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Parents' Guide to

SimAnimals

By Jinny Gudmundsen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

You play as the hand of nature in this fabulous forest sim.

Game Nintendo Wii , Nintendo DS 2009
SimAnimals Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 9+

Based on 5 parent reviews

kptown
kptown Parent of 8 and 8-year-old
December 12, 2010
age 7+

interesting sim game

Interesting game, fun for child to learn about animal habitats and how different decisions make an impact thru the ecosystem. It was pretty easy to join my child and play together, although it takes some coordinating, which is also great. However, like some others have said, she was sad when some of her favorite animals die (it's always difficult, isn't it, after you name an animal?) and eventually she was so concerned about the toxic spill and its effect that she didn't want to play anymore! But she did enjoy it for quite a while and some kids wouldn't be especially bothered by these things. I may be reaching here, but it also has a positive message that people can make the earth more livable and protecting wildlife is a great thing.
brown_eyed_girl
brown_eyed_girl Parent of 9 and 11-year-old
August 12, 2010
age 8+

Mixed feelings about this game

Not really sure how to rate this. My daughter rented it and I thought my younger son would hate it (no action) but he played it almost as much as she did. They seemed to have a lot of fun but a lot of it seemed repetitive and boring to me when I watched (although they had no complaints). Both kids felt like they would be able to beat the game really quickly so it may not be worth buying. I wouldn't exactly call it educational, although it did touch on some environmental topics. Easy to play if you can read & follow directions. Fairly intuitive. Sensitive kids might get stressed over the idea of "their" animal getting eaten by predators. The animals are kind of cute... nothing really bad but nothing outstanding either.
See all 5 parent reviews

What’s It About?

SIMANIMALS is a forest simulation in which you control all the animals and plants found in a variety of locations. The overall goal of the game is to keep everyone happy, which is monitored on a happiness bar shown at the top of the screen. Animals need food, shelter, sleep, mates, and fun. Plants need the right soil with the right amount of moisture. By planting trees, bushes, and flowers, you coax certain animals to check out your part of the forest. And when these herbivores arrive, their predators aren't far behind. You can intervene in their interactions including picking up animals and depositing them far away.

Playing as the white hand of nature, you start in just one environment which is open to your ministrations. However, as you make the plants and animals happy by doing things like dropping acorns near squirrels or moving maple trees into grassy areas, the happiness of your forest increases to the point that a new environment becomes available to you. You will find new animals and plants in each new environment including waddling ducks, shy skunks, busy beavers, and playful bears. And each location is full of unique challenges that you can choose to pursue or not.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (8 ):

This is a deep and intriguing nature simulation that will appeal to both kids and adults. It does a great job of teaching you how to play game by offering nature challenges. Most of the information you discover about the animals is true; but the game also introduces fantasy elements that add zing, including the ability to send lightning bolts to destroy intrusive plants.

By playing SimAnimals, kids will learn about the interconnectivity of plants and animals, and, in the Wii game, about how pollution affects us all. Since there is no "right" way to play in this giant sandbox, every time you start a new game it is different. Also, for kids who are real animal-lovers, one of the fantasy elements of the game is that you can reprogram a predators' eating habits so that no animal ever eats another. The Wii version allows up to four players to explore an environment together making it a great game for families to play together.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how this simulation is true to life and in which ways it is fantasy. Would the game have been as fun if it didn't have the fantasy elements? Did it bother you when your animal friends were eaten by other animals? Or, did you protect them?

Game Details

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