Monkey Tales Games (series)

Monkey Tales Games is a somewhat different approach on edutainment, as it is created by a small Belgian studio, which is also responsible for the Divinity RPG series. This colorful and cartoony title separates both education and gameplay, but tries to merge both by offering math mini-games and revolving around puzzles and perception skills. While it isn’t fully successful in this endeavor and might not be as completely enveloping when it comes to education for kids 7 and up, it still has some solid new ideas.

A typical room in Monkey Tales Games, complete with Metal Gear Solid elements.

Levels in each game in the series are based on rooms which hold a certain puzzle, in line of classic games like Boxxle. By arranging blocks in the proper order, a path unlocks to bananas, which are used for the monkey collection that grows with each room. In addition, there are buttons to manipulate lasers or magnets, but also monsters with fields of vision that hunger for little kids.

Each room is themed by the section of the map the game is currently going through, narrated awkwardly before each segment. To proceed to the next room, kids must fight off a monkey in a set of mini-games revolving around math problems. There are games like shooting at the appropriate number to solve an equation or destroying any panel that corresponds to a certain value. After defeating the monkey, the animal becomes the kid’s slave friend and is shoved in a zoo, where it awaits nutrition in form of mentioned bananas. At the end of each map section, kids need to pass a bridge filled with problems, as a sort of evaluation. This, combined with the final boss fight at the complete end, make for a proper revision in this nicely progressive challenge. Each room becomes gradually harder in both tests as in puzzles, so the game has the evolution down correctly.

It's an evil dragon that wants to kill you with bubbles. Give him a break, it's in the first game.

Unfortunately, it falls short in a few places as well. First off, the sections divided between room problems and mini-games are completely detached from each other. The only incentive to complete a level and collect all bananas is the happiness of monkeys captured. But as these are stuffed in a zoo, away from the board, it doesn’t really matter. Also, there is no consequence to not feeding monkeys, giving kids too little motivation to persevere through a challenge. It could be monitored and encouraged at first, but on their own, kids won’t be pressed hard enough to fully experience both sides. Certainly since puzzles aren’t unique in gaming, there isn’t much more to be gained from here, which can’t be found in other adventure games. It sort of puts a damper on the hard work and skill implemented in each stage, as certainly in the later iterations, some rooms have a definite puzzling appeal. Some are so well made; it might even entice a grownup here or there.

An evaluation bridge at the end of a certain section. Guess correctly or die.

Furthermore, problems are only based around math and that is just too little in the broad spectrum of education a child needs. Sure, the game balances this with perception and visual comprehension skills, but again, those are more optional. Also, the game never pretends to be catering to more than just math, but it would’ve benefited from offering more. There isn’t a ton of variety in the mini-games, so it would’ve helped itself out by switching up with simple writing exercises, geometry and so forth. Even though having lesser variety in the games also breeds a certain familiarity throughout the series, which will have kids coming back to it.

There are a few more cosmetic or less irking issues, such as speech cutting out most of the time or the wobbly controls ending in some unwanted deaths. As any one hit means having to start over, it can be a little annoying for children to fall at the hand of lesser controls. Also, as rooms usually have only one solution, a wrong move also means starting over, further harming its own optional design.

Shame on Larian for buying into this false Belgian stereotype of waffles.

Yet, for all those quirks, Monkey Tales Games is a decent way to make edutainment ‘cool’ for kids. The progression and challenge throughout the series is masterfully implemented and grows naturally to ease kids into ‘real’ games. Even if it detaches the two aspects too much, it still offers something both accessible and complex for different levels of advancement in children’s learning plans. This gives kids of all ages and levels a chance to get to learn the game and let the game teach them as well. It certainly beats traditional patronizing methods, which set the bar much too low and never display anything beyond the most basic of skill levels. This could be the perfect in-between level parents could use to tide over their children, before they best them at Trivial Pursuit.

Daav Valentaten, NoobFeed. (@Daavpuke)