XBOX REVIEW | PAW Patrol: Dino World

My son used to love PAW Patrol and he watched it all the time on TV, but he’s almost 8 now and has pretty much outgrow the IP. Dinosaurs on the other hand, still take up the same space in his still-evolving brain, as Spider-Man and LEGO. So we set off together to review PAW Patrol: Dino World with the two of us, playing almost the entire game in the split-screen co-op.

Things I liked!

• PAW Patrol IP is done right | I played this in the English version, and my kids used to watch the show in Dutch, and I recall them making a point of an earlier game having different voice actors. In the game, it sounds like the english voice actors are the same as the show though. Not important for us adults, but the kids definitely care. Each pup feels faithful to the show as well, in the abilities they have, how they look and the vehicles they operate. If you’re a fan of the show, this will feel right.

• Dinosaurs look great| The dinosaurs are the star of this game and they look great, they move around like dinosaurs would and they have decent expressions and skin texture, making this look like the best PAW Patrol game, visually.
  
  
• 4 open worlds to explore | The Previous PAW Patrol games I played with my kids where mostly fixed levels, with some secrets, but kind of straightforward. Here you have multiple environments to explore and secrets to discover. You will also always know where to go next, as there is a useful pawprint indicator on the floor. We’d have gotten lost without it.
  
  
• Secrets actually require some thinking | Like in most open-world collectacthons, you’ll need to scan the environment for treasures, here these are mainly dinosaur eggs or treasure chests and you’ll have to use the right pup’s power at the correct time. Just be prepared to hear their names called out each time you press B to swap pups.
  
  
• Some minigames are nice for kids | There is a puzzle minigame to build a bridge and a “scan for bone fractures” minigame where you heal the dinosaur, these two were the favourites for Lio and me. (Sadly the bone scanning one requires you to focus off center of the actual break, which took some getting used to)

Mixed & disliked!

• Most other Minigames are too simple | A lot of vehicle minigames in particular amount to “press this button” without a timer or any kind of challenge. It’s fine, but boring. And if you’re playing in co-op, only the first press is needed, which makes player 2 feel left out of the gameplay. The vehicles also animate weirdly during these scenes, not a dealbreaker on its own, but it’s part of a longer list of nitpicks I’ll get to below. Let’s address the worst one first:

• Not a great Co-Op game | My son and I just played LEGO Batman, and that was the perfect example of split-screen co-op done right. Perhaps this also contributed to our frustrations with the offering here. You can play 2 Player split-screen, but you can’t just double your productivity. Every minigame you play will pull the other player in to join, even if they were exploring and just on the verge of discovering a treasure. Luckily, they’ll be prompted to join first, but it would have been better if the game allowed one player to complete some story tasks alone. The same happens when moving regions, and even when opening the cosmetics menu: Player 2 will be forced to also look at the pup/vehicle cosmetics screen.
  
  
• Don’t bother 100% ing the pup treats | Part of my personal enjoyment in such games comes from 100% collecting everything visible. There are pup treats scattered across the world, but if you collect them and move between regions or reload the game, hologram versions of them will appear. The same is true for various interactables like dinosaur paw prints you can water with Marshall, rocks you can break with Rubble or fishing spots you can dive into with Zuma and so on. They only give you pup treats the first time, adding to a counter that unlocks cosmetics at set requirements, and then you’ll waste time in your next playsession on the same interactible items because they have visually reset. This is a completionist’s nightmare. But, as far as achievements are concerned: luckily there is no requirement to collect everything here, and you’ll even have unlocked all cosmetics by the halfway point of the game, further making the collectables less satisfying.
  
  
• Lots of bugs | I can’t speak for all versions of the game, but the Xbox title was riddled with bugs: getting stuck in the environment, pups floating above their vehicle, Zuma swimming on dry land, and so on. Luckily, nothing game-breaking, and we were always able to continue on. The most annoying of all bugs, though: we had a sirene/car alarm like noise in the background that just repeated infinitely and even cause me to turn off all sound effects, but that made the game far less enjoyable.
  
  
• Music loops are too short | Games usually loop music in the background, but in PAW Patrol: Dino World there are a few loops that sound like they are only 4-8 seconds long and then instantly repeat. It got annoying fast, especially in the earlier worlds where my son (with ADHD & autism) asked me to turn the music off because he was getting tired of it.
  
  
• No camera control | Now, I get WHY they did this: controlling both your character and a camera at the same time, is rather tricky for younger kids. My son still struggles with it. But I would have still loved the option to control the camera myself, as an experienced gamer. Especially with some jumps where you have to move your pup, wait for the camera to align itself, before being able to see where you’re going.

• How long did I play the review before publishing? 8 hours
• How long to beat the story? 5 Hours
• How many Achievements did I earn before publishing? 1000G or 22/22
• How long to get 100%? | 8 hours
• You’ll love this game if you like these | Bluey The Videogame, Peppa Pig: World Adventures

NOTE: I’m not scoring this one because I feel like even my youngest kid outgrew the game and is no longer the target audience for it. Games like PAW PAtrol: Dino World are aimed at younger children, as one of their first games, so they’ll be simpler than most, not challenging and not as entertaining for people who are used to more gameplay.

If you have kids aged 4-7 or so who are a big fan of the PAW Patrol IP, I guarantee they’ll love this. Add dinosaurs into the mix, and the neuron activation will be tripled for some. But if you have children who are more experienced with 3D platformers and games in general, they might find this one lacking in challenge & motivation to keep playing.

Want to see PAW Patrol: Dino World in action? Here is a recording of my son Lio playing the opening level: