A cow making 720 degree turns on a skateboard. A dog being eaten by weremoles. Greased porkbutts. All these things have one in common: they are part of an exceptionally well designed party game for the GameBoy Advance, which can provide fun for the whole family. However, this is only the case if the family doesn’t contain any hard to please gaming overachievers.
Game mechanics
Cartoon Network Block Party is a board game for up to four players, one to four of which can be human. The title offers four boards to play on, and fourteen minigames to complete as the main game progresses. Each board has its own design and theme, as well as different requirements for winning it.
The main game takes place on one of the four boards. Each player rolls and moves the appropriate number of spaces. Occasionally, the board splits, and the player will be able to choose which direction to move. Some of the fields offer special actions, such as moving forward or backward, rolling again, earning some money, special bonus or a minigame. The player who first crosses the starting field with the required number of collected items and cash wins.
Before moving on to the most visible part of the title, the minigames, let’s quickly mention the most undervalued part of the game, the special bonus fields. These fields are directly tied to the theme of the board, and they give the player the option to purchase a bonus. This ranges from stealing an item from another player, to purchasing an item, to various shortcuts in the playing field. This feature adds some strategic depth to the otherwise fun but straightforward party game.
At the heart of the title are the fourteen minigames. You’ll be able to race around a short track, evade dancing weremoles, catch bats, avoid falling water balloons, shoot the same balloons at others and much more. Each minigame is initially doable with minimal skill, but every time the same minigame is called up, it gets tougher. There are also three difficulty levels for each game. Once a player wins the challenge, he or she is usually awarded with cash and one of the items that are required to win. All minigames are also available separately, without playing the main board game.
Gameplay – 9
Cartoon Network Block Party is a well-balanced game, offering a variety of minigames and four engaging game boards. The option for up to four human players to compete makes this the perfect game for families. I appreciated the added strategic element to the boards, as well as the increasing difficulty of the minigames and their perfect symmetry between the length, difficulty and appeal, which made the minigames captivating and never frustrating.
However, the game is not for everyone. The difficulty is still too low for regular players, and so I would recommend the title to first-time players and pre-teen children and their parents. Based on my observation of both groups, the game could hardly be more perfect for them.
Graphics – 10
There’s absolutely nothing I can complain about here. The graphics are very appropriate, with very large and colorful main characters and backgrounds, which make it easy to see what’s going on. Even on the older GBA console, the graphics are very crisp, as if watching them on TV.
Sound – 5
The weakest part of the game, the music is uninspired and forgettable. To make matters worse, a game like this begs for some signature sounds and voiceovers, neither of which are present.
Replay value – 9
At $15-20, the game offers a very low price for each hour played. While even children will learn the game relatively quickly and master the minigames in just a little more time, the multiplayer element makes this a highly replayable title for the weeks and months to come.
Overall – 8.5
Cartoon Network Block Party is a superbly designed game, which will provide plenty of entertainment value for its target audience, pre-teen children and their parents. The game features four well-drawn game boards and fourteen minigames, which are all very engrossing. Together with excellent graphics, this title is ideal not only for Cartoon Network fans, but also for everybody who is looking for an appropriate and engaging game for their children.
