Kinect: Disneyland Adventures — The Disney Classics

Quick storytime: When I was little and missed Disneyland, I would watch the Disneyland 2003 VHS Vacation Planning Video over and over, just to see small clips of the park and of rides. I thought that was as close as I could get (before YouTube came around where you can now virtually ride the rides), to seeing the park. That was until Frontier Developments came out with a new video game in 2011: Disneyland Adventures. I had to have it.

Disneyland Adventures is an Xbox Kinect 2011 game and later adapted into a Windows game on Steam in 2017, where you can visit the 2011 version of the Anaheim park. It is a combination of mini games and challenges that can be played in any order. You walk around the park, meet characters, visit attractions, and hear the familiar sounds of Disneyland all around you. The area music changes as you continue walking, you can hear the conversations of other guests, screaming coming from rides, the splash of Splash Mountain, and more.

Image from: https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2017/11/02/disneyland-adventures-qa/

The game begins with meeting Mickey at the entrance of the park by the train station. He gives you a camera and an autograph book. You can use these tools along with photo albums and other autograph books you can get at the shops in each land. As you approach each character in the park, you can ask them to sign your books and take a photo with you, to complete your album collections.

Image from: https://www.trueachievements.com/n29476/two-lastgen-kinect-disney-games-revamped-for-xbox-play-anywhere

Each character will give you a task to do and have you come back to them when completed. Pinocchio asks you to find toffee apples which you can find on the food carts around the park, Belle asks you to look for her books, Ariel asks you to look for “dinglehoppers”, Br’er Fox asks you to help him capture Br’er Rabbit, etc. There is always a character to find and talk to, and they will always ask you something that stays true to their character.

Although you can’t ride the rides as you would in person, most of the rides allow you to do mini-games that are themed to that ride. On Pirates of a Caribbean, you paddle a canoe to find treasure and avoid crocodiles. On Peter Pan’s Flight, you fly through Neverland and defeat Captain Hook in a sword fight. On the Matterhorn Bobsleds, you glide with goofy through the snow and avoid getting hit with snowballs by the Yeti.

There are many characters in the game you could do a meet and greet with, more than what you may see in real life (like Baloo!). You can talk to them, dance with them, high five them, take pictures, and get autographs. As you complete tasks for certain characters, more pop up. For example, once you finish a task for Aladdin, he’ll ask you to go see the Genie and Jasmine, who both appear in Adventureland after that. The Toy Story characters make appearances as well, as the game is only set in Disneyland, and not California Adventure.

The only rides that are not clearly marked in the game are Star Tours and Indiana Jones, because at the time of the release of the game, Disney didn’t have the full rights to Lucasfilm yet. The Coca-Cola Refreshment shop isn’t clearly marked, as well as any Dole Whip stands.

Image from: https://insidethemagic.net/2011/11/review-and-gameplay-video-kinect-disneyland-adventures-dazzles-in-detailed-recreation-of-disney-theme-park-stumbles-in-mini-games/

This game upon its release had rave reviews, scoring an 8.5/10 on IGN.com and a 9/10 on Steam. My personal review of the game is that it is extremely well made, although the graphics are out of date compared to what they could be if it was made today, the attention to detail is outstanding. The trash cans are in the right places, the restaurant umbrellas are the right colours, the area music changes just like it would in person, you can even watch the log go down the drop on Splash Mountain. It is the perfect remedy to see Disneyland if you’re missing it. I do wish it was slightly more challenging, however the game is made for a younger audience, and it is an easy, laid-back game for an adult who just wants to turn their brain off and go to Disney.

Image from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7DXR_Y1UAE