Rango: The Video Game

Review

Common Sense Media says

Solid action gaming with a fun, strange sense of humor.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

Find out more

Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

Find out more

Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Rango: The Video Game is a playful-yet-surreal action adventure game based on the animated film Rango. The game doesn't duplicate the story of the movie, but builds off of it. There is quite a bit of fighting and shooting in the game, but it's all depicted in an unrealistic, cartoony manner. Zombie animals may come across as too creepy for younger kids.

  • Positive messages1
    There's a very straightforward good-guy vs bad-guy story, although gameplay may rely a bit too much on fighting. Rango is something of an intellectual, too, and uses an advanced vocabulary, which could possibly inspire kids to look up the meaning of the words he uses.
  • Positive role models1
    Rango is an oddball character who is prone to exaggeration, but he's
    also a clear-cut good guy whose main goal is to keep his town safe from
    the criminal element.
  • Ease of play3
    The controls generally work well, and the challenge level is kept pretty low in the earlier half of the game. And when things get tougher, you can be thankful for frequent checkpoints that prevent you from having to go back too far if you lose.
  • Violence2
    Rango fights animal enemies with both fisticuffs and firearms -- though his gun is an unrealistic, cartoony weapon. Punching sounds and gunshots can be heard during battles. Defeated enemies disappear in a puff of smoke.
CloseExpand to see more details

What's it about?

RANGO: THE VIDEO GAME is not an adaptation of the movie that inspired it, but rather a spin-off. Here, Rango the lizard is sheriff of his small Western town. The action of the story -- which involves Rango trying to beat out a gang of outlaws in a race to recover fallen meteorites -- is presented in flashbacks as Rango recounts the tale to his fellow townsfolk. Expect a lot of humor (including video game in-jokes) mixed among the platform jumping, fast-paced animal riding, target shooting, and melee combat.

Is it any good?

 

There's a very quirky, surreal feeling to Rango: The Video Game -- one which matches the movie well. Fans of the film should appreciate the game as a sort of semi-sequel. More importantly, it works well as a game in its own right -- one which you could enjoy well enough without even having seen the movie. There's a ton of variety among the gameplay and a few really fun surprises that pop up in later levels. The controls work pretty smoothly and it's nice to see that the difficulty factor wasn't ramped up too much (at least in the beginning), considering that the game is based on a kids' movie.

Sign Up Message
Sign up for our weekly newsletter
Each week we send a customized newsletter to our parent and teen subscribers. Parents can customize their settings to receive recommendations and parent tips based on their kids’ ages. Teens receive a version just for them with the latest reviews and top picks for movies, video games, apps, music, books, and more.
Please enter an email address.
Please check your email address for possible typos.
Sorry, you must be 13 or older to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Sign me up!

What families can talk about

  • Famlies can talk about violence in video games. Does the violence in a game like this have less of an impact because it's cartoony? What about the fact that the fighting occurs between animals rather than humans? Do you think this game would have been better if it didn't rely on fighting as a central component of gameplay?

  • Did you buy this game because you enjoyed the movie? Is it smart marketing to create video games based on children's movies?

This review was written by Christopher Healy
Kid, 10 years old
May 26, 2011
AGE
9
 
fun game but better than the movie
Rango the game leaves off where the movie ended.So to understand this better you have to see the movie first [If you want to].Rango is fun to play.
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (14) | Had useful details (9) | Read my mind (10)
Flag as inappropriate 
See all user reviews
This review was written by Christopher Healy
Platforms:Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Available online?Not available online
Genre:Action/Adventure
Developer:Paramount Digital Entertainment
Release date:March 1, 2010
Price:$39.99–$49.99
ESRB rating:E10+ for Cartoon Violence, Mild Language
This review was written by Christopher Healy

Contact us to give us more feedback on our learning ratings.

 

Review It

Share your review with others

Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.

Screenshots

  • 1 of 3
  • 2 of 3
  • 3 of 3

Tell us what you think about our new Learning Ratings. We value your feedback.

About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
Our child development rating guidelines

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors

More fun and colorful adventures
For kids who love adventure and fantasy in their games
Browse more games
 

vote now

Will you play Rango: The Video Game?

Game on
Press pause
Game over

Already played it? What do you think?

I recommend it
It's a pass
 
More from Common Sense Media
Age-appropriate reviews
Top advice and articles

Been There? Tell us about it