The Bedsby Tales Review

Short but sweet seems like the right way to describe The Bedsby Tales, but it’s kind of not. It’s not sweet, you see, being more like a Tim Burton spooky tale than anything. It is, however, short - and it’s also pretty good for young readers.

With the promise of another episode soon, the first episode of The Bedsby Tales deals with a common childhood peril - the threat of monsters at night. It’s imaginative stuff with some wonderful drawings and animations to spark such thoughts. You can choose to set the app to Autoplay and watch things unfold for themselves, or you can go for the Interactive mode and get involved.

When it comes to interactivity, The Bedsby Tales isn’t too demanding. It’s mostly a matter of opening floor boards with a dragging motion or unlocking a door by turning a key. The Bedsby Tales helps you out by highlighting interactive moments through changing the color of the text to orange.

Young and old are going to be reasonably hooked by what unfolds here, so it’s a shame that The Bedsby Tales feels like a tantalizing taste of what’s to come. As an adult, I was keen to dive into more and my young cousin was certainly enthused. It’s a bit creepy for young children but it’s got that balance of being gripping too, and not too scary overall. The puzzles, too, aren’t that hard, meaning you’re not taken away from the general experience and the way that tension is slowly built up.

Demonstrating what good narration combined with great visuals can do, The Bedsby Tales is an ideal example of how interactive storytelling can work for youngsters. You’ll enjoy getting involved with it, alongside your offspring, and watching as they get ever so slightly nervous. Are there monsters under the bed? Well you’ll just have to see - and maybe hide a little.