We must admit that we have already deeply "dived" into the Christmas spirit, and after we "stole" Christmas (read: the gifts) with the Grinch (The Grinch: Christmas Adventures - a game that has been available on GamePass for the last month and which we recently reviewed), this time we decided to take on the opposite role, and our task was to "save" Christmas.
The Elf on the Shelf: Christmas Heroes is the latest Christmas game that was released on October 17, 2025, on platforms XBOX Series X/S, XBOX One, Playstation 5, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Microsoft Windows. The game was developed by Casual Brothers, while the publisher is Outright Games.
"Do you believe in Christmas magic? You will need every bit to help Santa save Christmas! … Santa's sleighs don't fly, the gifts aren't ready, and there's a possibility that good children won't be on Santa's nice list," is mentioned among other things in the description of this game.
And here we come in as an elf on a sort of trial work whose goal is to successfully help Santa in this year's organization of Christmas.
At the very beginning of the game, we are greeted with 'Scout Elf Training', which is practically the first few levels that serve as a sort of 'tutorial' that teaches the player about various aspects of the game.
And as is usually the case at every beginning, a little push is needed! 😊
The game has no story (more of an education) and the main goal is to move from the starting to the finishing point on a certain level, collecting the Christmas spirit while avoiding all enemies embodied in various figurines like nutcrackers, flying objects, robots, or items like nails and falling objects.
Each level is accessed on an advent calendar, which is very convenient and practical.
If you don't have much time to play this game or don't want your child to play this game for hours, you can freely use the approach of playing one level each day in December and thus count the days until Christmas in a healthier way instead of counting chocolates!
This game concept provides the player with a sense of achievement and somehow motivates them to play through to the end (which we know is not a common case) to discover what awaits us on the last day and level of our advent calendar.
We won't reveal what is or isn't, but we will briefly present what awaits you on your advent journey.
The image below shows several elements. On the left side, you can see sparkling (shiny) dots or the Christmas atmosphere that you collect on each level, as well as a hidden entrance/door that serves to access mini-games, while on the right side, you can see an enemy (nutcracker) that, if you hit while passing by, causes you to lose a certain amount of Christmas atmosphere that just returns to the part of the map you recently passed, so it is possible to just go back a little and collect the lost Christmas atmosphere. All enemies, including this Nutcracker, can be "destroyed" by simply jumping on them from above. We must note that enemies cannot destroy you; you only lose Christmas atmosphere, which actually makes this easy and pleasant game even easier and more pleasant, especially for children. There is no pressure while playing. Playing this game is quite simple with plenty of instructions throughout the game.
Now, let's return to the hidden entrance/door. On each level, you have 3 such hidden entrances/doors where you will encounter various mini-games: a maze where you must find the exit, match games where you must connect two identical images or more matching pairs of cards, puzzles where you must connect pieces into a picture, and sorting certain decorations.
All the mentioned mini-games have a time limit and they become more complex as you progress through the levels.
The next image shows the mini-game "maze" in which you need to find the appropriate path to the exit within a limited time frame.
The next image shows a mini-game in which you need to connect several matching pairs of cards. As the level is smaller, you can see that you have quite a bit of time to connect just 5 pairs.
The image below shows a mini puzzle game that needs to be connected into a whole.
And below you can see the last mini game where you need to stack the same figures on top of each other.
From the attached, you can see that the mini games are not complicated and are repetitive, appearing alternately, but with a higher level, the mini games become a bit more complicated or have a shorter time limit.
The game provides a festive atmosphere, has pleasant music, but due to the repetition of the same tasks, it can be tiring for long-term play. It might be ideal if you complete 1 level each day. The game is quite simple, and instructions are provided at every step. What will delight younger players are the educational contents (for example, videos after completing puzzles). In this game, there isn't really a story; the focus is more on the atmosphere, although due to the predictability of the tasks, it can become tedious for older players over time. Everything is based on collecting the Christmas spirit, avoiding obstacles and enemies, finding secret passages/doors, and solving mini games to ultimately get from point A to point B - then starting all over again at the next level!
What was missing and surprised us during the gameplay was when there was some change. For example, in one level, we found ourselves flying in the sky (above the buildings) where we collected the Christmas atmosphere, and to be honest, it was great because a change is refreshing!
Conclusion:
The game is good to play during this Christmas period. The Christmas atmosphere is present, accompanied by pleasant and cheerful music, it is easy to play, and it allows you to count down the days to Christmas using the game! We also believe it offers enough content, but for older players, it can be tiring in long play due to the repetitiveness of tasks. The game crashed a few times, but overall it’s okay. What could be better is improved aesthetics (decorations/enemies) and greater variety of levels so that everything is not designed in the same way.
And finally, would we recommend it for play? – definitely!
They say a picture is worth a thousand words! Enjoy and happy upcoming holidays!
A copy of the Xbox Series X/S version of the game for the purposes of review was provided by distributor Colby and publisher Ourtright Games
