Toca Boo

Toca Boo is a game that puts you in control of a ghost trying to scare as many people as possible, but you don't have to worry about it giving nightmares to your kids. This adorable video game is designed with preschoolers in mind, and its minimalist but expressive art design and cute premise makes it a great gateway for introducing tykes to the larger world of game. And while its simple systems likely aren't enough to challenge adult players, its endearing sensibilities may be enough to keep them engaged.

In Toca Boo, you aren't a literally ghost. Instead, you play a small girl dressed up like a ghost who's trying to scare her family members. Despite having some of the trappings of a horror game, this isn't an experience designed to frightened. Successfully spooking one of your targets will result in comical animations of them becoming scared. The six targets that populate the darkened house each have their own distinct personality, although it's only expressed in their design and animation, and they each respond differently to being scared. The art design here is especially worthy of note. The characters themselves look like they could be made out of cardboard paper, consisting as they are of simple and colorful shapes pasted together. It's an interesting choice that's likely to draw and maintain the attention of younger players.

Designing a game for younger children means finding a careful balance between interactivity and difficulty. Without the gaming experience, patience, or fine motor skills they'll develop over time, a game that's too hard could quickly turn off kids. Fortunately, Toca Boo succeeds by essentially doing away with losing conditions altogether while still keeping a level of challenge. The character you're looking to scare each hold a light in the otherwise darkened rooms, and falling within that light will cause your family members to react in an endeared or chastised manner rather than with fear. But players can almost immediately jump back in and try again.

There isn't a whole lot of meat here in regards to game play systems, but the majority of the experience is about interacting with the environment and seeing all the funny responses you can get from your family members. While tapping on a family member from the dark will scare them, the best responses come from navigating your little ghost to one of the blue or pink spots in the room. The former represent hiding spots that allow you to initiate context sensitive scares, while the latter are interactive objects that help you ramp up the anxiety of your targets. There are also a number of candies that you can collect. While they don't have much of a meaningful effect on the game itself, they do come with a number of amusing side effects.

Pros:

• A great art style that brings to mind the Addams Family or Tim Burton
• Finds the sweet spot of challenge for picky younger players

Cons:

• Doesn't offer a wide variety of experiences