The Smurfs – Mission Vileaf review for Nintendo Switch, PS5/4, Xbox Series X/One

As much as I personally enjoy licensed games, it?s true that, more often than not, they tend to be shovelware rushed out the door to tie into something else ? usually a movie. Further, they tend not to be of the greatest quality. So even if it doesn?t appear that The Smurfs – Mission Vileaf was released to piggyback off a broader marketing campaign, I can see why some (if not most) people might approach it with skepticism.

But the truth is, it?s a decent game. It?s very easy, and it?s very much geared towards a younger audience, but as long as you remember those two basic and intertwined facts, The Smurfs – Mission Vileaf doesn?t seem so bad.

To be sure, it?s a pretty standard collectathon 3D platformer. The Smurfs? village is being threatened by Gargamel and the toxic plant he created ? the titular ?vileaf? ? and to combat that, Smurfette, Hefty Smurf, Brainy Smurf and Chef Smurf take turns cleaning up the mess he created. Gameplay doesn?t differ all that much between the different smurfs, and for the most part you?re just going around cleaning plants, with the odd enemy thrown in here and there to mix things up.

But what The Smurfs – Mission Vileaf lacks in inspiration, it makes up for in being generally competent. The platforming is solid (even if it there are only a few sections involving bouncy mushrooms that will challenge you), the basic mechanics work, and outside of a few cutscenes where the graphics seem to take a hit, the game generally performs okay. There?s also full voice acting, which is a bonus ? though, at the same time, you?ll likely be sick of hearing the word ?Smurf? before too long.

Clearly, as 3D platformers go, The Smurfs – Mission Vileaf isn?t exactly going to make anyone forget Super Mario Odyssey. In fact, it?s not likely to make anyone forget New Super Lucky?s Tale. But if you ? or, more likely, the young children in your life ? are after a game that will provide a few hours of entertainment, you could certainly do a lot worse.

Microids provided us with a Smurfs – Mission Vileaf Switch code for review purposes.