Kinectimals is one of those games I have constantly cringed at when the initial Kinect lineup was announced. It seemed, at best, a superficial attempt at utilizing gesture controls with the illusory concept of befriending animals that are inclined to “play with you.” And at that point, I realized that I was too old and cynical for this game. However, your kid will have a lot of fun with it.
Kinectimals
Developer: Frontier
Price: $50.00
Platform: Kinect [Xbox 360] (reviewed)
The story begins with your arrival in Lemuria, an island devoid of any human life – besides you, of course – and populated by cute furry animals which sets the stage for a wholesome adventure. Once you’re past the cute and cuddly introduction video, you are greeted by an overbearing host named Bumble. Bumble initially came to the island with the good natured pirate, Captain Able Blackwood, in search of treasure. Apparently Blackwood became frustrated with the endeavor and left Bumble behind to care for the cubs. Now suffering from abandonment issues, Bumble is overly excited that you have come into the picture and that the cubs have someone to play with again. That, in a nutshell, is the game’s premise.
Interactions with these cute and furry felines are endearing and provide a multitude of structured activities that one would miss in an initial glance. Kinectimals develops a strong bond with these companion animals and it often resulted in times where I subconsciously wanted to reach out into the TV screen despite knowing one, there was an actual physical barrier and two, these were fully imaginary creatures. The gesture controls help a role in creating this genuine experience. It may seem superficial to some but I appreciated the interactivity of utilizing the on-screen virtual hand to make my feline purr and growl. Pet tricks are notable, in respect, because of how versatile animals are in learning new abilities and hey, a barrel roll never hurts. It’s not solely confined with touching; players can also utilize various objects like RC cars, Frisbees, soccer balls. These activities are often preempted by the virtual animal pleading you to play with them when idle or at a standstill.
Kinectimals boasts a core experience through its progression based game play that earns its replay ability in kind. The potent addictive ingredient that will draw young children in is its persistent aim for discovery and exploration. When you begin, you only have one piece of the treasure map but through the accumulation of experience points and fulfillment of the level bar, new areas and activities are unlocked. This easily adds another hour of game play, per each area, just exploring new quests on the island. Currency is another feature that extends the shelf life of Kinectimals. Money earned through activities and competitions can be used to purchase décor, toys, and food from the monopolized economy controlled by shady lemurs.
Granted, Kinect controls have its hitches and that’s a noticeable detriment to the game when it necessitates accuracy. A lot of the mini games relegate themselves as repetitive toss fests and with no on-screen indicator besides your virtual hand; it’s hard to see where throws ultimately end up. I found it difficult to gauge a target or a direction when balls were flying out of my hand at the slightest movement. Voice commands and head tracking functionality seemingly work fine respectively.
The Final Word
Kinectimals isn’t for you. It’s designed for your pre-tween child and fulfills their dreams of interacting with virtual animals that, realistically, would not be possible and that’s perfectly fine. Offering plenty “awww” moments, it’s a sturdy example of the possibilities that motion gesture controls and aptly structured progression based game play can offer for gamers looking for simplistic but rewarding entertainment.
– MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
