Bakugan Battle Brawlers
Approx. price: £4.99–29.99
Age range: 5+
Website: www.spinmastertoys.co.uk
Bakugan has already established itself in Japan and the USA and was one of the big stories at January’s Toy Fair in London. The game combines collectible cards and spheres with complex and satisfying gameplay, giving it appeal on several levels.
The Bakugan spheres have a clever magnetic mechanism that reacts when placed upon one of the special playing cards (known as “Gate Cards”, they have a metal strip inside). The sphere springs open into a warlike pose, with a wide variety of designs for the various warriors.
This builds an interesting element into gameplay. You have to roll the sphere carefully to get it to activate (too fast and it will simply roll over the Gate Card) and your aim must also be true – the spheres only do battle when they are activated on the same Gate Card.
Once two battle brawlers are in action you refer to the details on the Gate Card and also have the option of playing other game cards (called “Ability Cards”) to exploit strengths and weaknesses. When all the calculating is finished, the sphere that wins the highest number of points is victorious.
In this format the Battle Arena (around £29.99) offers the best gameplay, although you can happily make do with any large, flat surface. You can also enjoy games on a smaller scale and the Starter Pack (around £12.99) is a great introduction, coming with three spheres and a selection of Gate and Ability Cards.
Our testers instantly loved the way the spheres pop open and the younger children (under the target age range but still intrigued) were happy to start engaging in battles, often using them with other action figures. Older children (6+) wanted to get the hang of rolling the spheres onto the Gate Cards, while the oldest testers we used (10 and 11 years old) wanted to look at the rules and start playing properly.
This is a remarkable set of responses, all positive and showing that the concept appeals across a wide age range, for different reasons. The spheres themselves are enough to attract attention initially and the more complex elements of gameplay will keep older children engaged as well.
The urge to collect the spheres and cards is also strong and the activated Bakugan would make great display items.
It’s also worth noting that the Bakugan spheres on sale in the UK are 16% bigger than those in Japan and the USA (and they do feel considerably more substantial as a consequence) – nice to see that we do at least some things on a bigger scale over here!
Durability: 4/5
Longevity: 5/5
Value: 5/5
Score: 94%
Conclusion: A terrific concept, executed perfectly, making this a highly desirable toy that appeals across a very big age range.
