Review – 51 Worldwide Games

Thanks to those lovely types over at Nintendo, today I’m taking a look through 51 Worldwide Games. This is one which I accepted thinking that it might kill a few minutes between reviews, and which I’d soon forget. I could not have been more wrong. This title is well suited to families, and especially during the current lockdown restrictions should be entirely in vogue at the moment. It’s one which I’m rating as Buy It, and you can find out why in the video here, or the full written review just below.

The Basics

51 Worldwide games, you may be shocked to find, is an amalgamation of 51 different board, card and dice games. Included within this are also toy based selections such as football (soccer), baseball, air hockey, darts, bowling and more. You can find the full list of games included here just below, and you’ll likely agree that it’s a pretty comprehensive selection. Including both classic board and card games, alongside contemporary (well, within the last 30 years) schoolyard games, this title has a lot to offer for nostalgia fans, and families.

When I was originally offered the title for review, in honesty I was close to turning it down. I’ve seen a large number of these before, and without fail they have been bland and uninspired affairs which haven’t held my attention for more than a few days. I accepted 51 Worldwide Games simply because I thought that it would be a good selection to cover for families during lockdown. I’ve never been more right, and also more wrong. This title is a corker when it comes to family and social get togethers. However with some real attention to detail, it is a million miles away from bland.

The title includes games for 1 to four players, covering physical, motion and touch controls, played either on one console, locally with connected consoles, and with other players online. There’s a huge variety of different titles from the strategic classics such as chess and renegade, to the more physical air hockey and darts, and each of them have been rendered beautifully. I’ve been genuinely impressed with the build quality, and the number of games to select from. There’s a large number included which I’ve already become familiar with over the years, but also some which are new to me, such as Yacht Dice, which have become instant favourites.

What’s in the (virtual) box?

As we’ve a little more space here on the web, you can find every game included in the title listed just here;

Parent’s Eye View

From a parent’s point of view 51 Worldwide Games is a bit of a weird one. It’s one which is rated by PEGI at 12 and above, but by the ESRB as E for Everybody. This is definitely a title which can be a lot of fun with the family, and overall even with the 12 rating it’s one which I’ve been happy to play with the younger Micro-Bandits. The warnings here come in the form of simulated gambling, light comic violence, and online play.

The title does of course contain titles such as Poker where you’ll have to gamble with in game currency. Within these titles, the simulated gambling is quite few and far between, and the majority of dice and card games are a regular just for fun proposal. There is some light violence in terms of tank warfare and boxing, but worth mentioning that there’s no blood or gore. Online play is fairly well regulated, though of course as with any online interaction, to ensure the younger bandits are getting the best experience, it’s worth keeping an eye on them.

Overall, while it is rated at 12 by PEGI, it’s one which I am happy for the Micro-Bandits to get involved with, both in terms of watching and playing along. The games each come with a robust walkthrough, meaning complex titles like chess have both a basic walkthrough and also in game tips and hints to help the unsure to get to grips with rules even if it’s their first time playing.

The Run Down

Visuals – Great: The visuals in the title were one area where I was expecting it to fall down considerable. In truth, visuals both in mobile and docked view is well worked and even close up there’s nothing I’ve found to fault it on. Each of the miniaturised environments is well created, and it’s clear that a lot of care has been put into the visuals for this one. It’s been a really pleasant surprise, and I can only give them full marks here.

Audio – Great: Another outstanding effort from the team. I really wasn’t expecting the spot on voice acting in this one, and it really adds to the title. In addition, background music is performed well and doesn’t get repetitive, and sound effects are also well worked. Much like the visuals, there’s nothing in the sound which I can mark it down for.

Narrative – Fair: It was clear from the outset that this isn’t really a story based title, and so while it doesn’t have a great narrative I still think it’s a fair representation of what to expect. As well as some kooky characters during the game introductory clips, there are facts about each game which pop up after playing, which is a nice touch.

 

Replay – Great: As you might have expected for a title such as this. Absolutely outstanding replay value. The many different games, as well as side and layouts to pick in a fair few of them, mean that even as a single player there’s a lot to get your teeth into here. The different physical, touch and motion controls mean that even as a single player, there’s still a lot of variation. A vast number of the games can be played using individual joycons, with up to four players on one console. Mixing consoles on a local network is also possible in order to expand game areas, and online multiplayer just seals the deal.

Overall the Pixel Bandits Checkmate Level for 51 Worldwide Games is Grab It. Believe me when I tell you that I am more shocked than you are on this one. I was expecting a middle of the road collection of “basically ok” games. I found instead a title well suited to any family, especially during current lockdown. Come christmas, this one will be highly recommended again as a great winner stays on party game collection, with plenty of easy to get to grips with games, as well as vastly strategic ones too. Definitely more suited to family or group gameplay rather than one the singletons out there, but even then if you fancy some laid back gaming, this is a great one to look at.