Should you embrace Elmo or throw the game in Cookie Monster’s bin?
Sesame Street: Once Upon A Monster is a very different Kinect game. You interact with all the classic characters like Elmo, Cookie Monster and Grover but also adds new monsters as the story progresses. It’s a collection of mini-games which are great for kids, although they can be very exhausting for the older unfit gamer such as myself. These can vary from moving side-to-side to collect items and avoid obstacles to flapping your arms to fly.
It’s safe to say that it’s truly a kids experience, but luckily the achievements are fairly easy…although finding someone to play it co-operatively might be tricky for the older gamer unless he/she has kids of their own. In true Sesame Street style, the story tells morals about friendship and how to solve problems during the adventure. You perform a variety of moves to progress including dancing, flying, jumping and using your hands to select items like dressing up the characters.
The game is played through a perspective of a pop-up book and you need to pull both sets of flaps to enter the page, or you can flip the page back if you want to replay a past level and try and gain the 5 stars that are available on each page. Despite being a kids-only game, I must confess I did actually enjoy my time with it and I hope that one day I come across someone who will help me gain the rest of the achievements. It’s just a shame there’s no online play to make it easier for us.
The presentation of Once Upon A Monster is what makes it stand out. The game grabs out and makes you a part of the experience, the characters engage and acknowledge your actions and are just as authentic as you would expect. Voice-acting is typical of Sesame Street and the script is perfect for kids.
The Verdict
Sesame Street: Once Upon A Monster is a perfect kids experience, making the best use of Kinect I’ve seen in a long time. It’s a truly enjoyable game and it has a decent story that all fans will adore, making it a must-have for any younger gamer.
