This week the Modern Gamer takes a look at the rated E adventure Little Panda’s Jewel Adventure by developer BabyBus. Parents looking for a great adventure to amuse their kids, or for something to play together with them, should check it out for iOS or Android.
I realize that most of my readers are here because they’re looking for new games for themselves, but this week, we’re taking a look at a title for young gamers. If you’re looking for ways to introduce your children to gaming or simply want to spend some quality time with them, the BabyBus-created Little Panda’s Jewel Adventure is a pretty solid free game that teaches spatial reasoning in an adventure format.
Plot Ahoy!
Little Panda’s Jewel Adventure lets you play as the mysterious warrior, who happens to be the Little Panda in the title. Your task is to save the world from the machinations of the evil witch, but to defeat her, you need to find the five mythical creatures and borrow their force jewels. However, the witch is clever and has imprisoned each creature, and you’ll have to acquire certain items to free them. Once you’ve freed the mythical creature, they’ll give you their force jewels to use in battling the evil witch.
Review Notes
So, no, we’re not exactly talking about a complex story title here, but in all honesty, Little Panda’s Jewel Adventure doesn’t need to be because its target audience isn’t looking for a deep story. There’s just enough story to connect each of the game’s 120 levels to an overall narrative. However, the point isn’t the adventure but rather gameplay itself.
In each level, the player must reconstruct the road so that Little Panda can collect the item necessary to unlock the mythical creature’s prison at the end of the level. Little Panda cannot jump, nor can they swim. You’ll need to use the provided blocks to create a surface over which they can pass. As complicating factors, the game forces you to consider how best to use the materials you have in order to overcome hazards. For example, metal blocks conduct electricity or get too hot when placed in front of the fire jets. The lasers pass through jewel blocks, and while the wooden blocks float, they do burn in the presence of fire. The cloud blocks can float, but they get blown away by gusts of wind. To use them, the player needs to consider the order in which they place the blocks. Little Panda will not cross a hazard, and encountering one sends Little Panda back to the start of the level.
Each new world introduces a new type of block, and the first several levels serve as a tutorial as to how best to deploy this new resource. The puzzles increase in difficulty until the twelfth level, when Little Panda is transported via balloons to the mythical creature’s prison, and the player will need to place each item in the corresponding color slot to unlock the mythical creature. The puzzles get fairly sophisticated the farther you go, but Little Panda’s Jewel Adventure does offer a hint mechanic so long as you collect the stars that float above ground in each level. One hint requires three stars.
With the 120 levels spread out across five worlds, there’s a fair amount of territory to cover. If you played Little Panda’s Jewel Adventure straight through, you’d probably spend about an hour. Remember, this game is targeted at a young demographic. There are also additional bonus challenges that provide more stars, and there’s a timed challenge option. However, depending on your young gamer, the levels afford plenty of replayability.
Visually, the title is what you’d expect. It’s bright, attractive, and colorful. The soundtrack is pretty generic and forgettable, and the voice acting isn’t going to wow you. I found the constant repetition of the “can you help me build a road” a bit grating after a few levels, but my munchkins were unbothered.
TLDR
As far as free games go, you can certainly do worse if you’re looking for a cute tablet adventure title to keep young gamers entertained and help with their problem-solving skills.
Also, bonus? Little Panda’s Jewel Adventure is free.
Stray Thoughts From Behind the Keyboard
- My littles actually suggested the review, so go them.
- There’s an option to select outfits for your panda avatar, and the options are, predictably, adorable.
- The final battle with the evil witch is incredibly anticlimactic, but my munchkins didn’t seem to mind.