Capcom has arguably made some of the best video games of all time. Their lineup includes iconic games such as Street Fighter, Resident Evil, and Mega Man. These games defined a generation, and have seen lifelong success. But there's one game Capcom put out in 1990 for the Nintendo Entertainment System that has haunted me to this day. Adventures in the Magic Kingdom.
Let's go to a virtual Disney World!
Players enter Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom as a generic avatar. Goofy lost the six keys to the kingdom, so it was up to you to find them. As a kid, I never had the chance to visit the Disney parks, so this was as close as I got. Players would go through five of the parks most popular rides in order to find said keys;
The Haunted Mansion, a side-scrolling stage
Pirates of the Caribbean, a side-scrolling stage
Autopia, a vehicle stage
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, a vehicle stage
Space Mountain, a first-person shooter
These rides served as mini-games within this world, and for the most part, represented the park well. The Haunted Mansion mini-game is my favorite. You have to throw candles at the ghosts in order to survive the level. On the flip side, Autopia is the hardest of the mini-games as the controls are slow to respond. The final key can be found on Pluto's collar. In order to find Pluto, the players must answer Disney trivia questions provided by other pixelated guests at the park.
Ok, so it's not the real thing.
Players also get to walk around Disney World, which has been lovingly recreated for the game. Unfortunately, you can't enter most of them -- nor can you enter Cinderella Castle. You do get to interact with other guests and some Cast Members -- including Donald, Goofy, and Mickey Mouse. Disney tries to keep up the theme park magic in the game as to not spoil the illusion, but it seems a bit silly. Young players won't seem to mind this at all though.
The biggest downside to this game? You can't buy or eat a churro, nor can you indulge in a dole whip.
This game was released in North America, the United Kingdom, France, Scandinavia, and Australia.
Is this game worth seeking out?
If you're a die-hard Disney fan, yes. This game did entertain me as a child, and again as an adult. The graphics are pleasant and the soundtrack is suitable to the theme of the game. However, this is not the best Capcom/Disney game -- DuckTales and Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers are leaps and bounds better than Adventures in the Magic Kingdom. You can find this game for relatively cheap if you absolutely must play this game.
This game was released in North America, the United Kingdom, France, Scandinavia, and Australia. The game received mostly negative reviews when it was released. While it isn't a hard game by any means, younger players may have trouble with certain levels. Once you collect all six keys, that's it. There's no real incentive to play this game again once you're done. Yet overall this is a great little nostalgia bomb for those of us who played this growing up. As I said prior, Capcom has released a number of better Disney games that hold up much better than Adventures in the Magic Kingdom. Capcom still releases Disney themed games to this day, and each of them is perfect for players of all ages.
