Dora: Rainforest Rescue Review (Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Switch & PC)

If you, like me, spent a lot of your childhood learning Spanish phrases through the conduit of Nickelodeon’s Dora The Explorer, then you’re in luck. Hola, amigos — can you say “Dora does video games now?”

Sí, Dora: Rainforest Rescue has just launched on consoles and PC, which can only mean one thing: Swiper is up to his old tricks again. And, if you can’t hear “that” catchphrase in your head yet, then you might as well click out of this review and choose another video game adaptation to ponder. Garfield Kart, anyone? No? Trolls Remix Rescue? Gabby’s Dollhouse? Alright, we’ll just stick with ol’ Backpack and pals. Take the wheel, Map. Can you say “GET ON WITH IT?”

It’s true, Dora: Rainforest Rescue is but one of dozens, no, hundreds of video game adaptations of children’s animations that, frankly, isn’t necessarily in need of such a treatment. Yet, there’s a demographic that adores these pixel-crafted worlds and beginner-friendly mini-games—the same folk who enjoy things like basic platforming games and cutesy characters, nostalgia fodder and touch-and-go references. For me, I’m somewhere in the middle. A thirty-something year old at heart, I’m unable to feel all giddy about the prospect of jumping into one of Dora’s escapades. But, Rainforest Rescue isn’t for me; it’s for my six year old self who enjoyed screaming “SWIPER, NO SWIPING” at the television screen at four o’ clock in the morning.

If you’re keen to learn more about Dora: Rainforest Rescue and its launch across all major platforms, then be sure to stick with us a while as we carve into it in greater detail. Ready? Váminos! 

Swiper, No Swiping!

If you’re familiar with Dora The Explorer, then you ought to know that Swiper, the foxy kleptomaniac, is more or less the problem behind, well, everything. Alas, it isn’t the language barrier that causes a ruckus in Rainforest Rescue; it’s the blasted bandana-loving fox and his timeless fixation on chaos. In this family-friendly jack-of-all-trades adventure, however, it isn’t just the one sly fox who wreaks havoc on the idyllic woodland and its surrounding candy-popping dioramas; it’s an entire troupe of ‘em.

Rainforest Rescue spins a familiar yarn for a story that is as simple as it is unapologetically wholesome. It doesn’t do much to broaden the appeal of its lore, though it does remain true to its Nick Jr. roots with its original cast and trope-addled aspects, its Swiper-like schemes and its good-versus-evil storytelling. With this journey, though, you don’t just bark Spanish lingo at the screen; you act it out. And by that I mean, you subject yourself to an hour-long voyage of collecting items, hopping over crags and crevices, and rolling through a series of fairly generic fetch quests that have something to do in the grand scheme of things.

If you’ve played Trolls Remix Rescue or, failing that, any other side-scrolling collect-a-thon that yanks on all of the same childish tropes of a fairly generic game adaptation, then you’ll be pleased to know that Dora: Rainforest Rescue more or less keeps in line with the same basic formula. Again, it doesn’t do anything particularly exciting to spice up the mix, but it does, in all fairness, capitalize on a concept that is universally recognized as a force to be reckoned with. Touché.

Can You Say “Mini Games?”

At the heart of Rainforest Rescue is a trove of simple mini-games—a vibrant collection that includes racing, platforming, foraging, and riddle-based dilemmas. Of course, you don’t need to be an expert to understand how any of these pieces work, nor do you need to have the patience of a saint to be able to navigate its stages and collect its materials to progress through the journey, for that matter. Matter of fact, you should be perfectly capable of being able to romp through it in a matter of hours. The question is, should you?

Like most, if not all Nickelodeon titles, Rainforest Rescue has a target demographic in mind. Alas, it isn’t for the die-hard veteran; it’s for a younger player who, like many, would much prefer to learn the basics and engage in some sprightly mini-games than dive into a perplexing world with one too many components and audiovisual cues. Rainforest Rescue isn’t that sort of game; it’s a simple, to-the-point adaptation that fosters clean, albeit somewhat dull mechanics, and a familiar collection of characters, environments, and events. It isn’t the most exciting game of its kind, though it is one that serves its purpose as an entry-level platforming game surprisingly well.

I will say that, as far as children’s video games go, Dora: Rainforest Rescue does bring some good ideas to the table. To echo, it doesn’t add anything new to the melting pot, but it does, however, make an effort to fill its gaps with all of the usual fodder that fans of the genre know and love. It isn’t a perfect game, much less one that has the capacity to stand out above the rest of its collet-a-thon kin. That said, in spite of all its lackluster holes, it still provides an oddly enjoyable experience that’s both educational and wholesome. Maybe that’s enough, maybe it isn’t. The jury’s out on that one.

Verdict

Dora: Rainforest Rescue uses a lot of the same basic elements as a traditional beginner-friendly video game adaptation of a children’s television series and, with a slice of ol’ swiping and Spanish cordial, adds its own twist to the blueprint. It’s still a pretty generic game that leaves a lot to be desired after curtain call, though, to give credit where credit is due, it does manage to make good use of its simplicity with some surprisingly enjoyable collect-a-thon trappings and thematic mini-games that tie in with the show itself.

While I’m not about to sing Dora: Rainforest Rescue’s praises, I will stand by my word and say that, for a game that is designed for a younger audience, it does feature a ton of valuable lessons and opportunities to improve those all-important skills. It won’t teach your fledgling gamer Spanish, but it should keep the little adventurers occupied for an hour or two before they embark on a new journey in faraway lands across the Nickelodeon universe. Adiós!