PN Review: My First Songs (3DS eShop)

This isn’t a port of the karaoke game that appeared last spring on Wii U, although it’d be easy to confuse the two at first glance.  With the same title, song list, animations, and so forth, uninformed parents might not realize this is actually a rhythm game … and quite a good one at that.  My First Songs would make a great download for young children.

Kids can tap to the rhythm of 15 iconic, childhood songs.  Most of them are on the short side, though some have repeating lyrics.  The singing is very professional.  When tapping, holding, or spinning to the beat there’s no marks such as good, bad, or okay – you either time it correctly (in a generous window) or you don’t.  Multiple modes allow youngsters of varying ages and skill levels to participate in the fun.

While the music naturally draws immediate attention, this is also a fun game to watch.  In fact there’s a TV icon that when clicked allows for viewing of all the colorful background animations and artwork for each song with lyrics displayed.  I did find the take on anime styling a bit curious (character eyes are always closed) but the animations are cute and amusing.  Whether it’s a cat playing keyboard, or a cow getting beamed up by a UFO, children are sure to enjoy the animated music videos.  There’s no 3D, which is fine for a game that’ll be primarily played by the six and younger crowd.

The publisher generously sent me an extra code so I could share My First Songs  with my friend’s three kids, and get their impressions.  They all really enjoyed the game, with the animations proving especially popular.  Even teenagers can recognize the polish on display – a comment that ‘If I were to design a children’s title, this is the type I’d create’ struck me as an especially strong endorsement.  While this game definitely skews young, achievements are a feature even older kids might appreciate.

This is definitely among the finer crafted titles for children I’ve seen.  Admittedly my experience with such games is mostly limited to occasional review codes, but I recognize high quality when I see it.  I don’t typically score titles of this nature, but based on both my own observations and those of my younger friends, I’m giving it an 8.0.  Parents can download this game with confidence.