February 21, 2012

Pap the Disney Gamer's Highlights: A Clarification Regarding Adventures at the Magic Kingdom

A few weeks ago I wrote about the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) game Adventures at the Magic Kingdom. The short version of it is that the game was one of the first attempts at bringing the Disney theme park attractions into the video game world. At the end of the article, I said the following:

'Adventures at the Magic Kingdom isn't a perfect game, but it is far from the worse game ever created. It remains one of the most interesting Disney games in the huge lineup of titles, and one of the most creative attempts as bringing the magic of Walt Disney World to your gaming console.'

Recently I recorded a podcast where the game was featured, and I was told the game is actually based on Disneyland. With that in mind, I decided to take another look at the game and see if the game is based on Disneyland or Walt Disney World.

First, let's take a look at the game's cover...

Clearly, that's Cinderella's Castle, which is located in Walt Disney World, Florida. Yet, upon further inspection, the castle as depicted in the game looks like Sleeping Beauty Castle from Disneyland. Now, the game doesn't specify which castle is featured, it just says that the player needs to find six silver keys in order to open the gates to the castle. To add even more confusion to the situation, both parks have a Magic Kingdom area, and both are presented in a similar manner.

Here is a map of the Magic Kingdom as depicted by the game...

The castle clearly resembles Sleeping Beauty Castle in terms of how it is designed. Still, with the limited technology the NES offered, it could be interpreted that the castle is really a generic design. I believed this until I took a closer look at the map and saw that the game featured It's a Small World (though not as a playable level). Walt Disney World also has the attraction, but there is a big difference between the two. At Disneyland, the attraction features an elaborate exterior, featuring a large display complete with a working clock. At Walt Disney World the attraction lies within a building. In the map, the attraction is seen on the outside, therefore it means that Adventures at the Magic Kingdom actually takes place at Disneyland and not at Walt Disney World, despite what the box art may say.

I apologize for the mistake. The box art for the game made it confusing, and considering the Magic Kingdom is featured at both parks, and both parks feature the same attractions seen in the game, I wouldn't be surprised if others were confused by this. Regardless, Adventures at the Magic Kingdom is worth playing once because it is one of the most interesting attempts at recreating the Disney theme parks, one that was further elaborated upon with Kinect Disneyland Adventures.