Ni Hao, Kai-Lan: Super Game Day

Based on the kids’ TV show of the same name, Ni Hao, Kai-Lan: Super Game Day aims to keep younger players entertained at the same time they learn the basics of the Chinese language and culture. A tall order, sure, but this is a job that a certain explorer has been doing successfully on kids’ TV for a while.

As simple as its premise, Super Game Day is a fun activity center recommended only for very young players. While the educational value of the game might be up for debate, the ability to keep toddlers entertained for a while certainly isn’t.

Ni Hao, Fun

Much like the Mario Party series, Ni Hao, Kai-Lan: Super Game Day is a minigame collection with some loose narrative tying it all together. As basic as that sounds, let’s not forget that this is a game aimed mostly at preschoolers. These games are simple activities that don’t require complicated inputs.

The main idea behind the Ni Hao, Kai-Lan show is to teach young kids about Chinese culture. That aspect remains in Super Game Day, but the presentation and didactic value are somewhat lacking here. Graphics are quite similar to the TV show, and that might be a plus with the younger fans of Kai-Lan and her friends

As far as teaching Chinese goes, let’s just say that your kids will be much better off just watching the cartoon. Super Game Day relies heavily on its fun factor, leaving teaching about the language and cultures of China as an afterthought.

Areas to Discover

The goal of Super Game Day is to relive Kai-Lan’s adventures as seen on the show. Each time you beat a level, new areas and difficulties are unlocked. Super Game Day features three different areas in total, each representing either a facet of Chinese culture or an episode of the cartoon.

It’s worth mentioning that both the PS2 and Wii versions of the game are very similar, with the only to be found being the infamous Wii wagging controls. Considering this is a game for young children, and that the minigames aren’t too difficult, the controls are never offensively bad.

Even for a children’s game, it’s sad to see that Super Game Day never gets players to fully enjoy its setting. Games like Dora the Explorer: Dora saves the Snow Princess are great in that they not only capture the look and feel of the cartoons they’re based on but are also fun platformers in their own right.

Perhaps if Super Game Day included some kind of hub world for kids to explore, the entertainment value would have been better. As it is, this game can only be recommended for the youngest players. As long as they’re fans of the show, they’ll surely have a blast helping Kai-Lan and her friends, and beating the minigames can be fun even for casual adult players.

Parents can join in on the fun too, making this game a great tool to teach your kids about your gaming hobby.

Pros

• Charming visuals
• Kid-friendly UI
• Great difficulty balance

Cons

• Not very effective as a learning tool
• Could have used more minigames
• Some minigames can be a bit unresponsive