Put your backlog on the shelf
By Paul Hunter
The Elf on the Shelf: Christmas Heroes feels like someone took the holiday tradition off the mantel and turned it into a chill side-scrolling game. Instead of grinding through yet another grim winter release, you get a bright, easy-going platformer that is all about Christmas Spirit.
Developed by the Casual Brothers Limited with Outright Games publishing, the game's mission is clear the moment you start. You step in as a Scout Elf in training, hop through 2D-style platforming stages, and jump into bite-sized mini games that are simple and charming.
If you are curious whether a Scout Elf platformer about gathering Christmas Spirit deserves a spot in your holiday gaming plans on PS5, is this the one to pick up?
In the early tutorial sections, you are based in the North Pole, still proving that you can handle the job. Once the training wheels are off, you're assigned directly to a single family out in the world, meant to keep a quiet watch from shelves and other spots while they go about their lives, and report back daily on how they are doing. What's neat is once given full Scout Elf status you can pick a seasonal name from a pre-set list, in my case it was "Cookie Icybuttons", which gives your elf that extra sprinkle of personality.
While Scout Elves usually sit still and quietly observe a family, Santa has other plans for your elf. You're responsible for secretly roaming around the family's house gathering more Christmas Spirit for Santa. Speaking of Santa, he mostly stays in the background, but his presence is felt in how often he assigns you new rooms to explore or comments on the health of Christmas Spirit in general. Each room is laid out as a series of days of an advent calendar, another fun nod to the holiday season.
Levels are simple by design, tasking you with hopping along platforms, dashing and double jumping over enemies, and timing swings using your elf rope. Christmas Spirit hangs in the air as glittery clouds, and you scoop it up by the hundreds just by touching it. When something clips you, you drop some of that Spirit in a short trail behind you, and you can walk back and grab it again, which keeps things forgiving.
Three magical doors found on each stage are where the structure opens up a bit. Each door drops you into one of four short mini games. I bounced between card matching, completing jigsaw puzzles, ornament sorting, and quick little maze runs, and clearing them earns you Golden Hearts. You need a set number of hearts to open later levels, so your progress is tied to how many of these small challenges you take on, not just whether you reach the exit.
After each run you see exactly how much Spirit you gathered and how much you left behind, which made it very tempting to jump straight back in and chase a perfect run. Between stages I spent a good chunk of time picking accessories, tops, and bottoms for my elf, becoming a small ritual to change things up.
Every stage is packed with traditional holiday decorations. You run past strings of lights, candy canes, snowflakes and piles of toys, all glowing in Christmas reds, greens and bright whites. On PS5, the textures pop and the mood stays festive as you move between the family rooms. Combined with the quick loading times and smooth transitions between levels and mini games, the whole presentation is well suited for short play sessions.
The audio helps tie everything together. The soundtrack leans on cheerful Christmas-style tunes with a light, playful edge that matches the elf theme. It sat comfortably in the background for me, even when I replayed levels to chase missed Christmas Spirit. Sound effects are crisp and simple, from menu blips to the bell jingles when you jump, and they suit the toy-like world.
Final Score: 7/10 - Good
Developer: Casual Brothers
Publisher: Outright Games
Genre: Action, Platformer
Modes: Single-player
A key was provided by the publisher.
By Paul Hunter
The Elf on the Shelf: Christmas Heroes feels like someone took the holiday tradition off the mantel and turned it into a chill side-scrolling game. Instead of grinding through yet another grim winter release, you get a bright, easy-going platformer that is all about Christmas Spirit.
Developed by the Casual Brothers Limited with Outright Games publishing, the game's mission is clear the moment you start. You step in as a Scout Elf in training, hop through 2D-style platforming stages, and jump into bite-sized mini games that are simple and charming.
If you are curious whether a Scout Elf platformer about gathering Christmas Spirit deserves a spot in your holiday gaming plans on PS5, is this the one to pick up?
Story and Narrative
I love how the story in The Elf on the Shelf begins by making your place in Santa's holiday plans crystal clear. Christmas Spirit has dipped, Santa cannot keep up, and the answer is to lean harder on the Scout Elves. You jump in as one of them in training, right at the start of your career, with the job of gathering up more Christmas Spirit to help Old Saint Nick out.In the early tutorial sections, you are based in the North Pole, still proving that you can handle the job. Once the training wheels are off, you're assigned directly to a single family out in the world, meant to keep a quiet watch from shelves and other spots while they go about their lives, and report back daily on how they are doing. What's neat is once given full Scout Elf status you can pick a seasonal name from a pre-set list, in my case it was "Cookie Icybuttons", which gives your elf that extra sprinkle of personality.
While Scout Elves usually sit still and quietly observe a family, Santa has other plans for your elf. You're responsible for secretly roaming around the family's house gathering more Christmas Spirit for Santa. Speaking of Santa, he mostly stays in the background, but his presence is felt in how often he assigns you new rooms to explore or comments on the health of Christmas Spirit in general. Each room is laid out as a series of days of an advent calendar, another fun nod to the holiday season.
Gameplay and Mechanics
On the gameplay side, The Elf on the Shelf: Christmas Heroes keeps things simple. You control your Scout Elf in straightforward side-scrolling stages, getting from entrance to exit while dealing with gentle holiday hazards, like toy trains and wooden nutcrackers, all while stocking up on Christmas Spirit.Levels are simple by design, tasking you with hopping along platforms, dashing and double jumping over enemies, and timing swings using your elf rope. Christmas Spirit hangs in the air as glittery clouds, and you scoop it up by the hundreds just by touching it. When something clips you, you drop some of that Spirit in a short trail behind you, and you can walk back and grab it again, which keeps things forgiving.
Three magical doors found on each stage are where the structure opens up a bit. Each door drops you into one of four short mini games. I bounced between card matching, completing jigsaw puzzles, ornament sorting, and quick little maze runs, and clearing them earns you Golden Hearts. You need a set number of hearts to open later levels, so your progress is tied to how many of these small challenges you take on, not just whether you reach the exit.
After each run you see exactly how much Spirit you gathered and how much you left behind, which made it very tempting to jump straight back in and chase a perfect run. Between stages I spent a good chunk of time picking accessories, tops, and bottoms for my elf, becoming a small ritual to change things up.
Presentation and Audio
Visually, The Elf on the Shelf: Christmas Heroes nails the exact mood it is aiming for. The early stretch at the North Pole lays out long decorated hallways, snow-covered corners and workshop details that look straight out of a picture book. Once you move into the human house, the camera shifts to living rooms and bedrooms lined with decorations, but the same cosy tone carries through.Every stage is packed with traditional holiday decorations. You run past strings of lights, candy canes, snowflakes and piles of toys, all glowing in Christmas reds, greens and bright whites. On PS5, the textures pop and the mood stays festive as you move between the family rooms. Combined with the quick loading times and smooth transitions between levels and mini games, the whole presentation is well suited for short play sessions.
The audio helps tie everything together. The soundtrack leans on cheerful Christmas-style tunes with a light, playful edge that matches the elf theme. It sat comfortably in the background for me, even when I replayed levels to chase missed Christmas Spirit. Sound effects are crisp and simple, from menu blips to the bell jingles when you jump, and they suit the toy-like world.
The Verdict
For me, The Elf on the Shelf: Christmas Heroes turned into the PS5 game I keep going back to whenever I want a festive holiday session. The Scout Elf story is simple but charming, the levels are short and easy to run through, and the mini games give you a nice change of pace. The colourful Christmas look and friendly music make it great for a family night of gaming. If you're looking for a great festive option this holiday, The Elf on the Shelf is sure to be a winner.Final Score: 7/10 - Good
The Elf on the Shelf: Christmas Heroes details
Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo SwitchDeveloper: Casual Brothers
Publisher: Outright Games
Genre: Action, Platformer
Modes: Single-player
A key was provided by the publisher.