Carmen Sandiego Review – MILLENNIAL NIGHTMARE
Despite several multimedia projects to bring the infamous Carmen Sandiego to new audiences, one market it hasn’t exactly reached since the 80s is the video game scene. Major new trends have emerged, technology has skyrocketed and tastes have changed dramatically—for better or worse. Carmen Sandiego’s formula, unfortunately, hasn’t quite translated over to the modern video game market as gracefully.
This Should Be Exciting
Maybe it was the type of game or the generation it spawned from, but classics like King’s Quest and Tetris have found ways to innovate and adapt to today’s sensibilities. 2025’s Carmen Sandiego on the other hand, feels limited and often cheaply made. However, its biggest problem is how repetitive and stale it becomes after the first hour or so.
The game’s spy sections are as basic as a banana.
While it may seem fun at first, the traditional Carmen Sandiego loop of questioning people in several iconic locations while answering math, general knowledge and world history questions will only appeal to millennials who are still stuck in the 80s and 90s.
Even though you sleuth around as Mrs. Worldwide here, the changeup of being the globetrotting-thief-turned-good doesn’t do much to keep things fresh. You may have to tail some dude, fly over rooftops or grapple-hook between buildings, but the game’s spy sections are as basic as a banana. Our crimson protag also has a few safes to crack, wires to rearrange and computers to hack, though they all boil down to turn-your-brain-off minigames that you’ll desperately want to skip after the first run-through.
My Time Back, Please?
Once you’ve gathered enough information, Carmen needs to narrow down the list of suspects in her trusty Identikit. Got a clue that the suspect wears red? Punch it in. Figured out that they have a fear of heights? Press that ‘Yes’ button! You can even verify any rumours you find, but it will cost time to verify the information. So remember to keep an eye on the time, lest you go insane.
All in all, I found this suspect identification part of the investigation to be the most engaging, as I used a lot more of my noggin’ than most of the random general knowledge questions discovered on-foot.
It’s painfully small, yet somehow agonisingly long campaign length of 3 hours did my head in.
At the same time, it’s painfully small, yet somehow agonisingly long campaign length of 3 hours did my head in. Because if the countdown drops to zero at any point during an investigation—and it can happen pretty quickly—by either choosing the wrong country to explore or by just being a flat-out poor time manager, you’ll have to start the whole episode again from scratch… Remember: try and stay sane.
A Lack of Lustre
Despite the series’ new cel-shaded coat of paint and extra gameplay quirks, as well as a few Easter Eggs that might make you go “Ha! I remember that!” Like some throwbacks to the original 1985 game or its 2D pixel art-themed ‘ACME Files’ game mode, it definitely could’ve used more spoken lines. Even better would be a story that isn’t just about catching a Joe Blow VILE thief with practically no stakes whatsoever. Big missed opportunity there.
The soundtrack is decent enough, featuring different musical themes for different places around the world. However, certain character models look off and some shoddy textures don’t help the already sparse spoken dialogue, which leads to a few cutscenes in particular feeling flat and lacking life.
Decision
Carmen Sandiego’s return to gaming in 2025 struggles to modernise its classic formula, resulting in a repetitive, uninspired title that’s sorely missing a strong hook and polish needed to stand out. While the suspect identification mechanic and nostalgic Easter eggs provide some charm, the shallow gameplay, vapid story and frustrating time constraints make it a tough sell for anyone beyond die-hard fans.
By Anthony Culinas – Reviewed on PlayStation 5
Playable
This reboot of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? has failed to modernize its lauded 80s formula, offering only a repetitive and shallow experience that leans too heavily on nostalgia without enough depth or innovation.
This game was reviewed using a download code provided by The Amplifier Group. The Beta Network uses affiliate partnerships, however, this does not influence reviews or any other content published. The Beta Network may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links that are on the website.
