Kinect: Disneyland Adventures Review

Typically I am very hesitant when buying Disney video games. Typically they are either somewhat dull or too difficult for a casual gamer like me. Fortunately Kinect: Disneyland Adventure is neither! I was able to test Kinect: Disneyland Adventures at the D23 this past August. I knew what to expect but hoped that they didn’t show us the best parts. Again, I was wrong and the game is so much more than I expected.

You enter the game at the entrance of the Disneyland Resort, once you learn how to run around, you’re lead to meet Mickey! Mickey helps teach you more basics and gives you your first autograph book and photo album. One of the cool features of these is the fact that you need to purchase different autograph books and photo albums for different characters. For example the characters of Toy Story and the Princesses have their own autograph books.

As you travel the park you can enter various attractions. Within each attraction are several mini-games, also known as chapters. One of the cool features within the chapters is the player jump in feature. If you are having a difficult time with a level you can have another person jump in to your game to help you. One of my favorite attractions is the Princess Fantasy Faire. Similar to games like Dance Central, the player follows the dance moves of the various princesses to their movie’s primary song. For instance when dancing with Tiana, the player dances to Almost There.

Interaction with characters is a lot of fun as well! Each character has a different way of interacting with the player in five different ways: hugs, high fives, dancing, autographs and photos (once you have the correct autograph books and photo albums). Characters also give out quests leading to various areas or attractions around the park. I loved getting to interact with Daisy Duck. The only thing I didn’t love about character interaction is that some of the actions are similar and if you do an action you don’t want, you aren’t able to cancel it.

Overall, the game is very entertaining with a high replay value. I would give this game a 4.75/5, with .25 being removed because the Kinect has a tendency to not read the motions or actions which can be somewhat frustrating. That being said, there are things overall that are great such as the numerous Xbox Achievements for the seasoned achievement collector. Disney collectors will also enjoy the fact that you can collect in game pins and Disney merchandise such as shirts and costumes. This game is a great addition to the Kinect library and definitely worth owning!
Have a Magical Day!
DC