Review: Build-A-Bear Workshop A Friend Fur All Seasons (Wii)

I have something to confess about Build-A-Bear Workshop: we’ve never been to one! I admit I sometimes feel I’ve deprived my kids of a modern childhood “must-do:” picking a special stuffed friend, giving it a name and a heart, and then dressing it to the nines.

My kids haven’t gone down quietly, though, and they’ve frequently reminded me over the years that they are the only one they know without a treasure from Build-A-Bear. I was thrilled, then, when Game Factory gave our family the chance to review the Build-A-Bear Workshop A Friend Fur All Seasons game for the Nintendo Wii. Finally, a chance to experience some of the magic for ourselves!

The game mirrors the in-store experience by giving you the chance to choose your own Build-A-Bear animal, give it a “heartbeat” (its own special sound effect), and tons of cute clothes and accessories (which you unlock more of as you play through the game). You then take your unique creation on an adventure aboard the Friendship (get it?…Friendship), where you sail to different islands and play games and complete tasks, all in an effort to get to a huge friendship party at the end.

My two kids who played obsessively for hours on tested this out for me were my 10yo daughter and 7yo son. To be clear, the game is intended for children 3 and older, and my feeling is that the “older” end of that spectrum is ideally somewhere around 5 or 6. There are careful, clear instructions given frequently throughout the game, and though my two kids speedily clicked through all of it, I’m positive that the preschool and early elementary crowd will prefer the consistent guidance of this game. Also, most of the tasks require only gross motor skills with the Wii remote, which means your preschool/early elementary child can wag that Wii remote all over the place and still have some success.

Though, as I say, my kids are older than the targeted audience for A Friend Fur All Seasons, they still really enjoyed playing. The graphics are great, the music is catchy, and they both had fun creating their own characters, traveling through all the islands, and playing each of the 20 mini-games. To get an idea of their gaming experience, here’s the video trailer for the game:

You might also enjoy these related posts from Tree, Root, and Twig:

1. Review and Giveaway: Hal Moose from Build-A-Bear Workshop
2. Holly and Hal Moose from Build-A-Bear Workshop: A New Christmas Tradition
3. Review: Build-A-Bear Owl and Bearville Scavenger Hunt

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