When I was a kid, there was a series of books that were super popular and still are to some degree.  I’m sure you’ve all heard of them: the Where’s Waldo books.  I didn’t get into them as a kid, since they came out around the time I was just a little too old for them.  I’m sure I would’ve still had fun with the books, but you know how kids are when they don’t want to have anything to do with things that are a little too young for them.  But I still recognized their appeal.  Anyway, back then there were tons of Where’s Waldo books, puzzles, toys, a Saturday morning cartoon, and even video games!  Unfortunately, the technology wasn’t quite there yet with the games, as many of the Where’s Waldo game entries were considered some of the worst for the respective consoles.  It’s a shame they couldn’t wait for technology to catch up.  But luckily today’s consoles are good enough for games based on properties such as this.  Enter Pierre the Maze Detective, a series of books very similar to Where’s Waldo in that they combine 2-D maze activity books with hidden picture elements.  I’ve never heard of those books before this game, but apparently they’re pretty popular.  And now you can play a game based on one of those books, and it does a good job recreating the charm and whimsy of the series.  Labyrinth City: Pierre the Maze Detective is available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.

The thief Mr. X has stolen an artifact called the Maze Stone, which turns everything around it into a labyrinth!  But luckily Pierre the Maze Detective and his friend Carmen are on the case!  In the game you play as Pierre and can walk in any direction using the L stick.  You’ll move around mazes that look like they were taken directly from the illustrations in the books.  You’ll have to find a certain person in each maze, who will then direct you to another person to find.  You’ll do this about four to six times per maze.  You can also press a button to talk with certain people, interact with background objects, or open treasure chests.  Hidden in each maze are three stars to collect, souvenir treasures to nab, and notes from Mr. X to find.  You can view all your collected treasures on the main menu.  Most of the time you just follow your nose in the mazes, but sometimes you’ll have to flip a timed switch, play a mini-game, or talk with specific people to uncover all the secrets.

The game’s problems are relatively minor.  At only ten mazes, the adventure can be a little short.  And sometimes it can be hard to see a ladder or flight of stairs or path you need to take.  But that sort of thing doesn’t happen very often.  I don’t think this game will replace the tactual joys of looking through the actual picture books, but maybe I’m just old fashioned.  I also don’t know how long this game will keep kids interested, but the illustrations are so charming and even I played all the way through to the end, so I think kids will get enough enjoyment out of it, too.

Kid Factor:

Nothing violent or objectionable here.  Reading skill is helpful for some of the text, but not necessary just to play.  If your kids are old enough to enjoy the books, they’ll be OK with this game.  Labyrinth City: Pierre the Maze Detective is rated E for Everyone.

Tags: Game Reviews