Kindergarten Review

Kindergarten is a video game with a big twist. It's about living the life of a young child in school but there are crazy schoolmates, a shady janitor, insane teachers, a murderous principal, and more. Despite being about kindergarten it is not a child's game. It was developed by SmashGames and Con Man Games and published by SmashGames.

Concept

This is a puzzle adventure game that is set in an American grade school. It features kindergartners, teachers, administrators, a janitor, school bullies, and the always dreaded lunch lady. The children in the school have had devices implanted in them once they have had a mandatory visit with the principal. The game starts out with you playing as a girl who has had her younger preschool brother disappear. It's your job as the player to figure out what happened to him.

Graphics & Audio

The graphics of Kindergarten are old school. Your character looks like a potato to put it simply. The graphics are similar to Scribblenauts in that they're a bit basic and not the primary reason to play the game. The graphics are actually charming for those people that enjoy the old school look. The background score of the game fits the action very well and is a highpoint. This game uses a typing sound when text appears along the top of the screen. This text explains what is happening in the game. When you make money you hear the sound of a cash register. This all makes it easy to understand what is going on.

Game Play

This is a video game that is available on Microsoft Windows, MacOS, and Linux. You control your character with your mouse and select decisions from a menu that slides down on the right side of your screen. You're bound to make mistakes in Kindergarten which can result in the death of your character. It's pretty similar to the video game Maniac Mansion in that the choices you make determine how the game goes and how it can be solved or ended. Every time you solve a puzzle in Kindergarten you get money and items that can be used to figure out future puzzles. There are even ethical choices such as joining up with your teacher to murder your fellow students, rebel against the authorities, or do something in bewteen.

Conclusion

When this game first released it had a lot of bugs, spelling errors, and glitches. Over time, the indie developer behind this game got things fixed and so it's now very stable. It is available on Steam for $5.50. Is it worth that price? I would say yes as it is quirky and not an experience that is easily available in the world of video games. This game will likely take about 10 hours to complete and can be played multiple times making different choices adding to its longevity.

Kindergarten is a fun game that doesn't take itself too seriously and gives players an old world experience when it comes to video games.