Parents' Guide to

Invizimals

By Chad Sapieha, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Innovative, camera-based monster battler with mild violence.

Game PSP 2010
Invizimals Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Invizimals Game: Screenshot #1
  • Invizimals Game: Screenshot #2
  • Invizimals Game: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

See all

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What’s It About?

A decidedly original take on the oversaturated monster collection and battle genre, INVIZIMALS uses the PSP camera attachment -- included in the box -- as a means of catching critters you can't see under normal circumstances. Players pan the camera around their environments until they find one, then place a physical card that comes with the game in that area to lock the creature in place. They then engage in a quick little mini-game -- fixing the centre of the camera on the monster's eyes or swatting it when it lands on the card -- to capture it. They can use the monsters in battles against those captured by other Invizimal masters around the globe.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Invizimals can be loads of fun, especially if you can get up and move around your environment to go looking for new monsters and have a good flat area on which to set up your card for fights. The combat is complex enough to offer a challenge even to veterans of the monster battler genre, and the Invizimals are a highly diverse lot with interesting little personalities that come through both while being captured and in battle.

The only thing that may turn off some players is the narrative. Set in the real world using real actors, the game's story features an awful lot of lengthy scenes that are a mix of cornball humor and overly dramatic acting. It's the sort of thing most people will either love or hate. If you happen to love it -- and you also have a passion for monster battling games -- then there's every reason to believe you'll have a blast with Invizimals.

Online interaction: This game supports head-to-head online play against one other opponent. There is no communication; players simply pit their Invizimals in fights against each other or trade items that they've collected.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the mixed messages kids might receive from monster collection games. Are there any creatures in the real world that you would collect and care for before making them battle one another? Why might it be okay to do this with fantasy creatures in games?

  • Families can also discuss the idea of melding game worlds with the real world via a camera. Do you find these games to be more immersive? Do you sometimes catch yourself thinking that the creatures that appear to be on your carpet or table as seen through the PSP's screen are actually existent? Can you think of other ways this sort of technology might be applied outside the world of games?

Game Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended game lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate