| Quick Verdict: Grandma, No! is a bit of a twist for me. I was ready to recommend this game wholeheartedly because it pulls at nostalgic heartstrings and was a lot of fun. However, it’s only 3 hours of gameplay to complete and while I had some issues, it wasn’t anything worth telling you to stay away. At least, not until I learned the price upon its release. I can’t, in good conscience, tell you that this game is worth $15, especially not in this economy. |
| Game: | Grandma, No! |
| Developer(s): | WALLRIDE |
| Publisher: | Super Rare Originals |
| Review Score: | 7 |
| Cozy Score: | 8 |
| Price: | $14.99 |
| Pros: | The art is so nostalgic and bright, there’s a lot of humor, and the game didn’t pose too much challenge as to be upsetting. |
| Cons: | The price to gameplay value seems skewed, I had to turn off the music because two different songs seemed to be overlaid on top of each other in the Kitchen, and the vibration will have your hands itching up a storm. |
| Platforms: | Steam |
| Genres: | Physics, Comedy |
Grandma, No! is a task-based physics game that feels straight out of my childhood. You run around as Grandma, looking like you’ve stepped out of an old Nickelodeon cartoon. She has a to-do list to complete across 3 rooms that have required tasks, optional tasks, and mysterious side-quest tasks.
While the start of the game has you saddled with your grandkid to watch for the day, you really don’t interact much with the baby aside from occasionally feeding or calming him. It’s mostly you and the chaos you can create around you.
If you played the demo like I did, then you’ll likely remember that the demo featured a five-minute timer to complete tasks. I can happily report that there are no timers in the full game and that it was just a gimmick for the demo, likely designed so that you couldn’t complete the entire room in it.
Grandma, No!: Nostalgic chaos
After you’ve been handed the baby, you’ll have several rooms to choose from. There are technically four rooms, but the Foyer doesn’t have tasks; it’s simply where you can change Grandma’s outfits, of which she has many! Choose between the kitchen, the living room, or the backyard. It doesn’t matter which you choose, they’re all independent levels.
I’d estimate that each room takes about an hour to complete if you want to finish all possible tasks. Otherwise, it’s probably more like 30-45 minutes per level.
About half of the tasks you need to do are straightforward, like vacuuming dust or putting things where they belong. But the other half is made up of a series of mini-games and no two are the same. It’s a cute way to bring variance and I didn’t find any of them to be hard to complete.
This is simply a task-based game where you can indulge in silliness. Like the game, this review is short and sweet. Whether you want to complete everything or the bare minimum, you’re looking at a smaller game to spend your time with. And, I’m going to be real honest, $14.99 isn’t worth the price. I’m not even sure the 20% for a limited time at $11.99 is worth it.
I had a great time, but I’m fortunate enough to have been sent this code for review. If I had to pay $15 for this game, I think I’d be pretty disappointed by the amount of gameplay afforded here.
Let me be clear, I think the game is great, but this is nothing more than tasks made up of multiple mini-games. Unfortunately, I have to weigh the amount of gameplay there is against the price and $5 per room just doesn’t add up when said room can be completed in an hour, doing everything.
Grandma is adorable, but is 3 hours of gameplay worth $15?
This is, mostly, my biggest issue. But I do think the vibration is completely overused. I had to turn it off because my controller was shaking for nearly a minute with a constant vibration. And, while I was in the kitchen, the chosen song was either cacophonic or there were two songs playing overtop of each other, creating a discordant atmosphere.
All in all, I did have a lot of fun with Grandma, No!, which is why it’s a bummer to say that I’m not sure I can promise you it’s worth the price point. The game still gets a passing 7 because it was fun, but you’ll have to consider your own metrics for what $15 is worth to you.
If you’d like to give Grandma, No! a try, you can get it on Steam for $14.99. Otherwise, you can check out our latest review for Bugtopia. It’s an adorable idler where you collect bugs, breed new color types, decorate their tanks, and get dozens of hours of enjoyment for only $5.99.
