Care Bears: Unlock the Magic (Switch)

Care Bears: Unlock the Magic is a licensed game based on Care Bears, with the same title as the TV series. It’s a kids show, and it’s a cheap licensed game, so the quality is going to be hit or miss (and most likely a miss). Reinforcing this is that the game is basically full of minigames, and only minigames.

The game has a proper single player mode though and is only single player. It’s called Adventure Mode where you play as Cheer Bear and go along a track. Each section of the track is a minigame level, and each time you clear a minigame, you will gain one star. The aim is to reach the end of the track, and there will be progress blockers on every eight levels which requires a certain number of stars to pass. However, the requirements are very low and given that the minigames are so easy to clear, you shouldn’t have a problem getting through them.

The minigame levels will get harder as you go along the track. There are 104 levels to clear the Adventure Mode, which basically means getting at least 70 stars to help free the land. After this, it unlocks Master Levels, which are harder levels compared to the story, and some of them are legit difficult (even if it is mostly due to random chance rather than a skill issue). There are another 104 of them… but they’re the same minigames you’ve been playing all this time, so it’s very repetitive.

There are eight types of minigames, and most of them are based on well-known games. The first is Conga, which is a copy of Snake from the Nokia phone days. You play a conga line, going around the dance floor to collect more bears to add to the line. Next is Pass the Ball, which is a copy of Pong. You aim to clear the screen of rectangular pieces by having the ball hit it, and you keep the ball in play but not allowing it to fall to the floor. There are power ups such as a wider paddle, adding another ball, or allowing the ball to destroy the pieces in one go rather than in multiple hits.

This third minigame is Care Bubbles, which is basically Puzzle Bobble. This is quite fun, as you need to shoot the bubbles to match three of the same type to make them disappear. At the same time, the ceiling is dropping lower. The harder levels have you start off with more complicated patterns, closer to the ground, which can be annoying. The minigame Cloud Racer has you moving a vehicle up and down trying to collect the hearts along the level.

Cross the Rainbow is another obstacle course, where the Care Bear is on a pogo stick (not that it matters too much) as you cross rivers on platforms, railway tracks, and pass by rocks. Ball to the Hole is like a form of mini golf, where you try to shoot the ball into the hole, but making it difficult is that the angle of the ball constantly changes so you need to wait until it faces the way you’d want it to go.

Lost Whiffle is yet another obstacle course where you control a Care Bear as they reach the end of the course. The Care Bear is walking this time, and will constantly be moving, so you’ll need to avoid the traps on the ground, spinning fans and water barriers. The eighth and last minigame is Bouncy Heart, which is a copy of Flappy Bird. You reach the end of the course while being able to only control the height by pressing a button. If you don’t press anything, the Care Bear will immediately start descending.

A minigame collection as a concept doesn’t mean it’ll be a bad game. If you have variety, then it’s fine. Unfortunately, this game does not have that variety. With only eight types of minigames and requiring you to repeat 13 times in Adventure Mode, it quickly gets repetitive. Another problem is it is very predictable. Every set has one of each of the eight minigames, there are no surprises, and none of these minigames are particularly fun either.

Adventure Mode takes around two to three hours to complete. Free Mode allows you to replay any of those levels, plus the additional 104 Master Levels as mentioned earlier. The game is clearly built for younger players, and you’re rewarded with stickers are you progress. There are no high scores, nor are there any modes that allow you to play with unlimited time until you lose (which seems like an easy way to provide a fun mode).

Overall, Care Bears: Unlock the Magic is every bit the poor licensed game you’d expect it to me. It’s disappointing but not surprising that for a game that has such limited graphical assets (while bright and colorful, looking good, it reuses a lot of things), and only eight types of gameplays, that it sells for such a high price. It’s fun for around half an hour, but after that, you can’t wait until you can put it down and move on to the next game.

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Toy Review: Transformers Generations Studio Series MTMTE Optimus Prime (Leader)

Review:  #947

Name:  Optimus Prime

Brand:  Transformers

Allegiance:  Autobot

Line:  Generations - Studio Series

Year of Release:  2026

Size Class:  Leader

Mold Status:  retool of Studio Series Commander Optimus Prime

PACKAGING:

A quick shot for the packaging since it looks quite nice with the artwork on the front.

VEHICLE MODE:

This version of Optimus is based upon his battle damaged self from the 1986 movie.  It's a retool from the earlier Commander figure, but without all the accessories, allowing this to slot into the Leader size class.

This is a really good truck mode, one of the best that we've had.  It's very clean overall.

He is not too big though, size-wise, he is a little bit bigger than a typical Voyager.  However, he is hefty, and he feels very worth the Leader class money used to buy him.  He feels like quality in your hand.

In vehicle mode, most of the new battle damaged panels are the cracks in the bright blue windshield, and the grill.

In terms of weapon storage, the gun pegs on the back, and the new metal shard pegs onto the front grill.

The interesting thing is that the designer didn't bother going the lazy route with the robot legs.  It has quite an involved transformation to make it look clean and flat, whilst hiding the robot shin details.

Looking from underneath, you can see how packed the figure it.  Nearly all of the empty space is used.

The only other play value in this mode is that he can roll on a flat surface.

This is a brilliant vehicle mode, on par with what you would expect from a Masterpiece figure.

TRANSFORMATION:

This is where the figure betrays its Commander routes.  It is a complicated and very well designed transformation, much more than any other contemporary Leader classed figure.  It is surprising that it managed to fit into the Leader size class as it feels a lot more involved than what the budget would allow.  Nevertheless, at its core, Optimus transforms like every other Optimus, the back is the legs, the arms from the side, and the rest of the cab become the torso.  What makes this a fantastic transformation are the many extra steps that hides away all the kibble.  It doesn't get to the point of fiddling with small pieces, but are chunky pieces that move in a clever way.

ROBOT MODE:

As good as the vehicle mode is, the robot mode is even better and wow, even with the battle damage, this is a great Optimus Prime figure.

He does have quite a bit of kibble on his back as a backpack, but that's the price you pay for a really slimmed down Optimus from the front that takes on the cartoon proportions.

One of the main retooled pieces is the head, which is fully battle damaged.

He is slightly taller than a Voyager, but again, he feels a lot heftier and a lot more solid that even Leader class figures.

Articulation is amazing as you'd expect, he has joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, wrists, fingers, waist, hips, knees and ankles.

Despite the smaller size, his fingers are jointed (index separately to the rest).

In terms of accessories, he keeps the gun from the original release, but there is a new metal shard piece.

He can hold the gun in either hand.

New battle damaged areas that come out are the shoulders and part of his abdomen.

The grill has a hold for the metal shard to peg in.

This simulates the piece that stabbed Optimus in the movie.  It's really cool... in a dark humor kind of way.

You can pull off some really good poses for Optimus using both accessories, making him seem even more heroic, continuing to battle even though he's fatally wounded.

The gun can store in his back, while the shard cannot be stored at all, which is a shame.  You can kind of make do by pegging it onto the guns barrel but it's not perfect.

The other gimmick here is that his chest opens up to reveal the Matrix of Leadership, which he can hold with both hands (this is where the finger articulation becomes handy).

The brighter shade of red and blue makes the figure pop a lot more than previous versions of the character.

Thanks to the lack of kibble, the range of articulation is wide, and he can pull off some very dynamic poses.

While only having his gun is enough, it can feel like it'll be even cooler if he managed to keep some other accessories like his Energon axe.

Optimus feels higher quality and more premium than your typical mainline release.  His joints are mostly swivels which feels nice to use.  The figure itself is nice and sturdy.

The battle damage is an acquired taste but if you missed the original Commander release, this is still a good alternative.

A fantastic robot mode, and pretty much near perfect.

OVERALL:

The mold itself is amazing, and it is one of the best figures we've had in the Studio Series line.  It is a marvel of engineering without being overly complicated.  The figure feels higher quality, and for the first time in a long time, feels like it is worth more than what you would normally pay for a Leader class figure.  If you don't already have this mold, then this is an easy recommendation.  Although if you already have the original Commander release, it's a much harder sell since the battle damage isn't too much of a drawcard.

  

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Toy Review: Transformers Generations Legacy United Motormaster (Animated) (Voyager)

Review:  #946

Name:  Motormaster

Brand:  Transformers

Allegiance:  Decepticon

Line:  Generations - Legacy: United

Year of Release:  2024

Size Class:  Voyager (Wave 4)

Mold Status:  retool of Legacy United Optimus Prime

VEHICLE MODE:

Motormaster is a retool of Optimus Prime, but the only new part is the head in robot mode, so in vehicle mode, he is the same with a different color scheme.

It's a black and purple combo, which actually looks quite nice in person, although can be a little bit too dark.

In terms of size, he is okay size for a Voyager, a little bit short but a bit taller to make up for it.

The robot weapon, which is a giant axe, pegs onto the back.  It's not an elegant storage solution but at least you can store it.

It's a weirder design with the front part of the truck sitting so far more forward than the front wheels, it just looks awkward.  Sadly, the side windows are painted on, and does not match the front windows at all.

The interesting thing is that the darker black plastic is slightly transparent, making it looks nicer in person.

At first glance it's a nice update, but the issue with the wheels does throw the design off a bit.

TRANSFORMATION:

The transformation can be described as functional.  It's nothing crazy innovative, but it works, just kind of generic at times.  The back splits to form the legs.  The arms fold out from the sides, and the front is the torso.

ROBOT MODE:

Motormaster in robot mode still looks a lot like Animated Optimus, and that's because he is with just a different paint job and a new head.  It's accurate to the source material but still.

He's fairly kibble-free, which is impressive.

He expands a bit in robot mode, with equal height to your typical Voyager.  That said, despite how bulky he looks, he feels a bit more hollow and lighter than you would expect.

A quick comparison against the Legacy United Optimus Prime to see how different they look (which isn't that different).

Articulation is good, he has joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, waist, hips, knees and ankles.

His weapon is a giant purple axe.

He can hold the hand in either hand, the bottom section is 5mm sized, while the top is too thick to be held.

However, the handle can extend so that Motormaster can hold it double handed.

When not in use, the axe can be stored on his back.

The only new section here is the head, and it looks really good, and suits it really well.

Compared with the original toy, since he doesn't have the auto-transforming gimmick, he doesn't have a loose waist either, which is useful.

A decent robot mode, and one that looks pretty nice too.

OVERALL:

Motormaster is good to get if you are a fan of the Animated show, and you like the character.  While he never appears in the show, this is a good reuse of the Optimus Prime mold, and a purple and black color scheme works beautifully together.  The toy itself is decent, even if the vehicle mode has some proportion issues and the transformation scheme being slightly generic.

  

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