Get out your paint! Get out your old shabby wallpaper! We got a house to fix up and we are on a time crunch!

Tools Up! By The Knights of Unity and published by All in! Games is an action time management game where you have to paint, put up wallpaper, rugs, spackle, and other stuff as quickly as possible. You can choose from several different human and animal characters to take on this task and even play co-op with a friend! You also unlock new characters as you play including some animals.

Tools Up! has the player navigating through a house that needs different things added to it. There is a blueprint in the room that lets you know what you need accomplish for each house. In addition to adding new rugs and paint, you might also have to remove old paint and flooring.  There are tasks that need to be done quickly such as having to add quick drying  – wait too long to add the wallpaper and it will dry out and you will need to reapply it which will waste valuable time!

You also have to be sure to catch the delivery guy before he leaves! He will come back but, again, your time is precious! Other obstacles will get in your way too like too much clutter, needed items floating away in the house fountain, and broken door that need fixin! You also have to be careful not to spill anything and clean up that spill if you do because your character is a clumsy oaf and will slip over it every time!

Tools Up! can be played with up to four player co-op as well which will make everything much easier, and you can unlock new characters as you finish rooms. Time crunch bother you? You can actually turn it off and take your time with the challenges. The game is still plenty fun without worrying about time.

There is now a new “episode” out now called Garden Party that adds new levels with new activities! In addition to all the normal stuff, you will now also have to plant and water grass and other plants. These levels are also slightly harder because you have to wait for the ground to dry before you step on it, so it’s adds that much more of time crunch.

Tools Up! can be a tad glitchy at times, sometimes you have to click a couple time to pick up the blueprints and other items, and you have to be in just the right spot to grab the stuff from the delivery guy or he will leave. Also if you are trying to put an item down, it might fall somewhere hard to reach and you can only turn the map around when you holding the blueprints.  Also, when you are all done with the house you have to clean up every spill and remove every item from the house to be completely done and sometimes things are hidden by the wall placement. Also be aware that spills OUTSIDE the house count as well! So don’t bunch up too much stuff or you won’t see them.

Overall I found Tools Up! and Tools Up! Garden Party to be a very cute and very fun time management game. The characters are all adorable and silly, and is very fun to play alone or co-op. A few glitches and hard to see objects add extra unneeded challenges but doesn’t ruin the game. I give it 4 outta 5 baby dragons.

Tools Up! and the expansion Garden Party are available now on Steam, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One for $19.99 and $14.99 for the expansion. for more info check out their website https://toolsupgame.com/. Now get to work!!