Mom Reviews: KRE-O Cityville Invasion Marina Madness Building Set

I love doing product reviews, and did quite a few on my old blog. So, I've decided to bring back the review series! Mom Reviews are my reviews of kids toys from both a parent and kid perspective.

We received this kit through BzzAgent for free to try. KRE-O is really up and coming in the world of kids building toys, and I have to say their newest sets provide some steep competition for LEGO. We got the chance to try the KRE-O Cityville Invasion Marina Madness set, loosely based off the popular CityVille game by Zynga (on Facebook). 

The set consists of 260 pieces, and assembles in the same way as the LEGO systems do, a series of interlocking bricks. Bear in mind, a good portion of the piece count does include the pieces to build each character (about 6 pcs. per character), the large base, etc. A nice feature is that this set does include a big base plate, something that LEGO does not. The main base measures about 8"x10" which is a nice, manageable size. The main build is the marina and dock, which encloses a battery operated mechanism that, with the push of a button, has several sound effects included a shark-chomping sound, "Jaws"-like music, seagulls and more, and a vibration effect, which makes the shark, boat, and characters "move" across the "water" through the use of special bases on the bottom of the figures.

We've had a LOT of fun with this and even adults that see it appreciate the adult-humor factor ("Jaws" music, the fact that it is a shark attack themed building set). Very reasonably priced, fairly easy to put together - this set retails for $19.99 on Amazon, or between $19.99 and $29.99 in stores. It took us about 45 minutes to fully assemble. Batteries aren't included, which would have been nice. Sound effects and the vibration really elevated it as a whole - so much that we plan on picking up the other kits too. 

That's my son, making the creepy "look at my shark kit" face!

There is a corresponding app for iOS and Android devices, however we couldn't get it to work properly (froze and crashed several times) - this in NO WAY impacted how enjoyable the kit is though, and isn't the point of toys to encourage more interactive, non-electronic imaginative play? Ronan is already requesting more KRE-O sets for Christmas, including the corresponding series of "Zombie Attack" sets that are also part of the Cityville series. These are definitely a winner, and have found a spot in our home alongside our other building sets.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5 stars - Mom approved!