Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Mermaids

Is a game that already seems to answer the ending even worth playing? Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Mermaids suggests the outcome even before you pick up a console controller. I know the game is for kids, but couldn't they have thought of a more exhilarating title? Something that makes you want to save the mermaids rather than knowing they're already saved?

Silly rant aside - this franchise has racked up an immense level of popularity. It only makes sense to throw multiple video games into the mix wherever possible. However, by no means does that indicate the developers will make any effort in their design. Games of this caliber are almost exclusively poor. Let's try and prove that notion.

It's Clean Up The Beach Day!

If you've been living under a rock for the last two decades - Dora the Explorer is a wildly popular children's franchise. It uses media to educate children on academic foundations in a socially progressive manner. The Latina has charmed her way into the homes of many kids worldwide. It continues to do so with this video game.

The overenthusiastic tone of the characters with the stray from realism seems to annoy adults - while somehow enticing children. Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Mermaids does that - and more. It's hard to even see how kids are enjoying this game. But perhaps its simplistic mechanics and alluring visuals force parents into the purchase.

There really isn't anything redeeming about Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Mermaids. You'll run around collecting garbage from an ocean to save the mermaids from an octopus with that age-old platform collection mechanic. Intermittently, you'll play a few elementary shapes and match minigames. The simplicity is even insulting to young children's cognitive abilities.

What we have here is a pure representation of 'how to milk a franchise.' The most annoying thing about this game is the fact its playtime stretches only about an hour long. Imagine forking out top dollar just to find that your kid has finished a playthrough in such a short amount of time. Since there's no replayability value, you're just going to have to go out and buy a new game.

Can You Spot a Decent Game?

I don't think anybody should get Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Mermaids purely on the fact that it's really blasphemous to any young gamer's integrity. For something that's supposed to be educational and meaningful - the game does nothing to enhance or enlighten. It plays as if The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker took a massive blow to the brain.

Pros:

• The visuals are colorful, and the environments look pretty

Cons:

• Far too simplistic gameplay, even for children
• Playtime is very short for its price tag
• The experience feels like a rip-off rather than wholesome