Game: Bob Help Them
Genre: Adventure, Education, Strategy, Lifestyle
System: Nintendo Switch (also on Steam)
Developers | Publishers: Gagonfe | No Gravity Games
Age Rating: US E | EU 3+
Price: US $7.99 | UK £6.99 |EU € 7,99
Release Date: March 11, 2021
Review code used, with many thanks to No Gravity Games
Bob Help Them is a timer-based management game, developed by Gagonfe and published by No Gravity games. In Bob Help Them you take on the role of helpful Bob. Your goal is to help all NPC’s, by gathering resources, cooking food, fishing, and chopping wood before the timer ends. The Bob Help Them blurb on the games Nintendo page says its “calming” and “timer-based” which aren’t exactly two words that go well together in my book!
Bob Helps Everyone
Across 35 levels Bob will have to chop wood for the lumberjack, cook pies from harvesting fruit. Catch fish, mine stones, iron and gold. Use the forge to melt the iron nuggets into bars. Collect eggs from the chickens and turn the eggs into fired eggs using the campfire. Harvest particular fruit for the farmer and pet his dog.
Timer Always Counts Down
The first level gives you eight minutes to complete just a couple of tasks, collecting wood and apples for two people. The game starts out easy enough with a very generous eight minutes to complete the tasks, as you progress through the levels the time is shortened and the tasks are many!
You are shown the controls in the first few minutes of the game, and they are easy enough to pick up. You only use the joystick to move and, the A button held down to perform the tasks.
Earn Three Stars
If you complete the level well within the time limit you earn three stars, you need at least one star to open the next level to proceed. It is not to difficult at the start of the game to get the three stars, later levels offer more of a challenge to complete numerous tasks for six NPC’s.
Find the NPC’s
My biggest problem was finding the correct NPC to give the gathered items to as they are spread out across the level. Bob can only carry a set quantity of one item at a time. As each level starts the camera pans across it showing where each of the NPC’s is positioned and what you have to collect for them. So paying attention at the start of the level and a good memory, and a little bit of strategy is required to earn three stars on each level.
Suitable for all Ages
Bob Help Them is a game that is suitable for all ages to play. Families would enjoy the time challenge in the game. Even the youngest family member would be able to help play the game by pointing out which way to go to find an NPC. There isn’t any violence or baddies, in fact, there’s no conflict at all. Bob Help Them is just a simple fun time management game about a guy helping folk out!
Visuals and Controls
The pixel art in Bob Help Them is bright and colourful. I wasn’t to keen on the look of the game at the start but it has grown on me. It suits the simplicity of the game, the characters all have a little movement animation, they look like their bouncing on the spot.
Cheerful upbeat music accompanies Bob while he is running around completing tasks. Controlled by the joy-con it is an easy game to learn to control as its only a few buttons you use.
Conclusion
Bob Help Them is a fun time management game for anyone to enjoy. It is not to difficult to complete and would make the ideal family game to entertain everyone. A good starting point for younger players that would like to try out the time management genre.
Final Verdict: I Like It 