Pap the Disney Gamer's Highlights: Disneyland Explorer

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!