Robot Turtles is a fantastic educational game. Children as young as four can play. But the best part? You play WITH your kids!
The goal of Robot Turtles is to guide your turtle robot to its color-matching jewel. As the “Turtle Master,” you tell your robot how to move by using a card. There are cards to turn right or left, go straight or backwards. Each direction is color coded and has a flower to match on the card and on the robot turtle card. Since the robot’s positioning will change, this mechanic is extremely helpful to younger players.
But the “Turtle Master” only programs the robot, the “Turtle Mover” is the player who follows the instructions. This is where the game really shines. The instructions state that the parent, older sibling, or adult should be the “Turtle Mover” and they should only follow the cards programmed by the “Turtle Master.” This way, the child learns without the adult giving them the answer. Fun side note: the “Turtle Mover” has to make funny robot noises when moving the robot.
If the child places a card and the resulting move is not what the child wanted, the child can tap a round card with a picture of a bug. The child shouts “Bug!” and the last card is removed and the move reversed. Much like a programmer would find a bug in their line of code.
My four year old son loves this game. It is amazing how quickly kids catch on to this game. We initially played a very basic game and then began to add obstacles which come with a few extra movement cards for the “Turtle Master.” The obstacles are a wood crate (the turtle can push it out of the way), a tower (the “Turtle Master” can have the turtle jump over it), and an ice tower (Lasers!). I’m pretty sure my son loves the obstacles more than the silly noises we make.
Now, I’m not one to change the rules so no one loses. Kids have to learn to handle defeat when it comes. In Robot Turtles, the first person to get to their jewel is not the winner. Each player wins when they arrive at their jewel, no matter how long it takes. And for this game – I’m okay with that. This games teaches the very basic idea of programming. That is the objective. Not decimating your opponent.
Kids raised in gaming homes are so eager to play games and there aren’t many out there beyond the classics. “Robot Turtles” is the exception. I hope to see more games like this soon!
Stephanie Hawver
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