Mouse & Crane Review

A review code was used, with many thanks to Those Eyes.

Mouse & Crane One For The Young Gamers

Video games, in general, are catered to all audiences, but it’s uncommon to see developers attempt to cater to very young budding gamers. Back in the day, when I was young, around 4 years old, my first gaming experience was with the Amstrad computer. Although I enjoyed watching my mum play Rainbow Islands, I wasn’t great at it. But there was a gaming series that really clicked, a set of games called Fun School. An education game catered to different school-aged children. It was a new mix of mini-games which added snippets of learning, including Maths and English. I still look fondly back on these gaming experiences. Fast forward to today, and a new game hops onto Nintendo Switch Mouse & Crane. This is catered to ages 4-7 and aims to provide some education on recycling as well as a bit of fun in the process.

Best Friends

The game begins with a sentient crane (called Crane) who says that he doesn’t have a friend. Then a mouse drops from the sky, and his depression soon alleviates, and a new friendship blooms. The duo quickly set out on an adventure around the harbour, looking for tools to build a spaceship to send Mouse home to outer space. The game has that nice, uplifting presentation you might expect for a kid’s TV show.

Characters in the game are fully voice acting, putting a lot of enthusiasm into their performance. There is warm-hearted chemistry between the characters and how they optimistically approach a new problem. As well as, Mouse and Crane’s memorable characters include Electryna, a half pig, a half mechanic with a heart of gold. There’s also Scrapman, a grumpy, misunderstood machine that lives in the scrapyard.

Mouse & Crane various characters — Meet the loveable characters.

Scrapbook Look

Graphics present as these paper-like sprites that look as if they were clipped from a newspaper. Then, some cute eyes and facial features were drawn on for good measure. It’s tough to say if your younglings will latch on to the game since the characters featured are not based on popular IPs like, say, Thomas the Tank Engine. But it feels like the developers made a genuine effort to make this something welcoming to youngsters. At the same time, it is not too over the top to induce a migraine for the parents sharing the experience.

Came in Like a Wrecking Ball

The gameplay is very easy and accessible for all audiences. There are four single-player stages and three local co-op stages to work through, each of which has multiple single-screen levels to complete. The player takes control of Crane, and you can simply use his mighty hook to solve some basic puzzles. This is so Mouse can reach the end of the level and collect a new tool for his toolbox.

Puzzles might involve moving boxes to fill in some holes, creating a skating track, or even using a mighty wrecking ball to smash the environment. The latter is probably the most fun for young people. In local co-op, the goal is the same, only this time, one player controls Crane and the other Electryna. Electryna can simply move left and right with Joy-cons motion controls and help move boxes and add some finishing touches to the puzzles. Playing as Crane is generally advised for the target young player and Electryna, the parent or older sibling.

Mouse & Crane puzzle level — We came in like a wrecking ball

Accessible for All

For controls the young player can either use touch controls in handheld or buttons. Touch is probably the easiest route. Here, you simply touch Cranes hook, move it to the object you want to interact with, and let it go to release. With controls, the player uses the analogue stick to move the cane hook and a shoulder button to attach and release. It feels like every effort has been made to make the experience as pick up and play as possible. Failure really isn’t possible in this game. The young player can take their time to solve each puzzle.

Learning

Obviously, the game for an experienced player like me is a cakewalk. This game is designed for younglings and not me. So, as I worked through the game, I focused a lot on where the learning aspect came in. This seemed to come together at the end of each stage. Where the player is given the opportunity to collect all the tools they collected through the stages and create something using a specific tool.

This includes using a screwdriver to put together a friend for Scrapman or using a soldering iron to put together a circuit board. It feels like this is where the young player may learn about recycling and upcycling, particularly as they will see their clever creation become part of the story.

If I were to critique, it feels like a little more effort could have been made to add some snippets of education to the stages. Maybe have the characters pause to invite the player to count boxes on screen. Or maybe sing a song related to recycling to drive home some of its points. Of course, I have no experience making games for children. This comes from my experience observing how my very young child learns.

Mouse & Crane creative stage — Stick together your findings.

Conclusion: Something to Share

Mouse & Crane certainly does a good job appealing to its target audience. Excellent voice acting and a warm-hearted story which is warm and uplifting will hopefully capture their attention. The gameplay, though simple, feels engaging enough to exercise those little brains. The experience certainly feels most fitting to be played with a parent (even in single-player). Consider picking this up for your 4-7-year-old, and who knows, maybe this will create a warm memory for the two of you to cherish for years to come.

Final Verdict: I Like it