Paw Patrol: On A Roll
Playing as various Paw Patrol Pups this is a simple Pup Treat and Golden Paw Print collect 'em up, mostly moving your pup from left to right on the screen, usually on land but occasionally in the air or underwater.
Playing as Marshall, Rocky, Skye, Rubble, Zuma, Chase, Tracker and Everest, with the umm... enthusiastic Ryder supplying plenty of advice and encouragement, the aim is to rescue various creatures or people from their woes, and sometimes you'll need to call in the assistance of a different pup to help with its special ability, gadget or vehicle…
Paw Patrol: On A Roll is perfect for the younger gamer before they attempt Tomb Raider, Uncharted and the like–you can't die, it's no more than a mild challenge and if you don't find all the pickups, you can always replay a level to improve your score (I had to keep replaying one level because a tricky end to an underwater section kept robbing me of a perfect score! Grrr!)
Ryan's Rescue Squad
Playing as Ryan, Combo, Gus or Alpha, with help from Peck, Gil and Shelldon, Ryan's Rescue Squad immediately feels a bit more like a classic platform game.
I've never seen the animated TV series but this game clearly takes inspiration from the classic 2D Mario and Donkey Kong platform adventures. RRS is a step up in difficulty from the likes of Paw Patrol: On A Roll, and introduces such platform game tropes as disappearing platforms, time limits and hidden areas.
You can jump, double-jump and jump on or punch enemies by pressing 'X'. Supplied by Ryan's birdy friend Peck, you also have a few situational slime block projectile attacks ('B' button) to hit things at distance, and these really do require a bit of skill. You have three life hearts and colliding with an enemy or falling into a spiky pencil trap will cost you one. Some enemies cannot be killed and simply need to be avoided. Lose all 3 hearts and you don't "die," you just get reset to the last checkpoint. You can also replenish a heart by finding an apple to eat, or eat a slice of pizza to become invulnerable for a while!
Ryan's Rescue Squad might not look that great, but it's a decent platform adventure. If it has a flaw then it's the inability to see what's below you in some areas, meaning the occasional leap of faith or exploratory jump into a bottomless or spiky bottomed pit in order to make sure you haven't missed anything.
Collecting sunshines and eggs along the way earns you skins & outfits, this makes it simple, addictive fun with a legitimate difficulty curve that will even keep Mums and Dads occupied.
Blaze and the Monster Machines: Axle City Racers
You can race as Blaze, Crusher, Pickle, Darlington, Zeg, Starlight, Stripes and our favourite, Watts (because of her ‘special’ and her yellow wheels.) This is a simple arcade racer, the pickup weapons and the special moves (boosts or defensive weapons) and the number of tracks add a bit of variety. There's no great sensation of speed but a little driving skill and coordination will be required to win. This is a perfect "first racing game" for the young 'uns.
Many thanks to Outright Games for the review code