Review: Crayola Treasure Adventures (NDS)

It would be incredibly straightforward and naïve to rip apart Crayola Treaure Adventures, as being one of the most limited and short-lived experiences Gamestyle has played in recent memory. For an adult the main mode can be completed in one fairly modest sitting, but a youngster will enjoy the overall presentation, which is reminiscent of children’s TV show.  This adventure mode sees you deciphering a treasure map by overcoming challenges at certain highlighted locations to find the Color Crystals. These mythical items are hidden across three levels, based on an Aztec jungle, pyramids and a Treasure Island type environment.

The activities mainly involve the premise that your stylus is a crayon, and by quickly rubbing an area on touch screen, you can bring colour to a fading item. Other events include dot-to-dot drawings, where you must join up the numbered points in the correct order – thereby helping teach basic numeracy skills. Gamestyle found the jigsaw events the most enjoyable and we still followed that basic rule of getting the corners all in place and working from there. A positive aspect is the game does not impose penalties or time restrictions, so learning can be fun without necessarily having to become frustrating as well.  Good performance in the adventure (simply achieved by completing events) unlocks a huge range of coloured crayons that would make Tony Hart jealous.

The other mode bundled into this package is a Coloring Book and is the one that will probably entertain the kids more than the Adventure offering. This is also the place where those unlocked crayons can be put to good use. Plus a virtual book has the added bonus for parents that you do not need to supervise every crayon or movement from your child, or completely cover the furniture and walls to prevent any accidents or graffiti from appearing. All the pictures (110 in total) are divided into groups such as farm animals, dinosaurs, vehicles, and zoo and sea creatures.

Like any colouring book an outline of the potential picture is given. Crayola Treasure Adventures allows you not only to experiment with colours and techniques within the outline, but also outside. So while the first few goes of colouring a whale may be straightforward, more confident pictures and colour schemes can be utilised. Different sized tips are on offer and an eraser so any mistakes can be quickly corrected. In summary it is almost like a miniature paint shop without the mess associated with playtime from bygone years. Unfortunately there is no option to save a masterpiece for future reference, so when you leave its gone forever.

The visuals are bright and chunky, fitting the simplistic nature demanded by the target audience, but never pushing the DS to break sweat. The top screen is mainly home to your enthusiastic talking crayon advisor, who will provide hints and become delighted when you pick his favourite colour. Icons are suitably sized and the options are easily navigated by all ages, meaning the package is a good starting point as junior’s first Nintendo DS game. A criticism would be that your focus is centred on the touch screen, and the developer could have done a better job of integrating the use of both.

The sound also meets the criteria and fits nicely into the formula heard in most toys nowadays, being repetitious and looping. In moderation it is inoffensive, but eventually most adults will crack, just like when faced with such battery-powered trinkets, and seek the off button. There is no mute option, or really any options to speak of but Crayola Treasure Adventures does not necessarily rely on sound. For long car journeys you could just insist that the volume is turned down or headphones are used.

Crayola Treasure Adventures to quote a famous phrase ‘does exactly what it says on the tin’ and delivers an enjoyable colouring experience through the DS touch screen. And if that’s what you require then it’s an ideal companion and furniture saver with added peace of mind.

Rating: 6 / 10

Words by Jason Julier