Platform: Nintendo Wii/Wii U

Developer: Torus Games

Publisher: D3Publisher of America

# of Players: 1 – 4

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Official Site (Wii U) (Wii)

Score: B (80%)

If you automatically expect a licensed game based on a family-friendly hit animated film to be yet another platform jumper in terms of gameplay and the usual appearance on multiple consoles, The Croods: Prehistoric Party may end up surprising you a bit on two fronts. First, it’s only for Nintendo’s consoles and handhelds and second, it’s a board game on the Wii and Wii U and a collection of mini-games on the DS and 3DS. Both home versions are exactly the same, save for the ability for solo players or one in a group having at it to play with the Wii U Gamepad. Like the Mario Party series, you’ll have more fun with up to three friends, but it’s entirely possible to play through the game against the AI and have a pretty decent time…

The game isn’t connected to the film’s story at all other than using colorful boards and environments based on areas from the movie. There are a nice selection of mini-games unlocked at the start, so you can skip playing the board game if you like and just have at it in single events or a series of random game the computer chooses. If you’re in a hurry and want to bypass the dice rolling and fun pickups you’ll find in the main game, this is the way to go for you and your brood. On the other hand, you miss out on the full experience the game offers that’s perfect for a rainy weekend spent indoors.

Playing solo against the AI presents a chance to see which mini-games it’s not so hot at (Ramu Ramu You, Corn Rocket and some of the chase games) and ones it can whip you silly at (I’ll let you discover those for yourself) and yes, a bit of practice makes almost perfect. As you complete mini-games, you earn Prehistoric Points that can be sued to unlock more mini-games and gallery art to ogle at your leisure. There are 30 mini-games total and the main game isn’t too long or too short if you want to attempt to blow through all the maps in a few days. Like any good family board game, completing this one doesn’t mean it won’t ever be played again, as the most fun games get replayed over and over even when every last drop of content has been mined.

In solo play you can exploit the board game for a ton of those points when you land on a mini-game space by choosing to only play games you got good at practicing in the other modes. Since the game allows you three choices out of what’s unlocked and sometimes repeats at least one or two of those choices a few times per board, you can simply select the easiest game and rake in a win with little effort. Granted, kids will know you’re a ringer probably bop you on the noggin with that Wii Remote once they figure things out, but the game is designed to be as family friendly as possible, so even that game you were lousy at on the first go-round gets easier. That and the game board offers up enough chances to get points (or remove them from opponents) that almost anyone can make a comeback from the jaws of defeat.

Visually, the characters and boards look the best on the Wii U in shiny HD, but the Wii version isn’t bad at all as it’s probably using lower resolution assets. The boards are nicely sized and it should take about a half hour or so to get through each area depending on how the die rolling goes and how many people are playing. In both games against three AI Croods, things go at a decent clip with only some loading screens between games slowing things down. The sounds and voice acting get the job done – none of the cast made the transition from screen to game as far as lending their vocal talents, but the group of sound-alike actors and actresses make do with a few quips and grunts where applicable. The new age stone age music is pretty good throughout as in if you liked what you heard in the film, you’ll like it here as well.

Of course, as this is a simple board game for plopping down in front of the TV for a short spell with, there’s no online play (which would be annoying when someone’s connection went south), but it’s not needed. Like similar board-themed video games, The Croods Prehistoric Party is at its best with every gathered around the warmth of that cathode ray tube, or if you’re out of that stone age, a more modern HD telly. You can’t fault it for being simple at all (kind of like the Croods themselves) because you’ll find yourself having a blast and playing a lot longer than you expected. Round up the rugrats, then go club your significant other on the head (gently!) and take them for a short drag into the living room – it’s time for some family fun, Croods style!