Disney Princess

"Tiresome platform game for young girls that could have been better if only they'd TRIED."

Hold the front page: Disney in quite good game shock! Well, that's the first impression anyway. Half an hour later, the outlook is a little more yawn-worthy. Get near the end, and you'll be questioning your very existence. Those developers never learn. Girls like the same games as boys. It's true! The only types of games I have a grudge against are those ludicrous games which stereotype women as worthless objects for male entertainment, and that's not a problem with my attitude anyway; it's gender bias inherent in the industry. Disney Princess is a game for girls. Apparently. I can see what they were trying to do with the marketing here, but to be honest, if you're over the age of six you'll have trouble retaining interest. For young girls, this is lovely - it's pretty, it's easy to just pick up and play, and it has some pleasant stories. It is rather too simple though, and even the target audience will have trouble getting absorbed into this - basically, it's not really worth paying for.

This is a simple side-scrolling platform game. There are six playable characters available from the start, all of whom are princesses from popular Disney films including the likes of Jasmine (from Aladdin) and Snow White. You have to play through each princess' story as a series of chapters. The stories are simple and are based around (but not identical to) that character's traditional story, and other characters from the films are present. There are hints in certain levels to help you progress, and each character has her own special abilities which tie in with what is required to complete the levels. For example, Jasmine rides a magic carpet in her first level, whereas Aurora can cast sleep spells. With each level you complete, you progress a little further through the story, which makes the experience as a whole feel similar to that of an interactive story book. The quality of the story-telling is first rate, as one would expect from Disney. For all characters, think of standard fairy-tales and basically that's what you've got here.

Gameplay is very basic and quickly becomes repetitive, although there is respite since you can just switch over to a different Princess if you get bored of one - since there are six from the start, there's a lot of scope for changing over if boredom creeps in. The problem is that the levels are too easy to complete - guide Princess through 2D platform level, collect coins and items from chests, head to end. That's all you need to do; items are not hidden, and there are no puzzles to complete as such beyond simply flipping a switch. The game as a whole feels as though it is lacking in one area in particular, that being exploration. Disney have created six fantasy worlds with superb stories, but what use is a fantasy if you can't become immersed in it? A few scattered hidden areas would have made all the difference, and added to the magic that Disney is so clearly aiming to create with this game.

Graphics are very well-rendered although the backgrounds become repetitive mainly due to a lack of detail. All the characters are excellently animated and have an appearance identical to their cartoon animation in the Disney films this game is based on. There is a perfect level of visibility playing on the GBA's small screen even without a backlight, mainly due to a very well-designed color scheme that affords great contrast between the characters and objects against the background scenery (this is an issue with some games, which is why I felt it was important to mention that there was no problem here). Again, Disney could have included more details just to add to the whole atmosphere of the game, since the scenery is rather boring.

Music is extraordinarily sickly-sweet and ''girly'', with typical tinkly nonsense being piped through in every level. There is variety according to which character you are using, but quite frankly there's not much. For example, Jasmine's levels sound more ''Eastern'', but are basically the same type of music as the other levels. Sound effects are barely noticeable, but exist here. Typically, they tie in with the events of game play (such as jumping, hitting and so on).

Overall, this is a very pleasant game that is simply too easy and too undetailed. It's a very girly game that certainly won't be to everyone's tastes, but there is plenty to entertain so long as you can get past the ease. It doesn't feel like you're playing a game at all really, it's so basic. I wouldn't advise paying for this (i.e. rent it rather than buy it) because it's easy to finish quickly. Even then, I wouldn't recommend this game to anyone other than young girls.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 05/19/03, Updated 05/19/03