Developer: Cradle Games
Publisher: Outright Games
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: PS5
Jumanji: Wild Adventures – Review
With the popularity of the new Jumanji movies, it was only a matter of time before video games would be released based on said movie IP. This already happened back in 2019, and we still have a sour aftertaste in our mouths from Jumanji: The Video Game, which was a bland mess that had little to do with the actual new movies. That being said, there’s always a chance of redemption, and that’s exactly what publisher Outright Games is going for with Jumanji: Wild Adventures. Wild Adventures is a couch co-op party game that lets you play with the four iconic characters from the last two movies. Did this wacky multiplayer action platformer win us over? Sadly, not completely.
Story
Spencer, Fridge, Martha, and Bethany once again find themselves being sucked into the world of Jumanji. It seems that the jewel of Jumanji has gone missing (again), and this time Nigel actually doesn’t know who took it. You’ll not have to explore one region, but multiple ones, in order to reclaim the jewel. The story is extremely simple, and there is hardly any development throughout the game, but the paper-thin plot serves as a decent motivator to keep pressing onwards.
Graphics
Graphically, Jumanji: Wild Adventures looks very rough around the edges. The character models are handled decently, and these truly look like the iconic characters from the movies, but all in all, everything looks as if it was made for a PlayStation 3 rather than our current modern platforms. Nonetheless, the environments are rather diverse and there is still some background action going on as well. Even so, a lot of assets are reused throughout the different levels and there are so many static objects and invisible walls. The overworld map design is very bland and basic, even more so than the actual levels. We did encounter a few clipping bugs here and there, but nothing too major.
Sound
The sound design isn’t too bad. The game has a fairly adventurous soundtrack, which is fitting for the different themed levels you’ll be playing through. The voice acting is also decent, but as the publisher was unable to pay for the original cast members of the movie, there’s a certain uncanny valley feeling going on. Some voices sound quite accurate and almost similar to the ones in the movie, but they often feel off, and this does take some time to get used to. Rhys Darby does reprise his role as Nigel from Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Jumanji: The Next Level.
Gameplay
Jumanji: Wild Adventures is an action-packed platformer with a heavy focus on multiplayer. You’ll play through fairly short levels alone or with up to three friends via couch co-op. The offset is extremely simple as it’s all about platforming, punching baddies in the face, and solving a few puzzles. All levels, and even the overworld map, have a few secrets to uncover, and the better you perform, the more golden coins you’ll earn. With these coins, you’ll be able to purchase gear items, even though these items don’t really seem to do anything.
Wild Adventures isn’t a difficult game, which is quite normal as the game is directed towards kids. The levels are quite easy to beat, and most will not take that much longer than ten to twenty minutes to complete. The difficulty is sometimes a bit uneven, as some platforming segments are a lot harder than others, and sometimes you’ll also lose a few hearts due to awkward game design. Even so, even your youngest ones should be able to find their way through this digitized world of Jumanji thanks to the different difficulty settings. We found the boss battles to be rather anti-climactic, as it was often a matter of just slapping them around while taking some damage yourself, not requiring you to even learn any patterns or play carefully for that matter. We understand that easy level design is part of a game for kids, but the boss battles should have at least provided some form of challenge.
As a whole, we found this title to be most enjoyable when playing with friends. Even though the onscreen action does get a little more chaotic then, you’ll still have a blast when playing this with your kids and/or friends. As a solo experience, things turned out to be slightly dulled down, but for a platformer catered towards a younger audience, things could have been a lot worse. You should be able to beat the game in roughly five to eight hours, depending on what scores you’re aiming for and if you’re looking for all collectibles.
Conclusion
Jumanji: Wild Adventures is a fun Jumanji adventure for kids, but it does have a lot of rough edges and feels more like a title we would have seen on a PlayStation 3 rather than our current generation of consoles. Even so, the overall premise is fun, the controls are responsive, and there is a tiny bit of stage variety to be found. That being said, the game does overstay its welcome and becomes rather bland after a while. We recommend this one in short bursts together with friends or family, and we might even suggest waiting for a sale.
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