Pap the
Disney Gamer's Highlights:
Disneyland Explorer
System: iPad
Recently, I just
experienced the dream that is
Disneyland in the most magical
way possible. Seeing the park
through Walt Disney's eyes,
meeting so many new friends,
enjoying time with some awesome
old friends, and just making
another dream come true made it
one of the most amazing trips
ever. So of course, I am
experiencing major Disney
withdrawal after such a magical
week! I miss it all so much that
I have been watching Disney
movies and shorts non-stop while
I relive the trip through photos
and videos. Obviously, I am not
the first nor the last person to
experience Disney withdrawal
after a Disney vacation. Good
thing there is Disneyland
Explorer for the iPad.
Disneyland
Explorer is an app for the iPad
which takes its users to the
Disneyland Resort. Using the
tablet's touch screen, you
navigate through the different
lands of the two Disneyland
parks and enjoy the activities
each land has to offer, all
based on the different
attractions. Users can also
visit the Disneyland Resort
hotels as well as the Downtown
Disney district for even more
fun in an accurate
representation of a day at the
resort. The way this is achieved
is that when you select a land,
you swipe the screen to navigate
through it.

As you enter
each land, you are able to tap
on its different elements, such
as characters, performers and
attractions. Sometimes it will
show you information about that
element in particular, such as
who the Dapper Dans of
Disneyland are. Other times, it
will bring up a mini-game based
on that attraction that uses
some of the technology behind
the iPad, such as a canon
shooting game when you click on
the Pirates of the Caribbean
icon, or an organ playing
mini-game when you click on the
Haunted Mansion. There are a lot
of different activities, so
users will be exploring the app
at lot.

Visually,
Disneyland Explorer is, sadly,
as basic as they come. The app
uses a lot of cutouts of
official artwork and photos to
recreate the park. The
mini-games themselves are
primarily in 2D, so expect no
fancy graphical effects. In
terms of sound, though,
Disneyland Explorer does feature
a lot of the original music and
sound effects from the resort.
Despite its simplicity, the app
does good enough of a job to
bring the park to life.

While Disneyland
Explorer does not feature the
rich, immerse experience that
Kinect Disneyland Adventures
offers on the Xbox 360, it does
offer a very easy, simple to get
into application that can be
obtained for free. The fact that
it includes ALL of the
Disneyland Resort does put it
above other digital
representations of the
Disneyland Resort, putting
emphasis on all the experiences
once can enjoy at the actual
park. It may not completely help
you get over your withdrawal,
but it will help you realize
just how amazing the trip was,
and how you are eager to come
back soon!