| Introduction
Disney and Ubi Soft join forces once again to bring
us another title inspired by their latest animated offering.
Return to Neverland, like Toy Story 2, was produced
for the lucrative straight to video market but when
the final product was better than expected it was decided
to give it a full theatrical release. Disney is something
of a veteran in producing Gameboy titles and its movies
have spanned all the various handheld incarnations.
Not all have been successful though and many suffered
from bland and repetitious gameplay so let's hope for
something a little more entertaining this time around.
GamePlay
As you'd expect from a Disney title the plot of the
game follows that of the movie very closely and the
gameplay can roughly be split into two categories -
platformer and flying. The platforming sections are
usually a matter of getting from A to B. There's no
need to pick anything up or fight anyone on the way
but if you don't you'll miss out on the various extras
as, for once, collectibles really do enhance your overall
experience. Find a film reel for example and you'll
be able to view one of four hidden FMV video clips via
the menu, all of which are well worth seeking out but
which can be quite elusive.
Unlike the platformer the flying requires you to
collect absolutely everything and failure to do this
will mean you floating back down to earth. This can
be tricky especially, for instance, in an earlier level
where as well as keeping Peter airborne you have to
keep touching the children. Add to this a constant search
for Pixie Dust and the need to check your flight meter
and you're left with a challenge that really is incredibly
difficult considering the age range this title is aimed
at. There is one plus side to all this as you'll notice
that the Pixie Dust does re-appear in the same place
after about a short amount of time.
Extra gameplay value comes in the form of the sub
games which can be entered by finding three pan pipes
in any of the various locations. The first has you firing
cannon balls from a ship in order to hit pirates on
a beach. This is enormous fun but also quite difficult
and we only ever managed to hit two out of the five
targets. Next is a 'Mode 7' flight section which is
also quite challenging as you must collect the allotted
amount of pixie dust in order to reach the end of the
level. Completing any of these will give you an extra
life but as these can also be had by collecting 35 feathers
on any level there's a good chance you'll already have
a fair few continues.
Controls
The control system has been kept as simple as possible
but in addition to the normal running and jumping Peter
can also fly. This is a little trickier as you'll need
to double tap the 'A' button and as Peter always floats
downwards it's not always evident that you're actually
in flight. The sprite detection is excellent however
and the platforms can almost always be reached with
relative ease thus eliminating the frustration factor
that these type of games often suffer from.
Graphics
The visuals throughout are absolutely beautiful and
it appears that the animated characters have been lifted
directly from the Disney movie itself. This provides
some incredibly smooth and detailed on screen action
and as a result it's as close as you'll get on a handheld
to actually playing a movie. There are also cut screens
that are presented 'comic book' style and push the story
along nicely but the 'hidden' video clips are wonderful
and you'll be amazed that all this is running on a portable.
Sound & Music
The music here suits the style of gameplay perfectly,
a gentle rendition of the film's many tunes plays throughout
the various levels. Better still are the voice samples
which are crystal clear and enhance the already wonderful
audio.
Final Comments
Children will love this title for both the simple
gameplay and the appealing look of the whole package.
The fact the Ubi Soft have again pulled all the stops
out and added the hidden video clips is a bonus and
even when you've completed the game you'll find yourself
searching everywhere just to located them. It maybe
a little short for some gamers but if you enjoyed the
movie you'll undoubtedly find much satisfaction in this
game.
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