuration. That is always awkward and never seems worth the effort, as is the case here.

Characters from the series such as Bitzer the dog, Mower Mouth, Shirley, Timmy, and the Naughty Pigs have been included. Bitzer will be there to help you out should you need it, and those mischievous pigs will be trying to mess things up for you. All the characters look exactly as you would expect, aping the facial expressions and body movement perfectly. Disappointingly, the farmyard is sterile, with very little detail. Just about everything that stands out can be interacted with, so it’s not much of a challenge to locate things. The audio is limited to a few sound effects and looped background music. The original animated series has no dialogue. Much more could have been accomplished within the audio domain, but instead we hear the same thuds, whistles, bleats, and tunes throughout the game.

There isn’t a lot of replay value here with only three modes, one being nothing more than a sliding picture puzzle mode. It’s also very short, clocking in at a couple of hours. This game is intended for kids that get frustrated easily, but not for kids that get bored easily. I suspect that any fan of the Shaun the Sheep show, regardless of age, will notice that this game lacks a certain something.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.8 Graphics
Excellent rendering of characters. Smooth animation. Sparse environments though. 3.8 Control
Point-and-click gameplay puts the stylus to great use. 2.8 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Repetitious sound effects. Looped music. 2.7

Play Value
Limited and repetitive gameplay elements. Easy and very short. No replay value.

2.8 Overall Rating – Average
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Play as the loveable sheep, Shaun, as he tries to find the rest of the flock before the Farmer comes home.
  • Gameplay and settings based on actual episodes, recreating the fun and unique silent-movie humor.
  • Explore the areas based on the series like the field, the barn, the Farmer’s house, and the circus tent.
  • Call on Bitzer the dog to help you out when the Naughty Pigs are up to their dirty tricks.
  • Work with the other found sheep to get around obstacles and access out-of-reach areas.
  • Includes three game modes: Story Mode, Mini-game Mode, and Collection Mode.
  • Unlockable mini-games and show-related rewards.

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