A jaw-some family fun adventure
By Paul Hunter
Baby Shark Doo Doo Doo Doo! If those lyrics make your child get off their seat to sing and dance, Baby Shark: Sing & Swim Party is the perfect game to grab in time for Halloween and the holidays.
Published by Outright Games and developed by RecoTechnology, the Baby Shark game features the iconic shark family from the global sensation YouTube series by Pinkfong. Like the title implies, this game is all about singing and swimming with each activity having its own distinct game type. Let's dive right in and see what Baby Shark: Sing & Swim Party has to offer, here are three things I liked about the game...and one I'm mixed about.
As you play through the game's story mode, which is surprisingly long with dozens of levels, you'll unlock new costumes for your sharks, like a mermaid suit or pirate attire. At any time you can swap outfits for your shark which is a nice touch, especially for kids. It also gives you collectibles to strive for because, of course, who doesn't want to own every shark outfit possible?
Best of all, Baby Shark: Sing & Swim Party features local 4-player co-op so the whole family can join in. Each person can choose to play as their favourite shark and everybody works together to combine their scores to help make three-staring levels easier.
Along your ocean journey, you'll come across a variety of levels in a variety of different locations. There are two types of levels: a rhythm-based one with notes coming across the screen similar to Guitar Hero, and a swimming one that's similar to endless runner games and has you swim forward while collecting stars and collectible cards.
The rhythm-action game features the worldwide sensation Baby Shark Doo Doo Doo Doo, but also tons of other songs featured on the Baby Shark YouTube channel. These include variations like Baby Sharkcito or remixed Baby Shark versions, along with catchy songs like Halloween Mermaid Wedding, Day of the Dead and Freeze Dance. As someone who was only really familiar with the original Baby Shark song, it was nice to see there are actually dozens of catchy tunes sung by the shark family.
The swimming game has you swim forward grabbing collectibles while listening to acoustic versions of the songs. While collecting stars you'll need to avoid various sea creatures that temporarily stun your shark, including blowfishes, crabs, and eels. The further you get into the story mode the more hazards that get introduced such as strong tides that push your shark around or ship anchors that drop from the ocean ceiling.
While two different game types might not seem like a lot, kids won't mind one bit since they're both a lot of fun. Plus, the story mode continuously introduces new elements for each game, like song notes you need to push and hold and others you need to continuously press a button, which helps to keep the experiences fresh. You're constantly introduced to new songs as well, so there's always something to keep up the excitement.
Getting all the trophies is no easy feat too as levels in the latter half of the game can get quite challenging. It's best to play this game with your child so you can jump in to help as needed, whether that's getting three stars yourself or playing in co-op to work together and pool your scores.
Final Score: 7.5/10 - Good
Developer: Outright Games
Publisher: RecoTechnology
Genre: Casual, Rhythm Action, Action
Modes: Single-player, Multiplayer
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
A key was provided by the publisher.
By Paul Hunter
Baby Shark Doo Doo Doo Doo! If those lyrics make your child get off their seat to sing and dance, Baby Shark: Sing & Swim Party is the perfect game to grab in time for Halloween and the holidays.
Published by Outright Games and developed by RecoTechnology, the Baby Shark game features the iconic shark family from the global sensation YouTube series by Pinkfong. Like the title implies, this game is all about singing and swimming with each activity having its own distinct game type. Let's dive right in and see what Baby Shark: Sing & Swim Party has to offer, here are three things I liked about the game...and one I'm mixed about.
Liked: 4-Player Fun
Sing & Swim Party begins by letting you play as one member of the shark family, with all five members playable: Baby Shark, Mommy Shark, Daddy Shark, Grandma Shark and Grandpa Shark. I immediately liked at how well each shark was designed with all characters having the vibrant charming look straight out of the popular YouTube videos.As you play through the game's story mode, which is surprisingly long with dozens of levels, you'll unlock new costumes for your sharks, like a mermaid suit or pirate attire. At any time you can swap outfits for your shark which is a nice touch, especially for kids. It also gives you collectibles to strive for because, of course, who doesn't want to own every shark outfit possible?
Best of all, Baby Shark: Sing & Swim Party features local 4-player co-op so the whole family can join in. Each person can choose to play as their favourite shark and everybody works together to combine their scores to help make three-staring levels easier.
Liked: The Singing and the Dancing
The basic story of Sing & Swim Party is the shark family sets out to swim across the ocean so they can participate in the Fin-tastic Festival, a big party where sea creatures go to sing and swim.Along your ocean journey, you'll come across a variety of levels in a variety of different locations. There are two types of levels: a rhythm-based one with notes coming across the screen similar to Guitar Hero, and a swimming one that's similar to endless runner games and has you swim forward while collecting stars and collectible cards.
The rhythm-action game features the worldwide sensation Baby Shark Doo Doo Doo Doo, but also tons of other songs featured on the Baby Shark YouTube channel. These include variations like Baby Sharkcito or remixed Baby Shark versions, along with catchy songs like Halloween Mermaid Wedding, Day of the Dead and Freeze Dance. As someone who was only really familiar with the original Baby Shark song, it was nice to see there are actually dozens of catchy tunes sung by the shark family.
The swimming game has you swim forward grabbing collectibles while listening to acoustic versions of the songs. While collecting stars you'll need to avoid various sea creatures that temporarily stun your shark, including blowfishes, crabs, and eels. The further you get into the story mode the more hazards that get introduced such as strong tides that push your shark around or ship anchors that drop from the ocean ceiling.
While two different game types might not seem like a lot, kids won't mind one bit since they're both a lot of fun. Plus, the story mode continuously introduces new elements for each game, like song notes you need to push and hold and others you need to continuously press a button, which helps to keep the experiences fresh. You're constantly introduced to new songs as well, so there's always something to keep up the excitement.
Liked: Lots of Collectibles
For a game aimed a kids, I was not expecting it to be so full of different types of collectibles. There are photo albums to fill, cute shark cards to collect that capture the best moments from the ocean-wide adventure, along with a couple dozen stickers of the shark family doing fun poses and wearing various outfits. There is also a full suite of trophies to collect, mostly by three-starring every level and nabbing all collectibles, plus a platinum trophy for those on PlayStation.Getting all the trophies is no easy feat too as levels in the latter half of the game can get quite challenging. It's best to play this game with your child so you can jump in to help as needed, whether that's getting three stars yourself or playing in co-op to work together and pool your scores.
Liked: Colourful Graphics
Baby Shark: Sing & Swim looks wonderful visually. It perfectly captures the vibrant and full-of-life ocean scenes straight from the YouTube videos. There are a bunch of recognizable ocean locations to visit like Tropical Bay, Ocean City and a fun Halloween-themed land with a Spanish Day of the Dead aesthetic. Even for the handful of songs I thought were just OK, there was still enjoyment to be had by looking at all the colourful and playful ocean scenery.
Mixed: Can Get Quite Difficult
Going into Baby Shark: Sing & Swim Party I'd assume it would be a game for young kids, but given the sharp difficult spike in the latter half of the game, it makes me wonder. My child was able to complete all levels, but getting three stars was too much of a challenge so I often had to step in to lend some support. I would recommend playing this game co-op with your child to help each other and have fun. Kids on their own will likely struggle once the difficulty starts to ramp up.
The Verdict
Recommending this game is straightforward: If your family likes the Baby Shark song then you're sure to have hours of enjoyment from Sing & Swim Party. It offers fun, interactive versions of the hit shark songs and with well over a hundred collectibles there's a ton of replayability. My family had a fin-nominal time with this game!Final Score: 7.5/10 - Good
Baby Shark: Sing & Swim Party details
Platform: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PCDeveloper: Outright Games
Publisher: RecoTechnology
Genre: Casual, Rhythm Action, Action
Modes: Single-player, Multiplayer
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
A key was provided by the publisher.