It seems like Outright Games, publisher of PJ Masks: Heroes of the Night, and serial licenser of childrens’ games, are changing their approach. Rather than release a boxed product and then move onto the next, they may be attempting a bit of the old ‘live service’. My Friend Peppa Pig was the first with some Pirate Adventures, and now it’s the turn of PJ Masks: Heroes of the Night. They’re releasing DLC expansion packs that bolster the games, as long as you have the original game purchased, and they are asking for £4.99 for the privilege.
We had the pleasure of reviewing PJ Masks: Heroes of the Night, and we found it to be a fun, if slightly repetitious take on the PJ Pests. It already had plenty of stuff to keep a fan going, so we were initially confused. What could the Mischief on Mystery Mountain DLC offer that owners of PJ Masks: Heroes of the Night didn’t already have?
What you get for your £4.99 is far better than we expected, though. There are three levels here, which is probably the minimum expectation for the money, but it’s what those levels represent that makes the purchase worthwhile. Outright Games aren’t cutting corners here (although, we would have taken some new achievements to sweeten the deal).Â
Rather than create a single ‘Mystery Mountain’ backdrop, the DLC adds in three, so the levels all look dramatically different from each other. You will be racing up the staircases of An Yu’s pagoda, walking through fields of bamboo and diving into redstone caves. The entire DLC pack leans into An Yu’s eastern influences.
Rather than re-use the same vehicles, the DLC introduces the PJ Rovers, and you are riding them with the full PJ Mask team in tow instead of leaving them behind, as you did in the full game. The mid-level abilities have also been given a minor makeover, with the ability to call An Yu to help you in a scrape. We’d have preferred to have her as a new playable character, but that was likely out of scope for this small injection of levels.
Each of the three PJ Masks has a new obstacle to contend with. Gekko gets switches on his climbable walls; Owlette gets updrafts and side-drafts that need swift taps of the A button to get past; and Catboy has platforms on ropes, which will fall the longer you stand on them.
The caveat here is they all add a bit of difficulty, so be aware of whether your child will be able to handle them. Gekko and Catboy’s obstacles effectively add in time limits: you have to react quickly enough before a closing door or a falling platform makes progress impossible. Owlette’s updrafts need reasonably fast button presses, too. Our seven year-old had no problems with any of them, but we suspect five-or-unders might find them fiendish.
And the final addition is a new villain, Munki-Gu, who keeps stealing An Yu’s priceless artefacts, mostly because they look pretty. Night Ninja plays a bit-part, but kids will be here for Munki-Gu, and he’s a cheeky, endearing monkey-like villain that will go down well.
Full props to Outright Games and developers Petoons Studio: Mischief on Mystery Mountain feels like a chunky, substantial addition to PJ Masks: Heroes of the Night. While it doesn’t change the fundamental structure of the game, it takes every opportunity to bring in something new – levels, vehicles, powers, characters, obstacles and backdrops – to make you satisfied with your five-pound outlay.
Altogether now: PJ Masks all shout hooray…
You can buy PJ Masks: Heroes of the Night – Mischief on Mystery Mountain from the Xbox Store
