My Talking Tom Friends 2 is not some virtual-pet game but an actual, living, breathing cartoon neighborhood that has up and moved into your pocket, hired you on as the sixth, invisible member of every sleep-over, prank war. But wrap your soft fingers around the premise for a minute and you might get a sense of where this is going: Published by Outfit7, this sequel retains all of the original My Talking Tom Friends’ cushiony heart, but throws open the front door so that an entire cul-de-sac can march through it.

Social aspects warrant the word “Friends” in the title. Young siblings can play a drop-in, drop-out co-op mode where the nearby devices sync up over Bluetooth to let two children control different characters on the same screen. One child can stir pancake batter while the other sets the table, and both can receive the full reward.

Audio design is equally lavish. Each friend now talks in full sentences, rather than as in the trademark “repeat-after-you” gimmick. The lines were recorded by the current voice cast of the animated series “Talking Tom & Friends,” which means when Tom boasts that his new hoodie is “absolutely fire,” the delivery comes with Gen Z authenticity, not corporate cringe. A dynamic soundtrack envelops you: walk up to the park and you will notice a gentle lo-fi beat playing, which crashes into the sounds of ska-punk as soon as a lawnmower race starts.

For completists, a 200-page sticker album returns accompanied by augmented-reality hooks. Hover your camera over a completed page and the 2-D sticker blows up into a 3-D model that can go through poses on your living-room rug. Swipe the screen and flick your finger on your device to trade duplicates with friends (an elegant hack that takes the form of an ultrasonic tone, rather than requiring Wi-Fi or NFC). Finishing whole themed pages unlocks retro costumes from the original 2014 talking Tom era, a valentine of sorts to reluctant parents who have inescapably been pulled into this universe since their toddlers first tapped on the original.

And, for parents who are concerned about screen-time, you’ll find perhaps the smartest addition: an integrated “Sunset Alarm.” As your local clock strikes the hour you set it for, the in-game sky gradually reddens, streetlights flicker on, and one by one, the characters excuse themselves to pajamas and tooth-brushing. And if the child continues to play, the characters actually drop dead on their feet and begin snoring loudly, until the screen gradually fades to black and reads, “We’ll see you after breakfast!” message. It is coercion wearing a tuxedo of charm, and play-tests reveal it cuts bedtime fights by 64 percent according to Outfit7’s own study of 1,200 beta families.

The game’s truly grand con is to transform quotidian child-rearing into serialized drama — a sort of soap opera where no small number of the show runners are also wardrobe department, set designer, prospective president of the PTA and so on. If you have ever wished you could fit Nintendo’s Animal Crossing game into your commute, My Talking Tom Friends 2 is the warm, slightly messy neighborhood you have been waiting to move into.

By Jerry | Copyright © GameHubX - All Rights Reserved