Disney Magical World 2 (Nintendo 3DS) Review

The game begins with the character creation process, which is simple in its design. It then introduces the world of Castleton, where the reigning King requests for assistance in the extermination of the invading ghosts. However, before embarking on the big quest, the main character learns the mechanics and visits the various stores in Castleton. It implements the use of a system where completing set tasks rewards in stickers. Sticker-gates lock out new areas, locations and missions, and are unlocked by collecting the number of stickers indicated. They are a guide for knowing what tasks need to be completed next, rather like a set of quests. Once the first book is completed, a host of new ones are introduced, and they each centre round a set of stickers that reward exploration.

Disney Magical World 2 features six Disney-inspired worlds to explore and complete missions in. Lilo & Stitch, Frozen, Snow White and The Little Mermaid join the two returning worlds of Alice in Wonderland and Winnie the Pooh. Explore the castle of Arendelle whilst completing missions with Olaf, or mine in the caves with the Seven Dwarfs, or prepare a hunny party with Winnie and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood.

Each of the six worlds is beautifully crafted, and they are full of the charm and personality that their respective movies personified. Wonderland actually feels like Lewis Carroll's magical wonderland, from the shrinking drink to visiting the Mad Hatter and the March Hare at their tea party, to spotting the Cheshire Cat in the branches of a tree. Lilo & Stitch are often seen roaming the beach, while Pleakley can be found "researching" in front of the television and Dr. Jumba grants missions from within his science lab. All the characters are true to their form, and act as would be expected.

It is these six worlds that grant missions based around an original story that revolves around defeating the ghosts that have invaded their worlds. While the stories don't interconnect with each other, they are singular events that mainly involve defeating the World's Ghost to restore peace to the land. Most of the missions are made up of fetch quests that involve collecting specific items, or by battling ghosts in a dungeon-like level.

The dungeon levels are made up of a series of stages, which contain a series of evil ghosts of varying sizes and difficulty. Every few stages there's a special challenge level, which rewards bonuses in the form of rare items that are placed in the treasure chest at the end of the level. Bestowed with a wand created by Yen Sid, the main character must back their wits and combat these evil spirits. This constant beat of battling through a series of stages to complete a level is fun and enjoyable, and watching how the ghosts increase in difficulty requires changes in strategy and fighting styles, thus keeping the main character forever on their toes.

Don't be fooled, however; this is not a tough game to play and is an easy way to plough through a series of levels in short succession, for an adult anyway. Keeping in the mind the target audience - children of all ages might have a more difficult time in mastering this title, but the difficulty is just right in terms of not being overly tough for what is an overly simplistic title.

Upon completing tasks around Castleton, the player gets a house, which can be decked out in a range of themed furniture. The house is purely cosmetic, where wallpaper and furniture is used to fill the space anyway that you see fit. At the beginning, only the bare minimum is available, but as the game progresses, more furniture is unlocked for use. The furniture centres around different themes that are based off the various properties that are owned by Disney. Decorate the house in a Wreck-It Ralph style, or give it that forest feel of Tangled. The Three Little Pigs offer their services in decorating the exterior of the house, either by giving the house an appearance of sticks, straw or bricks.

In addition to decorating a house, the main character is bestowed with a café that must be well stocked with food, snacks and beverages, for the residents of Castelton to enjoy. Like the furniture in the houses, the café can be dressed up in a specific theme, from the uniforms of the staff, to the wallpaper and furniture in the café, right down to the food and drinks on offer. Organising everything to follow the same theme yields theme points, which can then be used to start a party.

In the event of a party, some of the characters from the respective themed properties may make an appearance, with which the main character can have a photo taken, or have a dance with them on stage to Disney Magical World 2's theme song. This is a fun way to engage those in control, and make it feel like they are participating in this event as themselves as opposed to just watching the action play out.

The denizens of Castleton and the other Disney worlds also issue daily quests, which generally involve a series of fetch quests or going on a treasure hunt. While quite easy missions, some of the missions involve wearing a specific costume that can be designed by Daisy Duck; however, each costume requires materials found in the game. Costumes can be added to a 'Material Log,' which tracks up to 20 different costumes and their respective materials required to create the costume. Costumes are drawn from many different Disney animated movies, which can be worn by male or female characters alike.