Matthew BaileyMagShuto Stunt Park is a really fun concept for a dexterity game, but sadly it doesn’t quite hit the nail on the head when it comes to several parts of the execution. That doesn’t mean the whole thing is a lost cause, and it’s definitely something fun for a good price that your little ones might enjoy if you can overlook the issues.
The general idea is that you have a plastic, band-powered shooter that can fire these magnetic discs across the floor, along with some trick apparatus such as tunnels, ramps, and rubber band bouncers to bounce off.
You set up the deck of cards, draw a card, and on it you get two possible tricks. You then choose which one you think you can do, set up the trick, and see if you can successfully shoot the disc and hopefully get it to land in the magnetic base. The magnetic base works really well and also gives you a tiny bit of leeway, as the magnet is quite strong, so if you almost get it there it will generally attract, which works well.
If you miss, the next player gets a chance at the trick. Essentially, the first person to complete a card wins, and the first person to collect a set amount of cards wins the game.
As a dexterity game, the act of using the little rubber band shooter works really well. It’s worth noting that this has to be played on a hard surface. It can’t be played on carpet. We actually found that the best surface to use was the neoprene play mats that we use for playing games in general. We also used the underside of a large picture frame, which worked quite well.
The issue comes with the success of the sticky pads. The game comes with these sticky pads that you put on the bottom of the feet of various pieces, which are supposed to keep them on the floor and stop them moving when you’re doing the tricks.
Unfortunately, the sticky pads don’t stick very well, so when you’re trying to do certain tricks, the apparatus moves, which adds an, in many cases, impossible level of difficulty. The worst offender is the bouncer. This just doesn’t work, because it’s so light that as soon as you flick the disc against it, rather than staying still like it’s meant to, it shifts and moves, which introduces another variable to your moving disc.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t hold it, or get someone else to hold these things down while you do the trick, but that isn’t ideal. It’s clunky and not really how you’re meant to play, and you just end up getting frustrated rather than enjoying what should be a pretty enjoyable experience.
Overall, MagShuto Stunt Park isn’t a total flop. It’s fun to mess about with, there are some really cool bits, and landing some of the more difficult tricks is genuinely quite satisfying. Sadly though, the fact that the apparatus can’t stay put really sours the experience.
