Dad, Where Are We Going review: a mobile game for the whole family

Dad, Where Are We Going (爸爸去哪儿) might seem like a weird name for a game that’s topping the free game charts in China right now, but it’s actually the name that’s drawing people in. Dad, Where Are We Going is a popular television show in China, and the game — a sidescrolling platformer for iOS and Android from China’s SunnyDev — is a licensed spin-off that features the same logo and reproduces the show’s characters as cute in-game avatars. But is this a fun licensed game or just a cheap cash-in?

Gameplay: new ideas, but something’s missing

At its core, Dad, Where Are We Going is a 2D side-scrolling platformer of the sort you’ve seen a million times before: you run from left to right though a variety of levels, jumping around collecting items and avoiding obstacles while trying to reach the finish line. But the game actually introduces a few very interesting twists on this formula that make it feel pretty fresh (as far as side-scrollers go).

First, in addition to tapping to jump, you can also hold to deploy a parachute. This allows you to descend from your jump at a slower rate, and because the game includes a lot of hills, roofs, and ramps to jump off, it can change the game quite a bit if deployed at the proper moment.

The game also has an interesting approach to lives; rather than limiting them artificially, levels have time limits and when you hit obstacles, it slows you down. If you can go long enough without hitting an obstacle, you’ll get additional members of the family running ahead of you a mimicking your actions. These additional characters serve as a kind of buffer; if you screw up while you’ve got one you won’t fall down or be delayed, but the character closest to the front will disappear. It’s a clever way to tie in the TV show’s family theme in a way that actually affects gameplay.

But perhaps most interesting is the game’s approach to the in-game items you collect (which in this game are various fruits and veggies). Unlike other side-scrollers, collecting these items is entirely mandatory and you’ll fail levels if you don’t collect enough of each food item to meet the level’s preset goals. You also lose things when you run into obstacles, so you’ve got to keep constant track of your stores of each item as you play, or you might have to play over again. It’s an interesting way to approach a platformer, and I actually quite enjoyed the change of pace.

Unfortunately, Dad, Where Are We Going just doesn’t feel great to play. Perfect mobile controls are an elusive beast, and making your game — even a simple game like this — feel right is quite difficult. To me, Dad just doesn’t ever click; something about the jump timing feels off and there are times when it felt like I wasn’t fully in control of my character. The game is certainly playable, and at times it’s pretty fun, but it’s missing that final level of shine and polish in the controls that turns OK gameplay into great gameplay.

Sound and visuals: a cutesy treat

Dad, Where Are We Going looks and sounds a lot like you’d expect. The game is cute-looking and brightly colored, and the levels have you running across verdant green meadows and through friendly villages. Most of the characters from the TV show are playable in the game, represented by cutesy avatars, and the ones you don’t choose to play as sometimes show up to run alongside you when you’re doing particularly well.

The sound and music in the game is good too; it’s not going to jump out at you as particularly impressive and if you’ve watched the TV show some of it will probably be familiar. The music, in particular, makes it feel like a kids’ game, but there’s no reason adults can’t get some fun out of this too (and if the music sounds too childish, you can just turn the sound off.