Disney Princess Enchanted Journey opens with a visual very pleasing intro movie in where the player meets their avatar. A mysterious girl whose face is hidden deep under a brown cloak. For reasons unknown she has a severe case of memory loss. As the narrator tells the story of this little girl we see her following a pixie to a long abandon castle. It slightly resembles the typical fairytale castle. The voice over continues by telling that the castle was once the home of a princess but has been under a curse. Only a special little girl can break it by helping the Disney princesses the girl can break the curse one piece at the time.
Next the player can customize the little girl (its avatar) in detail from her dress color to eye color. After that’s done the girl practices her magic wand against the bogs in the throne room. The bogs are cursed butterflies and are very easy defeated. Just hit them with your magic three times. The creatures aren’t exactly tough opponents, 3 strikes and they’re out. Most Bogs roaming the worlds can even be ignored if you choose.
The nameless pixie takes your avatar to the secret forbidden room in the castle. It’s where the player can select which princess to visit but walking to her painting. As a Jasmine fanatic I entered her world first. Agrabah is the largest location in Jasmine’s world. There’s the main street and the bazaar both filled with market stalls, crates, barrels and baskets.
The graphics in Enchanted Journey are quite good, for a simple children game. On first viewing it felt like I was playing Nasira’s Revenge all over again. The graphics of this 2001 game where very crude and ugly. The characters had wooden animation with textures as faces and no moving parts like lips or eyes. And the scenery where not more than flat 2D images. In Enchanted Journey the locations are designed in full 3D.
Sadly the only characters you’ll find are the same people that look and appear the same in every world and while you can intact with them they all have the same standard spoken lines. Like all characters in Enchanted Journey, including the little girl and princesses, their movements is in an endless loop when not interacting with you. The most interaction comes from the little girl and the Disney princesses as they talk. The sidekicks have more reprieve movements and gestures but still prove enough variety to be believable as CG interpretations of their hand drawn counterparts. But all interaction is nothing more than pre-recorded movies that are always the same with every visit. Anno 2007 I had higher expectations of a 3D game with Disney characters. A missed opportunity.
The gameplay has the same mini-games and puzzles in every world just with different characters in a different setting but the premise stay’s the same. The mini-games are simple activities like catch falling items or kill Bogs to retrieve items. Like the dumb uninspiring DVD games these mini games have no punishment system. Its fine if you don’t catch an item, the bar stays at the same level and the items keep coming. Examples include Dopey catching diamonds and Flounder catching human things.
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In Agrabah the Bogs made mirage treasures that the people seem to be obsessive about. With a twirl of your magic wand the fake treasures are return to common things like food. Following the trail of gems brings the player to the palace garden where they meet a fine looking CG Jasmine with the sweet sexy voice of Linda Larkin herself. Jasmine’s edges are blocky, best noticeable when the camera pens around he. You’ll see her making sharp turns down. But the character is realistic enough to be believable. She tells you to see Abu back at the marketplace.
A mini-game of hide and seek with the monkey in the city is needed before returning to see Jasmine again. Once in the garden Jasmine there are suddenly two Abu’s. Chapter 1 ends when the little girl avatar magic reveals that Abu that was with Jasmine is a goose. Jasmine thanks you and the camera pens up.
Chapter 2 brings us back to Jasmine at the palace where she explains to see Abu at the desert gate. After a short trip around the market the player finds a fence that previously was locked. It is also the first time the Bogs appear in Agrabah.
In the desert Abu needs an escort to the Cave of Wonders or he is distracted by the mirage treasures, sounds like Abu alright. The escort mini-game returns in every world, later you escort Gus, Sebastian and Dopey as well.
Inside the Cave is another common mini-game, kill the Bogs and retrieve the stolen item from them. Bogs stole treasure but in Atlantica they stole singing voices and in Snow White’s world colors are stolen.
To get the lamp the red light from golden monkey statue needs to be avoided. Only move when it’s green. Sounds like a traffic light don’t you think. End chapter 2.
Alas things don’t get any more difficult in the Jasmine’s final chapter. Herd 6 geese into their pen by twirling then defeat the genie Bogs and make mirage Bogs. Then follow Jasmine and Abu to the Cave of Wonders and help Abu put back the right color lamp back to their places and chapter finished. Simple but fun to do once but gets repetitive after a few times.
Jasmine and Abu say goodbye to you and the game loads the secret chamber again. Jasmine wears her golden Enchanted Tales outfit.
Summary
Pro
- Nice graphics
- Linda Larkin as Jasmine
- Fun for a few times
- Improved over the last 3D Aladdin game, Nasira’s Revenge
Cons
- To easy.
- Characters have little moved and keep looping.
- The Bogs are utterly easy to defeat.
- Missed opportunity to make a family oriented 3D Disney Princess game.
- Could’ve been more like the Kingdom Hearts series with Princesses only.
Rating: 3 out 5 stars
