Storm Boy: The Game

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Title: Storm Boy: The Game
Developer: Blowfish Studios
Publisher: Level 77
Website: https://www.blowfishstudios.com/game/storm-boy
Genre: Adventure
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Audience: 3.  This game is aimed at young children.
Release Date: 20/11/18
Price: £5.39 – Rapid Reviews UK was kindly provided with a review code for this title.

What the Developers say

Based on Colin Thiele’s 1964 children’s book of the same name, Storm Boy takes place on the beaches of South Australia near the mouth of the Murray River, where the titular protagonist rescues orphaned pelican chicks, one of whom later becomes the child’s pet and faithful companion, Mr. Percival.

Experience an interactive retelling of the classic tale by taking control of both Storm Boy and Mr. Percival in key moments, such as when the pair rescued stranded sailors during a storm. Relive their friendship and enjoy seaside activities across a wide assortment of fun and relaxing mini-games, including sand drawing, sailing, cockle hunting, playing fetch, sand surfing, pelican feeding, and more.

https://www.blowfishstudios.com/game/storm-boy

Introduction

Storm Boy: The game is based on a children’s book of the same name, published in 1964 by author Colin Thiele.  It is a game about friendship, love and loss.  Read on for my Rapid Review of this stunningly simple game.

Looks and Sounds

Storm Boy is a gorgeous game.  You feel like you are inside a book, moving through beautifully illustrated pages.  The music in the game accompanies the action perfectly, and all of the sound effects serve to make the game an immersive experience.

Gameplay and Replayability

You’re able to jump into this game without any problems at all. There are only a couple of commands you need to master, the Left Stick to move Storm Boy and A to complete actions, then you’re able to play every aspect of the game. Helpfully, each mini-game you come across has a tutorial you can access to remind you of the controls.

As I mentioned before, this is a game that is aimed at a younger audience and it is based on a children’s book.  What I loved about the game, was the fact that as you move around the Island, the story appears.  If you need more time to read the story, you can move backwards for the story to reappear.

There are nine mini-games to play, all of which seamlessly become part of the story.  All of the games are simple, yet somewhat rewarding, even though they are aimed at a younger audience.  I particualry enjpye using the touchscreen to draw pictures in the sand, and then have the sea wash them away.

As an adult, this game doesn’t offer much in terms of replayability.  However, this shouldn’t put you off the game.  The time that I did spend in the game was memorable.  Younger children will enjoy returning to the game to interact with the Mr Percival the Pelican, in the variety of mini-games on offer.

Upon completion, the game offers a ‘Remember’ option in the menu.  Choosing this allows you to choose a scene in the story to return to, or to play one of the mini-games.

Conclusion

Any game that brings a smile to your face, and brings you back to the happy days of your childhood, is a winner in my books. While the game can be finished in a very short amount of time, I truly believe that it is a worthwhile experience and one that would be best enjoyed with a young son or daughter. Storm Boy is a charming title and one which I’m glad to have played.  I’m off to the library now to borrow the children’s novel by Colin Thiele, on which this game is based, to read to my 5 year old daughter.

Rapid Reviews UK Rating

You can purchase Storm Boy: The Game at the Nintendo eShop at the following link, https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Storm-Boy-1471694.html