As someone who grew up in Southern California, Disneyland was a regular thing for me. In fact, I worked at Disneyland for about 5 years. So, when the original Kinect: Disneyland Adventures was released, you can be sure it was a day-one purchase for me. I only played Kinect: Disneyland Adventures using the Kinect, so when I saw that the game was being overhauled and remastered with 4K HDR graphics for the launch of the Xbox One X, I was very intrigued. I wanted to see how the game would play on a controller, and how the new updated graphics would look.
There was just one problem: I didn’t have an Xbox One X or a 4K HDR TV… yet. During my review time with this title, I received an Xbox One X and redownloaded the title.
The lack of an Xbox One X and 4K TV won’t stop me from playing games that are “optimized for Xbox One X.” Microsoft has said that all games will be compatible across the entire Xbox One console family. I downloaded my copy of Disneyland Adventures onto my Xbox One and began playing.
Right away I noticed a nice upgrade to the graphics. Unfortunately, that came with a cost as world items further in the distance flickered in and out and loading times took an awfully long time. There is plenty to at look while wandering around the park, and you can tell the devs really spent a long time mapping out Disneyland to be as close to an accurate representation as possible. Cinematics seemed to run smooth, but going into a ride, activity, and anything else, the game slowed down and the movements were choppy.
While I still didn’t have a 4K HDR TV, there were some noticeable differences once I began the game again on an Xbox One X. Load times were faster and the cinematics ran incredibly smooth. Outside of that, I didn’t notice anything else that seemed to be “upgraded.”
Gameplay and controls can be frustrating at times. This rang true for both versions of the game as on the original, the Kinect wasn’t always the most responsive. Throughout the game, you are given items to use in the park: a Magic Wand for interactions, a megaphone to shout, a camera to take photos, and more. In theory, it sounds amazing. The actual execution with a controller is much more difficult. There are no “iron sights” to aim, so a lot of times you just have to point your character in a direction and hope that the equipped tool hits the right item.
Each “ride” is a mini-game that takes you on the treacherous rivers of The Jungle Cruise, the icy landscape of The Matterhorn, or wandering the haunted hallways of The Haunted Mansion. The mini-games are very straightforward and each have their own set of controls. Some are easier to navigate than others, so your fun may vary depending on what ride/mini-game you choose.
In addition to wandering the park and playing mini-games, you can interact with loads of characters, and many will ask you for a favor that will send you searching all areas of the park on endless fetch quests. Every character you meet will have multiple interactions: Photo, Hug, Dance, & Autograph. In true Disney fashion, you need to make sure you purchase the right photo album and autograph book before these characters will do anything for you. It is rather adorable to see how the different characters interact with you.
One of the bigger disappointments in the game is what happens when photos are taken. If you’re taking a photo with a character, they tell you to strike a pose. In the original version, you actually had to move your arms to match the pose. In this new version your character automatically poses. I would have liked the chance to maybe move the thumbsticks to try and strike the pose.
Throughout the park you hear crowd noise, attraction noise, and even ambient park music. You can leave your character in the middle of Main Street U.S.A., close your eyes and you would swear you were in the park. Even the mini-games have authentic ride sounds. Characters are all fully voiced and sound perfect. Listening to Mickey Mouse will instantly fill you with a sense of wanting to go to Disneyland.
If you missed the original Kinect: Disneyland Adventures, this is a decent port. It’s a fun game that all ages will be able to enjoy even with its graphical flaws across across the Xbox One family of consoles. As a massive Disney fan this game does have a special spot in my heart as it’s as close to a “virtual Disneyland” as we’re going to get.
For more information, visit the Xbox website. A copy of the game was provided by the publisher.
