Smurfs 2 – A Worthwhile Family Fun Video Game

by Lori Cunningham

Earlier this Summer while at the BlogHer Conference in Chicago, I attended an early screening of the Smurfs 2 Movie through The Moms Mamarazi event.  My kids love the Smurfs so I was excited to see the movie before it came out and give them the inside scoop.  The Moms put on a great event and psyched us up for the new movie.  With my two new Build-A-Bear Smurfs in hand, I posed with the stars of the film and settled in for the movie.  To my surprise, I actually enjoyed the movie, which was good, because I’ve seen it two more times with the kids since!

I knew that the next step to continue the fun was to try out The Smurfs 2 The Video Game.  I remember unwrapping the package and putting it in our Wii to play with the kids, but then I got distracted.  When I came back into the family room about 45 minutes later, I found the kids enthralled in the game…they had already passed a number of levels.  The Smurfs 2 The Video Game is a family fun video game that allows kids to get into their Smurf character while obtaining for blueberries to give them strength and jumping on insects and bad creatures to stomp them out.

 This is the start of the game where you choose your Smurf character and which “portal” to go through to look for Smurfette.

As you go through the game, you collect blueberries, as their blue substance helps you keep your health up.  If you run out of blueberries, you are out of the game.

However, your opponent can touch a mushroom and bring you back to life.  You try to reach the end of each level with the most leftover blueberries and found hidden coins.

Here, you are on the streets of New York, collecting blueberries and looking for Smurfette.  There are a number of obstacles to cross on your journey, all the while trying to dodge or crush insects and larger than life animals.

In the first screenshot, you can see the hidden coin.  Not all Smurfs have the power to get to it.  In the next screenshot, you see the evil cat, Azrael, trying to get rid of the Smurfs in Gargamel’s hotel room in Paris.

Family Fun Video Game

The premise is similar to the Smurfs 2 movie.  Gargamel, the evil wizard, created the Naughties, Hackus and Vexy, to kidnap Smurfette and bring her to Paris.  Papa Smurf leads the charge to go through a portal with other Smurfs and find her to bring her home safe.  Interestingly enough, the story is slightly different than the movie in the way they narrate it, which is a little odd, but the storyline is similar nonetheless.

My kids love video games, but they often do not play through the whole game, eventually they lose interest or life becomes busy and they forget.  That is not the case with Smurfs 2 The Video Game.  They play every chance they have and love showing the game to their friends.  Smurfs 2 is fairly easy to understand and play, so it makes it a good game for both family and friends.

My husband and I played the game a number of times with our kids.  At first I had trouble, but after a few times, I was able to help the kids get to the next level, one they were struggling with.  When my husband and I were playing against each other, the kids would come running up, grab our controllers and “help” us get the hidden coin, that we were likely to have missed during our gameplay.  It amazed me that no matter what level we were at, the kids knew exactly where the hidden coins were located.  You could argue that

1.) either they play the game way to much or

2.) this is truly a game that has engaged them.

I prefer the later explanation.

One larger downfall of the game is that it is only for two players.  However, taking turns is not too tough to do though since the levels are relatively short and you can play them again before moving onto the next level.

A Mom’s Perspective

Smurfs 2 The Video Game is not an educational game, but it is entertaining and captures your attention in this imaginative story based adventure.  It offers many opportunities for scoring after each round where children can feel good about their play.  Smurfs 2 The Video Game gives children the opportunity to role play various Smurf characters and decide which character is best for each task so they can take advantage of its strengths.  Most importantly, Smurfs 2 The Video game is a family fun game, rated E for Everyone by the ERSB, which gives you confidence that your child is not playing a game that is inappropriate for his/her age.

I liken Smurfs 2 The Video Game to the Mario Bros games.  It’s fun, adventurous, has plenty of obstacles, and involves loveable characters in a kid friendly adventure…only the Smurfs are blue.  If you’re looking for a fun birthday or Christmas gift and your child loves the Smurfs, the Smurfs 2 The Video Game will be a hit.

*  I was given a copy of the Smurfs 2 The Video Game in exchange for my opinion.  All opinions are my own.