Disney's The Little Mermaid: Magic in Two Kingdoms
Score: 70% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Buena Vista Developer: Buena Vista Media: Cartridge/1 Players: 1 Genre: Puzzle/ Platformer (2D)
Graphics & Sound: Disney's The Little Mermaid: Magic in Two Kingdoms's visuals are about par for the system. The simple 2D graphics pull off the iconic characters' features pretty well, but with the power the other handhelds can put out, it seems a bit lacking in the big picture. Sound is okay. Several of the movie's main themes ("Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl" to name a few) really stand out and sound pretty close to the tone and feel of the original melodies, while the game's various sound effects seem to be a bit rushed and tend to get repetitive quickly.
Gameplay: Disney's The Little Mermaid: Magic in Two Kingdoms takes you through the events of the first movie (why they felt they needed to add "Magic in Two Kingdoms" to the title, I'll never know) with a series of mini games or simple platformer levels. Games consist of getting Sebastian out of Cook's kitchen, or even helping the little crab conduct "Under the Sea". You will also help Flounder hunt for sunken treasure or keep the magic happening under the willow trees for the classic Kiss the Girl scene. Events like Ariel's confrontation with the transformed Ursula take the form of a rhythm game, while the final showdown has Prince Eric attempting to throw spears at the giant squid-beast that is the game and movie's antagonist.
Difficulty: Disney's The Little Mermaid: Magic in Two Kingdoms might be a little harder for younger gamers who haven't put a whole lot of time into games on a whole, but most players will find this title to be a very quick play. Most levels are very straightforward and have a shallow learning curve. In fact, most players should be able to plow through the movie's plot in a matter of hours without much trouble.
Game Mechanics: Disney's The Little Mermaid: Magic in Two Kingdoms's mechanics are simple and easy to pick up. Each of the levels have simple control schemes and should require little or no thought while playing. The controls typically consist of using the D-Pad to move your character around and/or hitting the A and B buttons for some sort of rhythm game. For the case of Sebastian's escape, you have to use the A and B buttons to jump and attack things and the last level requires you to use the A button to throw spears. But even these few variations are quick to pick up. Magic in Two Kingdoms is an okay game for kids who are fans of the movie and want to go through the story in a slightly different manner, but for the most part, there isn't a whole lot in this game that is new or hasn't been done better elsewhere.
-J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications AKA Chris Meyer
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