Carmen Sandiego
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Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for Carmen Sandiego
Carmen Sandiego modernizes the classic series in a way that mostly works, offering light brain-teasing for adults and a fun, educational challenge for kids.
Carmen Sandiego is a fun romp through a genre that I had figured was lost to mobile marketplaces and predatory YouTube channels.
Narrowing down suspects based on clues and then hunting them down is neat and there is some educational value to this game… just maybe save yourself $30 and use your Netflix account to play it on mobile.
Carmen Sandiego tries to revive the gameplay of its classic PC predecessors, however it fails to innovate in any meaningful way.
Carmen Sandiego is such a nostalgic hit in the heart, and it's great that there's a new game for a new generation to enjoy. It's a shame that there are inconsistencies; including not much accessibility for those who need it, and a lack of voice-overs. There is something to love about this new iteration of Carmen Sandiego, though. The 2D graphics in the ACME files can be downright beautiful. But overall, it's pretty disappointing, especially considering this game is essentially a port of a free(ish) mobile game, slapped with a $50AUD price tag and without the final chapter included. Hopefull,y we can see Sandiego and crew in better adventures sometime soon.
Carmen Sandiego, is a good educational adventure game that targets a younger audience (especially those that have watched the animated tv series on Netflix) but still pays homage to the original version. Especially in regard to the cold case files that have a retro feel in terms of the graphics. The mini puzzles are not hard, but they are repetitive, so it would be nice to see more layers of difficulty and variety. The same goes with the options of cities to travel to. I found myself revisiting the same ones over and over and would have liked more options available to provide more exploration. Having to replay capers or solving the cold cases (just to gain more XP) took some fun out of the game because it felt limiting (and more like a chore), but I liked how it was easy to just pick up and play, then put down when I wanted a break.
Carmen Sandiego is a welcome addition to a franchise that continues to educate in all the right ways. For better or worse it doesn't mix the formula up too much, but any young one should find much to like. Just be sure to stick with a portable platform to enjoy it best.
