Crafting Mama for DS packs great bang for the buck, with lots of different multi-step craft projects that not only can be replayed multiple times to make slightly different creations, but also unlock a great variety of mini-games that are played using these crafts.

As with other games in the Mama series, such as Cooking Mama and Gardening Mama, players are presented with a variety of options for projects to make, and each one is broken down into a step-by-step process which is completed via using the DS controls in some way.  For example, to make a xylophone, players will need to mark cutlines on wood, saw pieces in half, drill holes in them and more. Each step can be practiced on its own, or played through as part of the overall project. 

Players are rated on how they perform each step, and although some of the steps in each craft can be difficult, failure in one step will not prevent you from moving onto the next, and as long as you keep playing, you’ll be finishing projects and unlocking mini-games in no time.

The mini-games in Crafting Mama really help make this game extremely replayable, and even open up multiplayer avenues for fun.  For example, you make some paper dolls in one part of the game, and completing that project unlocks a Paper Sumo mini-game in which you “sumo wrestle” with the Paper Dolls you made by tapping the screen to try and knock a computer opponent out of a mini-Sumo ring.  Since players keep score of each mini-game, it’s easy to pass the DS and compare scores.

Ultimately, Crafting Mama is a great DS title which we highly recommend for coordinated DS players.  We’ve seen kids, tweens, teens and even adults spend lots of time playing this game.  As an added benefit, many have ended up learning a bit about some real-life crafts.  This is really only a single-player game so it’s not great for playing together, but we consider Crafting Mama is another successful entry in the Mama series which packs in lots of different and creative uses of the DS.