This is comfortably the strangest review I’ve ever had to do for a game for a variety of reasons. Firstly, it’s The Smurfs. I legitimately didn’t realise they had relevance anymore. I say that as someone who grew up with the Smurfs. Yeah, there’s been some movies here and there, but I never realised the Smurfs had the sort of relevance that warranted the volume of games made with this property in the last five years.
Why else was this a strange review to do? Because I’ll say upfront, this is actually a really solidly made game. It’s not bad by any stretch. But it also feels insanely long for what it is. I can’t believe how long it took me to beat this game. To be fair, I believe I did all of the optional dreams/galaxies when I probably didn’t need to.
It’s also a game that’s clearly for children, but at the same time uses a property that those children probably barely know? It’s just…yeah.
But enough of that, let’s delve into the review!
Sleepy Smurfs
Ok, so I think the setup is that Gargamel found a way to put the entire Smurf Village to sleep. I skipped the cut scenes so I’m not entirely certain but based on what happened throughout the game I’m pretty sure that’s right. This means it’s your job – unless you play with a friend in co-op which means it’s both your jobs, to go into the dream world to wake them all up.
Anyone old enough to know the Smurfs will also be old enough to remember a certain horror movie franchise with a not-too-dissimilar premise, but I digress.
You’ll make your way to a giant pillow at the back of the Smurf Village which will rocket you into the Dream space where you can fly from Smurf Dream Galaxy to Smurf Dream Galaxy in an attempt to wake them all up before Gargamel reaches the Village. While you’re up in Dream Space it all looks very Super Mario Galaxy-inspired and as someone who literally just finished Astro Bot I was almost tempted to say “inspired by Astro Bot” before remembering these two games were probably being developed at the exact same time.
But yeah, that’s the premise. I think. Sort of. It’s a Smurfs game for kids so I doubt it matters a whole tonne to either audience that’s playing this game.
Busy Smurf
I think what surprised me most about this game is how solidly made it is and just how much variety the game genuinely attempts to throw at you. I feel like these two elements will stand out the most to people.
While this game is predominantly a very simple 3D Platformer straight out of the Xbox/PlayStation 2/GameCube/Dreamcast era, it does actually do enough to keep things fresh. Some levels will be straight-up platformers. Collect all the stuff and get to the end. But then other levels will include a certain weapon/mechanic like a giant hammer. This gets used to bash down poles that activate something. Or maybe there’s a breakable floor for collectibles. Then another level will introduce a syrup gun. This will slow most enemies down (and kill others) or you can fill up funnels that activate platforms and stuff. Another mechanic that made things interesting and a bit tougher is a special lamp that will either show or hide certain coloured platforms/flooring. Many deaths were had in getting my timing right on when to switch and switch back.
I could seriously talk for ages just on the sheer variety of level types and gimmicks. Like the level that will only allow you to progress once you’ve kicked soccer goals. Or the level that’s just you falling, maneuvering your Smurf through tiles with the one you need to remove requiring a quick mini Tetris shape swap match to activate. It’s actually commendable just how much variety is in here. Most of the levels will remind some players of Sackboy: A Big Adventure which I feel was probably at least in part an inspiration for this game.
Here’s my issue though. Most of the levels are so much longer than they need to be. Variety is great, but no amount of variety can outweigh the feeling of just wanting every level to be over. But this is another strange thing, despite all the variety in this game, it still feels incredibly repetitive and I suspect the length of the levels is a big contributor to that.
One example that really stands out in my mind is a segment of the game where you lose your pants. Yes, you read that right, you lose your pants. Your pants take on a life of their own and run away from you. But you can’t run after them. You have to tip-toe slowly through the whole level because you can’t let the other Smurfs (or in some cases the GIANT SMURF WITH SPOTLIGHT EYES) see you. You won’t die if they do. But I guess you die of embarrassment? Then have to go back to the most recent checkpoint. This might sound hilarious but when it goes for as long as it does and happens as much as it does it really isn’t. It’s kind of infuriating and you just want it all to be over.
When I said this reminds me of a licensed game from the PlayStation 2 era, it also makes me think the developers were channeling the 16-bit era where most people could only buy one or two games a year and needed to get the most out of each one they bought because boy does this game just keep going and going and going if you want it to. But as I said earlier, this is clearly a game aimed at kids and I can see that audience getting a kick not only out of what’s on offer here but also how much of it there is.
Pretty Smurf
Here’s one of the other things that surprised me about this game. It’s actually pretty solid visually. The developers have stayed true to the look of the Smurfs, it all runs at a fairly smooth 60 (at least on Series X it did for me), and every world, galaxy, level, and the Smurf Village mostly has pretty unique visual styles. It’s bright, colourful and outside a couple of small exceptions there’s a visual language here that makes things pretty clear for the player that really highlights the basics like “Collect this”, “Go here”, “Oh, is there a secret here?” which when you remember this is a game for children, makes a lot of sense.
Speaking of visuals (as well as calling back to all the stuff in this game), throughout the game players can collect spools of thread. Be it hidden around the Smurf Village or via hidden Smurfs in the dream levels. These spools of thread unlock skins that can be bought with the currency you collect throughout the game. I think the currency is like…tomatoes or something. But some of these skins are pretty cool, look nice, and are just another element that gives the player bang for their buck.
Angry Smurf
In the end, this game clearly has an audience, which I don’t think is most of the people reading this review. It’s not even a super quick and enjoyable 1000 gamerscore for those who may be so inclined. But for its intended audience I can see this game being a whole lot of fun and arguably more challenging in segments than one might expect. As I alluded to earlier, it’s definitely a game that I feel the developers very intentionally wanted to create a modern-day throwback to the licensed platformers of the 6th generation of consoles.
They even make some welcome choices like not requiring you to recollect collectibles if you die prior to a checkpoint. Once you collect something, that’s it, it’s collected no matter what. I quite liked that. But then it’ll make other baffling choices like one towards the end of the game where you have a gauntlet sequence that combines all three of the power-ups/weapons/mechanics you’ve used throughout the game and asks you to switch between them to complete the gauntlet. But you don’t just switch between them. These power-ups are found in levels on little highlighted platforms and with this gauntlet they decided to put the three platforms a mile away from where the gauntlet takes place. This means that once you’ve completed one wave, you have to walk a mile away to grab the other power up to complete the next wave. Why not just put them right nearby? It makes the whole thing frustrating and takes way longer than it needs to.
Which ultimately calls back to my biggest issue with this game as an older gamer. This game just feels way longer than it needs to be, in all the wrong ways. So much so, that even after you beat Gargamel and in turn the game, you notice there are still sleeping Smurfs in the Village that need to be woken up. The game gives you the option to then go back into the dream space and wake up even more Smurfs!! It really just never ends.
But it is a really solid platformer with a tonne of variety and stuff to do. But I want to be very clear, I don’t think this game is for the gamer who actually grew up on the Smurfs. It’s for their children, who probably don’t even know who the Smurfs are. So take that advice as you will when deciding on whether to take the plunge here or not.
The Smurfs: Dreams Review
Played on
Xbox Series X
PROS
- A solid visual aesthetic that captures the world of The Smurfs well
- Tonnes of variety in gameplay and things to collect and do
- Co-op is a perfect addition for the intended audience
- Serviceable platforming and gameplay
CONS
- Almost every level outstays its welcome
- Feels incredibly repetitive despite all the variety
- It really never ends...
- This is definitely a game for a younger audience, not the one most likely reading this review
It’s a smurfy game, fo sho.