Carmen Sandiego Reviews
While the game has had a graphical upheaval on PC and consoles, it’s still the exact same game copy and pasted onto a different system, but charged at a premium rate. I cannot, in good faith, recommend this one on anything but mobile when the experience is the exact same. Save your money, steer clear of this console and PC port and just get this on mobile instead.
Carmen Sandiego gives you the master thief experience with a sprinkling of educational content, even if it can be too easy at times.
Carmen Sandiego vuelve por la puerta grande en una aventura en la que, por primera vez en la franquicia, pasará de ser villana a heroína.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Carmen Sandiego is broadly decent, but it feels like it should have gone a step further, both in its throwback homage to the original game, and in its modernization efforts.
This reboot of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? has failed to modernize its lauded 80s formula, offering only a repetitive and shallow experience that leans too heavily on nostalgia without enough depth or innovation.
In the '80s and '90s, Carmen Sandiego was interesting because there wasn't a ton of content about the world that was made for children. How else were we to learn about continents and cultures without accidentally stumbling upon the horrors of this planet and its peoples? However, with millions of hours of free, great kid-specific content on the internet these days, I'd be hard-pressed to know why anyone would spend money on this.
Carmen Sandiego is a breath of fresh air in the gaming landscape, but comes across as a B-title due to minor flaws. The slow XP progression and mandatory side missions slow the game down. The mini-games are too easy and the linear campaign offers little replay value. Still, the educational elements and the cool storyline are big pluses. Fans of the franchise and players who like to test their geographical knowledge will certainly find something to like here. However, those expecting a smooth and engaging detective adventure may be disappointed.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
While the game pays homage to the educational games of the past, Gameloft swings and misses as this iteration lacks the charm and camp of what made those games such classics.
Taken as a whole game, Carmen Sandiego is a perfectly cromulent romp despite its relative simplicity. Slipping into familiar trappings isn’t always a bad thing, especially when you’re aiming to make a return like this. While not quite a triumphant return to the gaming space, it’s definitely a welcome one. I like to think that there’s still a place in the gaming world for The World’s Greatest Thief. So seeing her land on her feet like this is a welcome surprise. Carmen isn’t one to rest on her laurels, so I hope this isn’t the last we see of her.
With a modest production that adapts the 2019 series material well, Carmen Sandiego serves its young target audience well, alternating geography- and history-based investigation and simple minigames. For older audiences, however, the educational entertainment essence may have less appeal, as the simplicity in the mechanics and initial enigmas make the really good challenges show up only in the second half of the campaign.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review