I'm a pretty simple guy.
Not hard to please.
This is a game that puts your Mii into a world with Mickey Mouse.
You become friends with Mickey.
And that's really all I've ever wanted, in life.
So I was pumped about Disney Magical World, for the Nintendo 3DS.
Unfortunately, Mickey's life is kind of boring.
I expected a lot more steamboats.
Now, I say it's boring, but...I'm also 30 years old.
And that's the thing.
This game isn't really for me.
It's for younger Disney fans.
Who haven't grown to hate fetch quests, because quite frankly, the first decade of your life
is pretty much one big fetch quest.
They don't know any better.
This might look like Animal Crossing: The Disney Edition, but...it's not that, exactly.
It's more like Favors: The Disney Edition.
I Have Something For You To Do, Chim-chim-cha-roo.
Alright, that's a really bad title.
Of course, even if it's not what you might be hoping...for what it is, the game's great.
It's an entire little semi-simulator thing...based on your Mii.
You show up in a Disney world, which we can only assume is magical...and you basically
walk around and do favors for the characters.
Everyone has a problem, or proposition...and as you solve them, you get little stickers.
These stickers are really the goal, in Disney Magical World.
The more stickers you earn, the more places you can go, the more characters you can meet,
and the more stuff you can do.
So the stickers do a couple things.
One, they give you immediate goals to work toward.
So Daisy wants to open her shop, but she needs a certain amount of something to do it.
So you find that stuff, bring it back to her...sticker city.
It sets your structure.
But that means it also makes the game linear.
You know?
It's very "point a to point b" in its design.
And again, there's nothing wrong with that.
It's just a matter of your expectations.
If you're hoping for a Disney version of Animal Crossing, with lots of freedom and customization...
Well, that's not really what this is.
What this is, though...is an excellent game for kids.
I mean, it's beautifully done, and it's an awesome piece of design, too.
It's both open enough, that it gives kids a sense of freedom in this Disney world...and
structured enough that they're never overwhelmed.
Your next goal is always in front of you.
So you can move things along whenever you want, or you can also spend some time walking
around, buying new items, changing your outfits...
Basically, hangin' out with your favorite Disney characters.
How awesome is that?
So the gameplay is pretty casual.
Again, lots of fetching, lots of collecting...in addition to a couple more involved elements.
Like, you get to run a little restaurant, and you certainly have some freedom in that
regard.
But I think what the game really does well...is the presentation.
Just the very concept, putting your Mii into the same world as Disney characters.
It's just a stroke of genius.
And the game makes sure that world's as rich as possible.
It's a beautiful little game.
And it evolves, too.
So like Animal Crossing, things can change depending on what day it is, what the weather's
like, things like that.
There's also an online element, where other players can visit your restaurant and leave
different items.
So.
The game does take steps toward Animal Crossing.
Even if it's not as fully realized as older players might want it to be.
But again, design preferences aside, the presentation and level of polish here are pretty impressive.
Lots of characters, nice graphics, solid music...and I mean, it plays well, too.
It's just the perfect game for kids.
Simple structure, some diverse minigames and enough Disney magic that...well, it might
even make older Disney fans smile, too.
Is it perfect?
Well, no, but neither is Disney.
Disney hasn't been perfect since the early nineties.
Belle was...perfect.
Alright, let's not get weird.
It's Disney Magical World, for the Nintendo 3DS.