Hold it! Don’t go away! There’s a good reason that you’re seeing the review of an Xbox 360 title on this Windows Phone site, I promise.

You see, Kinectimals may be an Xbox game – one which has been out for over a year, at that – but it’s also one with some ties to Windows Phone. Not least the identically-titled Windows Phone game which we reviewed a while ago. Not only are both intrinsically linked by having exactly the same title and concept (play with virtual cats), they are able to interact with one another to an extent.

Before we get to that, though, let’s take a look at the game itself. The 360 version of Kinectimals is, as the name suggests, a game designed for Kinect – you won’t be able to play the game without one. Like its Windows Phone compatriot, it sees you playing a variety of different minigames with your cubs, gradually unlocking new activities, locations and items as you complete them. Also like the Windows Phone game, it’s gorgeous. The animals look stunning, with glossy, rippling fur and detailed animations, while the backdrops are colourful and detailed. This actually works to the Windows Phone game’s detriment; though it’s a beautiful game considering the device it’s running on, it can’t really compete with its elder sibling. Still, it’s easy to forgive, and so long as you don’t spend too much time gazing from screen to screen, it shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

More noticeable is the significant increase in variety between the two games. Both are based around minigames, of course, but the 360 game features drastically higher numbers to play. Where the Windows Phone version is limited to skipping, throwing balls and performing tricks, the 360 version offers a veritable smorgasbord of games to play. From simple games which see you volleying a ball between you and the cub, using hands and/or feet to return it each time, to steering your cub around a racetrack on a radio-controlled car, the game offers a far more varied experience.

It also benefits from its choice of controller. Having your cub perform tricks by performing the actions yourself is a far more energetic and entertaining experience than just drawing shapes on a screen. Similarly, the ability to physically throw objects – properly controlling the strength and angle of the shot – is a lot more tactile than just swiping in a direction and watching your ball fly off in one of a few preset directions.

Of course, it isn’t perfect – the Kinect does occasionally have difficulty recognising movements, which can lead to misplaced shots – but it provides an experience altogether deeper than that offered by the Windows Phone variant.

It also offers more fringe content: aside from the standard variety of objects to play with and present your cat with, the console game features your own hut to gradually decorate with objects unlocked and bought throughout your travels. In every sense this is a bigger game – and that’s fair enough, as this is a full-priced console release, which even a year after release you’d be lucky to find for less than £20. Windows Phone version, on the other hand, costs only £2.39, and is designed to be played during breaks and while on the move. It even adds a bit of functionality missing from the older title – the ability to place your cat in photographs taken while out and about. A silly little feature, but a welcome one, and one which ties in well with the games’ interactivity.

You see, by using the ‘scan stone’ in Kinectimals it’s possible to transfer your cats and their associated paraphernalia between games, allowing you to keep a hold of your preferred pet and take him wherever you go. It’s a nice feature, and means you can take a cat from the console version, and use the Windows Phone game to take a ‘photograph’ of him in the real world – appealing to any players attached to one of their cats.

However, it also highlights a failing in both games – the lack of any distinct personality for your cats, or any opportunities for them to ‘learn’. As they all behave in the same way, you don’t benefit as much from the transfer as you might – it’s not a way to take your cat with you while travelling so that you can train it, help it to grow. It’s a shame, as it really does diminish the ease with which you can grow attached to your cats – when they show no signs of development, there’s less of a reason to return to them, and less of a reason to want to take them with you everywhere.

Nevertheless, the two games share a pleasurable core, that of playing with the most attractive virtual pets around. Kinectimals on 360 benefits from a particularly wide variety of interactions, from sumptuous graphics, and from making full use of Kinect. Its compatibility with the Windows Phone version is a little gimmicky, but it’s a fun gimmick, and makes a purchase of the Windows Phone version for fans of the original something of a no-brainer. It’s a fun, solid little game, completely family-friendly, and a good way to show off your Kinect. Well worth your consideration, even a year after release.

Kinectimals WP7 + Console

Kinectimals Console Gameplay Video

Video for Windows Phone version here

Our Rating for Kinectimals

Buy Kinectimals for xBox Console