Home Sweet Home, Sheep Alone UFO Alarm Party Edition was first released in November 2019 for Nintendo Switch published. Actually, it's even older, having been created as a Flash game in 2011. The Party Edition has now been re-released by a new publisher, packing puzzles from various Home Sheep Home incarnations with new multiplayer content. You can find out in our test whether the puzzles are tough or you just count sheep.
The main part of the game is a puzzle adventure with three characters from the show or the movies: Shaun (of course), Shirley and Timmy. Everyone has their own unique ability; Shaun can jump high, Shirley can move large objects, and Timmy can move through small spaces. There are environmental / physical puzzles to solve in each level and you will need to use each sheep's ability to reach the end and collect the bonus items and star rewards along the way. Doesn't sound that difficult, does it?
Challenging? Or is it enough to count sheep?
First of all - the puzzles are not particularly challenging. But since the game is actually aimed at younger gamers, it wasn't a big surprise. Nevertheless, the puzzles have their own charm, especially the design that comes to the fore. Because the lovingly drawn backgrounds keep fans of the series motivated for longer than the puzzles themselves.
Even if they are nicely designed, they are unfortunately a bit sluggish. So you usually have to solve the various skills according to the same principle. If, for example, an increase can be avoided, it is usually sufficient to hop onto Shirley with Shaun and then clear the way. But what made for a bit of variety was what I'll call the switch puzzles. In these, for example, you have to catapult little Timmy upwards with a TNT explosion.
... and there is also a multiplayer mode
However, two features that are hidden in the new title are new and exclusive to the UFO Alarm Party Edition - first, a link to the current film and the possibility to play the game in a variety of multiplayer modes. The closest experience to the original is the ability to tackle the game's puzzle levels together, which is really fun and great for getting through the levels faster without having to switch characters and move one at a time.
Things can get hectic if you don't work together properly, but if you can get it under control, you can complete these levels faster than ever - and cut your best times by precious seconds. Even if this does not yield a reward in the game, which is a shame because the motivation to play the levels again is rather low.
Home sweet home, sheep alone is not a content bomb. The game is made more for quick relaxation in between, but there is one more thing to mention. the sheep volleyball. That's almost what I liked best about the game. Add three friends and it will be hectic and not entirely controllable fun. But that's it and we come to the conclusion.
Infobox
Number of players: Solo / local multiplayer up to four players
Age: from 0 years
Difficulty: easy
Long-term motivation: low
Publisher: Aardman Animations
Developer: Aardman Animations, Mobile Pie
Year of publication: 2019
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Language: German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese
Cost: 9,99 Euro
Conclusion
All in all, Sweet Home, Sheep is a nice little puzzle game which is of course primarily fun for the younger generation. But older generations can also enjoy the cute and successful design. The puzzles are perhaps not always the toughest head nuts and they could have been more varied, but the puzzles are particularly motivating when you have to think outside the box, the TNT puzzle is a good example of this.
My little highlight was the sheep volleyball. That gave the whole thing a fun and relaxing component. As a clumsy sheep trying to catapult the ball to the opposing side, it had its own charm.
What else is there to say. If you like puzzle games, you might be a bit disappointed here, even if the occasionally "more complex" puzzle content has to make you think for a while. But if you are also a fan of Shaun the Sheep, Home Sweet Home, Sheep Alone will definitely be able to elicit a smile. For 9,99 euros, it's all worth it.
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