Bluey’s Quest for the Gold Pen is one of those mobile games you pick up expecting a quick, harmless distraction, and then realise you’ve been smiling at your phone for half an hour. Maybe that shouldn’t be surprising. It’s a collaboration between the creator of Bluey and the studio behind Jetpack Joyride and Fruit Ninja, two games built on immediacy and charm. But what stands out here isn’t necessarily the minute-to-minute gameplay, it’s the wrapper around the game and how thoroughly the game levels capture the heart of the show, to the point where it genuinely feels like you’ve stepped into one of Bluey’s imagined adventures.
The setup fits in just like any other Bluey episode. Bluey and Bingo are drawing a story, Bandit steals her special Gold Pen to be cheeky, and suddenly the whole family gets pulled into this sketchbook world where everything looks like it was drawn. I can’t stress this enough how much this feels like a Bluey episode start to finish From there, the game unfolds into a loose quest to chase Bandit, now self-styled as King Goldie Horns, across different themed areas. In true Bluey fashion, there are lessons to be learned, and even a parent watching can have fun with it.
Mechanically, the game is built for small hands and short bursts, but without feeling enjoyable for grown-ups, too. Movement is simple on-screen joystick moving with big, readable inputs, and every level offers a few easy puzzles, collectables to scoop up, and light platforming that never punishes the player for mistiming a jump. Adults aren’t going to find much challenge here, but kids will feel like heroes, and that’s clearly the design goal. There’s an earnestness to that simplicity, an understanding that “just enough” difficulty can still be fun when dressed in creativity and warmth.
What keeps the game from slipping into forgettable licensed-game territory is the tone. Everything here is infused with the same earnest silliness that defines the show and what made it so popular. Characters quip back and forth, Bingo appears as “Bingoose,” in line with how kids re-imagine themselves in play scenarios. Bandit, as the pseudo-villain, works because the game’s world is built on imagination rather than stakes. There are even elements where it asks you to recall things from the show; that being said, you can also just guess, as there is no fail state here.
“Bluey’s Quest for the Gold Pen is one of those mobile games you pick up expecting a quick, harmless distraction, and then realise you’ve been smiling at your phone for half an hour.”
Halfbrick applies what they do best: snappy feedback loops, bright colour, and simple mechanics tuned for touchscreens. The levels never overstay their welcome, and there’s always some collection goal dangling in front of the player. Finding hidden stickers, collecting doodads for side characters, or chasing down a wandering objective marker all tie neatly into the show’s “every action is play” spirit. It’s the kind of thing kids will want to revisit, and adults won’t mind guiding them through.
The biggest achievement might be the presentation. Instead of mimicking the show’s crisp animation throughout, the game embraces a rougher, marker-and-crayon aesthetic, leaning into the idea that this world is literally being drawn by Bluey. Characters and environments wobble and smear as though coloured slightly outside the lines, and the effect is charming without feeling cheap. It also gives the developers permission to experiment with shape and colour in ways the show rarely does. Some levels go heavier on spectacle than others, but all of them feel cohesive and intentionally handcrafted.
In a mobile landscape where kids’ games often feel engineered to drain wallets more than entertain, Bluey’s Quest for the Gold Pen feels like a refreshing return to simply offering a good, wholesome experience and trusting that’s enough.
“Bluey’s Quest for the Gold Pen isn’t trying to be a massive platformer or a mechanical showpiece. It’s trying to feel like an interactive Bluey episode, and in that mission, it succeeds almost entirely.”
Despite all of that, adults playing solo may notice the ceiling pretty quickly. The gameplay doesn’t grow much beyond its opening ideas, and mechanically it stays firmly in beginner-friendly territory while also shaking up the locations and what collectables you will be chasing. But that’s also why it works. It’s a game that knows exactly who it’s for and doesn’t compromise itself trying to reach beyond that audience. If anything, the simplicity becomes part of the charm. It’s breezy, pleasant, and consistently warm-hearted, like a small slice of weekend morning TV you can poke and interact with.
What surprised me most, though, is how well the game embodies the emotional core of Bluey. The imaginative spark, the gentle humour, the feeling that the world is a little more magical when you choose to see it that way. Mobile tie-ins rarely manage that kind of sincerity. Too often, they’re content to repeat catchphrases and slap iconic characters on shallow gameplay. Here, the developers worked with Joe Brumm closely because it’s clear that they understood its tone and built something intentionally small but lovingly crafted. It’s the kind of project that doesn’t need to be groundbreaking to be meaningful.
Kids and parents will adore it, and fans of the show will appreciate how authentically the game captures Bluey’s spirit. It’s bright, kind, funny, and inviting. And in a world saturated with noisy, overly monetized mobile games, the gentle simplicity feels almost revolutionary.
Bluey’s Quest for the Gold Pen isn’t trying to be a massive platformer or a mechanical showpiece. It’s trying to feel like an interactive Bluey episode, and in that mission, it succeeds almost entirely. It’s sweet, it’s short, it’s imaginative, and it’s made with enough care that even adults can’t help but get pulled into Bluey’s world for a little while. It might not be deep, but it’s genuinely delightful, exactly the sort of game you’d expect from a studio that understands how to make accessible fun, paired with a creator who knows how to make something joyful without talking down to its audience.
It’s the kind of game that makes you wish more licensed titles aimed at kids were built with this much heart.
