Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The first hour of Stinky & Bäver: Skogsspelen is all about seeing what strange contest comes next. Its eight-event tournament refuses to settle into one rhythm: box-car rally and Water Track turn into scrappy races where you dodge obstacles and can ram an opponent, while Obstacle Race asks for fast running and clean jumps. That constant switching is the game’s strongest trick. A bad finish in one discipline does not have to ruin the whole evening, because another event is always ready to reshuffle the standings.

The better events are the ones with a simple goal and room to interfere with someone else. Knocking an opponent around in the rally or water race gives the competition a little bite, especially with several people taking part. Fun with Balls is slower, but its five throws per player give it the familiar tension of trying to nestle closest to the walnut. Timber Ahoy, Volcano Golf, and Plum Shooting are straightforward target challenges, so they work best as quick changes of pace instead of the reason you came back.

Not every contest is equally satisfying, and the format leaves little room for an event to grow beyond its basic idea. Spin the Wheel is the clearest example: it is a trivia detour about the game world rather than a contest of reflexes or aim. Still, the tournament scoring does a lot of useful work. You are playing for placement every time, not merely a single win, and up to four participants can turn that steady accumulation of points into a close finish. AI opponents also mean you can run the bracket without assembling a group.

Finish the tournament and you can search the map for a secret event. That is a modest reward, but it suits a game built around a playful assortment of contests. Treat it as a compact multiplayer party game rather than a serious racing, sports, or trivia game, and its scattered disciplines make more sense.

Graphics

The game moves between behind-view, side-view, and top-down perspectives according to the event. That variety should help separate the downhill box-car and water races from the throwing, shooting, and running contests, while keeping Stinky the skunk and Bäver the beaver at the center of this cartoon forest competition.

Story

There is barely a conventional story here, and that is appropriate. Stinky and Bäver are competing to become champion of the Forest Games; the tournament itself is the structure that carries you from one event to the next.

The setting is used mainly as an excuse for oddball sports. A walnut becomes the boules target, plums are ammunition, and a volcano becomes a golf hole. It is a cheerful framing device, not a dramatic adventure, but it gives the collection more character than a plain menu of unrelated minigames.

Spin the Wheel adds questions about the game world, while the hidden event gives the map a final little mystery after the championship is over. Do not expect plot revelations or a strong narrative payoff. The reward is simply spending more time in the same silly contest world.

Overall Experience

Stinky & Bäver: Skogsspelen is at its best when you want a short tournament full of abrupt genre changes and friendly score-chasing. The mix of racing, timing, aiming, throwing, and trivia makes it easy for different people to find one event they enjoy, even if nobody loves every event.

Its weakness is equally clear: these are small contests, and several are likely to feel thin once their basic challenge clicks. The game does not build toward the depth of a dedicated racer, sports game, or shooter. What it has is momentum. You move on before one idea completely wears out, then check the standings and discover that a clumsy finish has made the next round matter.

Give it a chance if a four-player forest-themed tournament sounds more fun than mastering a single discipline. Solo play against AI can still provide a complete championship, but the point totals, jostling in the races, and constant event changes are much easier to appreciate when other people are invested in the final crown. It is an uneven little collection, yet a genuinely spirited one.

Retro Replay Score

6.2/10