Teddy Together Review - Screenshot 1 of 3

Teddy Together, to be clear from the start, is a game aimed at children. Mashing together aspects of Miitomo, Nintendogs and even Cooking Mama, it goes without saying that this title won't appeal to many older and experienced gamers. That said, it is a very well put together, varied and fun game which kids will definitely enjoy.

Teddy Together began as 'Kuma Tomo' and was released in Japan about two years ago by Bandai Namco. The game sees you naming a cute Teddy Bear and beginning a friendship, with the end goal being to gain trust from the bear and connect with him / her. Like Miitomo, the Teddy will sporadically ask personal questions that you answer via your microphone or touchscreen; the idea is to teach kids how to converse with others and maintain a friendship.

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Also, this bear can talk, a lot. He rambles on and on, and it can be a bit much after a few minutes of his incessant questions.

Luckily the conversation is not all there is to the game; once you have a little connection with Teddy you can play some games with him. You can give him a bath, do some gardening, make him some food or change his clothes. This is all via the menu on the touch screen, so you click a bathroom for a bath, a kitchen for cooking and so on. The cooking takes inspiration from Cooking Mama in that you have a recipe and make the food yourself, and as you go on more recipes become unlocked.

There are also options for 'Notebooks' and 'Outside'. Notebooks allows you to see what Teddy has learned about you so far, and lets you edit the answers you have given to previous questions. You see, Teddy remembers everything about you, and once you interact more he will start to suggest things to do based on your interests. 'Outside' is, well, outside. You can visit shops to buy Teddy clothes, sweets and seeds. The gardening aspect involves taking care of flowers and completing a plant collection; like in Animal Crossing, combining certain seeds gives rare flowers.

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The 3DS is really used well here - the graphics aren't rushed and the environments are detailed. The touchscreen and microphone are both used too, bringing the interactivity up a notch. Some Super Mario-series amiibo are also supported, and using a specific figure will give you coins that you can use to buy things. If you don't have any amiibo, playing mini games and doing tasks will give you coins too. Use of the wardrobe is reminiscent of Miitomo or Tomodachi Life, with a vast variety of clothes for Teddy to wear. Although we have referred to the bear as a 'he' in this game, you aren't told what gender your bear is, allowing you to choose for yourself; there is a good mix of girl and boy clothing from which to choose.

The main problem with this game, beyond the positives, is the voice acting. The bear sounds, frankly, a little creepy. The creators have clearly tried to go for the non-threatening approach, but it's just too softly spoken and breathless for comfort and doesn't match the cute look of Teddy. That said, his pronunciation is good, and will teach children how to say certain things. There is no online support either, so whatever is said to Teddy can't be shared with others and parents can be assured that the game is safe for young players.

Conclusion

Teddy Together is a pleasant little game, and is a great option for children to play with their parents. Although the voice acting is a bit off, there is so much to be explored that it won't matter. A lot of kids' games can be rushed through, but the level of detail and effort put into Teddy Together makes it a solid choice for young gamers that enjoy the likes of Nintendogs and Tomodachi Life.