Received: November 26th, 2014 / Written: August 4th-7th, 2015
(As played on the Super Game Boy)
Year: 1995 | Developed by: GRC | Published by: Tomy | [|O|]
Hello everyone, StarBoy91 here; passionate about video games, big retrophile, and fan of all things 16-bit. I think it's high-time I ask you all a very serious question: who loves sequels? =D ......or rather, tangentially connected spiritual ones anyway?
This game was ghoulishly good fun =) |
In late 1994 the Super Famicom received a Mickey Mouse-licensed platformer, Mickey no Tokyo Disneyland Daibōken, a game made by GRC and published by Tomy that actually transpired in Tokyo Disneyland. In it Mickey Mouse had an unlimited arsenal of balloons--both air- and water-based--that helped him keep going and progress further as he battled Pete's cronies and Pete himself in well-known rides and segments of Disneyland; like the Pirates of the Caribbean-themed Adventureland, the surrealistically futuristic Tomorrowland, eventually culminating itself in Cinderella's Castle. But because the titular location would've been inaccurate had it been released outside the Land of the Rising Sun, the game sadly remained there. =(
Actually challenging Disney fare, but still a solidly good game in its own right |
I have a lot of fond memories of Mickey no Tokyo Disneyland Daibōken as it was not only the second Super Famicom cart I imported in the Summer of '12 (after the really fantastic Alcahest), but I also consider it to be a really enjoyable Disney game. While it may not equate in quality to the 16-bit trilogy of Mickey Mouse's Magical Adventure platformers made by Capcom, his Tokyo Disneyland adventure was a delight to play and it did a nice job of transporting you there. =) What set this one apart from the other Mickey Mouse platformers at the time was the fact that it was actually quite challenging, part of it being attributed to the way the alright balloon controls were implemented, which I found rather refreshing after all the Disney Mouse games that were fun but admittedly on the easy side. Its locales were immersive, the gameplay was fun despite its slight imperfections, it had a magical lighthearted charm going for it, it looked and sounded good, and it bookended itself with the best fight against Pete ever! =D
To this day I've still never been to either Disneyland or Disneyworld, but I hope that one day that'll change. Mickey no Tokyo Disneyland Daibōken for a while was the only real game I played that took place in Disneyland, but upon curiosity last year I decided to go ahead and try another Tokyo Disneyland game, which just so happened to be made by the same company which just so happened to star the same main character which just so happened to share the exact balloon controls (to some extent, anyway). Ladies and gentlemen, GRC's spiritual 1995 handheld follow-up: Tokyo Disneyland: Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour. Wow, that's a mouthful!
In Tokyo Disneyland Mickey and friends are preparing something special for the tour, but just as they are in the planning phase Mickey's pet dog Pluto gets dognapped and disappears. Mickey asks that his yellow pooch be returned, but he's told that the only way he can get Pluto back is to enter inside the Cinderella Castle and defeat the forces behind it all.So to ensure that Mickey does not go unprepared in his newest venture, Minnie suggests that Mickey pack a dual helium/water-pack with his neverending supply of water and air balloons; just like the spiritual Super Famicom predecessor.
So not only did GRC make the same game with the same balloon-natured controls, but they both share the same story pretty much? Minnie's in the intro of both and evaded kidnapping, and Pluto is saved last both times; the only difference is that these are the only main characters this time around and Pete is not responsible for any of it. =/ ...right.
"Take that!" |
From time to time in each area there are doors you can enter, some leading to the next progressive segment of the area, some leading to exits and/or different rooms, and others leading to (mid)boss fights. But there are a few particular doors to take note of: if you take the white mirror door, you'll be led to a room where the mirror gives you advice; the black mirror door is not all that friendly; and certain rooms have a character for which you can shop for items with... umm, chocolate chip cookies? Crackers? I don't know exactly, but some items you'll find useful in your journey (should you afford and/or find them).
"Hi ghost! Bye ghost!" |
What kind of a tour is this that has sentient suits of armor trying to endanger your life??? =| |
There's something strange in the neighborhood, who you gonna call? |
Fire drakes to be encountered as well |
Enemy goon incoming |
the one and only Maleficent, who makes a great entrance! =) Oh yeah!
Creeeeeepy O~o |
The music is good in its own right, and considering its sound quality and the instrumentation of their songs they do a sufficient job of lending atmosphere to a world already brimming with plenty of it. =) The Disneyland theme park cue sounds fun in Game Boy format, and works just as perfectly as a way of bookending the game as it is of introducing the title. The shop theme is playful and fun, the white mirror theme is engaging and welcoming, and the black mirror theme is slightly discouraging (maybe appropriately so), but the real selling point in this aspect is the music for the interior halls of the entirety of Cinderella Castle. Some of them are of the upbeat variety, but others sound sinister and intense. The regular boss theme sounds okay, but the best battle theme is the one that plays during the (decisive) second form of the final Horned King battle.
No, I missed his head by this much! =( |
Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour has two difficulty settings going for it, and both are substantially different to a certain degree. The normal difficulty mode, as aforementioned, begins with a small health of five and a small balloon gauge; while the practice mode has you start the game with a full level three balloon gauge with a health of ten, thereby beginning with a small bit of percentage in your inventory. Other differences include how many balloons it takes to take down enemies and bosses alike, and the normal difficulty (should you find the important item that unleashes the Horned King's true form) has got the full ending with the fireworks on display. Aside from those small differences though, really, the difficulty honestly feels pretty much the same regardless of the mode you choose: easy. =<
You must be wondering by now why I keep referring to this game as a spiritual follow-up as opposed to just a direct one to Mickey no Tokyo Disneyland Daibōken on the Super Famicom, despite the very similar elements.
It's basically for the same reason why Quintet's Gaia trilogy of games are considered to be spiritually connected to each other and not direct: and that is despite the handful of subtle elements that tie them together, they are otherwise their own separate entities and can be viewed as such.
Take me away, Marahute! |
Even though both platformers star Mickey Mouse and have got balloon-natured controls to help you progress, really the only thing that connects the two (aside from the same developing team) is the fact that they both take place in Tokyo Disneyland, or more specifically its Cinderella Castle--which the spiritual Game Boy follow-up has for the bulk of the setting as opposed to the Super Famicom game where the titular area is only in the very last stage. I'm not saying it makes the game bad if the connection is more indirect, but the point I'm trying to make is that even if there are a couple elements that tie the two together they can still be played and/or enjoyed as I feel it doesn't bring too much attention to the preceding spiritual game to the point of being distracting, which is good.
Funny story: months before I imported this game, last Summer I imported Tokyo Disneyland: Fantasy Tour (presuming it was the platformer), under the previous presumption that the original Game Boy had a single Tokyo Disneyland game. But imagine my immediate surprise when I found out that there were two. XD
Tokyo Disneyland: Fantasy Tour is a series of mini-games made by TOSE and published by Tomy in 1998, and one day I might cover it. But if you were curious about and wanted to try Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour but could only identify it by cart, go for the one with the orange and chartreuse background. But from what I noticed it's not as common as Fantasy Tour, so keep an eye out for it.
The first time I played Tokyo Disneyland: Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour my initial reaction, considering how much I enjoyed the Super Famicom game, was that of a mixture of satisfaction combined with disappointment. But after that first time the spiritual Game Boy sequel began to grow on me and I like it quite a bit. =)
Mickey no Tokyo Disneyland Daibōken was a very enjoyable game, and part of what made it enjoyable was the widely spacious areas to explore and all the cool tricks you could do with the balloons, especially launching yourself sky high through any of the eight directions.
The initial disappointment with Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour had nothing to do with expecting it to be just like the tangentially connected Super Famicom predecessor, as I knew it was going to be its own thing; yeah, I was a bit sad that that the super balloon throwing and balloon zipping controls were no longer put into effect, but I got past that. =( But I understand why the controls were simplified: the Game Boy's aspect ratio is considerably smaller than that of a Nintendo 16-bit title, and the areas this time around were smaller and simpler by comparison. But by doing so the challenge level was reduced to the point of being easy regardless of the difficulty setting you played, which I began to not mind after awhile. No, the real thing that drags it back, however, is that it is incredibly short. The Super Famicom game was at least around two hours long, but this Game Boy title is around thirty minutes in length; frankly that's quite a stark contrast. Still, I like it for what it is and I do find it fun to play while it lasts. =)
I liked that the final boss paid a neat homage to The Black Cauldon, and while the Horned King may not have been as epic a battle as that of Horned Pete from the game before it, making up for that was how cool Horned King's second form was (if you got the vital item that makes you access it), brief though it may be.
What I especially appreciated about GRC's spiritual follow-up was how once in awhile there were callbacks to their Super Famicom game; I liked that they brought back the ice-laden room near the end where the only way to cross was by freezing water balloons on the icy spikes, one by one if you had to. =) What was also neat was the return of certain enemies, such as the mimic chests and the skeletal warriors.
The outside, it's refreshing |
Ummm, reflections don't work that way =/ |
My Personal Score: 6.5/10
<( ^o^)^TO EACH THEIR OWN^(^o^ )>
P.S. As far as games that are also celebrating their twentieth anniversary are concerned: there's Tenchi Sōzō/Terranigma too! =D ......... aaaand a certain Mickey Mouse platformer I still need to talk about.
P.S. 2 I wish I came up with the anniversary ribbons years ago. =( There were opportunities I could've taken advantage of certain games I reviewed on their anniversary years in years past but I didn't.
Happy 20th Annivesary,
Tokyo Disneyland: Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour! =)
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Thank you for reading my review, please leave me a comment and let me know what you thought. I hope you have a great Summer, take care! =)
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"Once I destroy my number one enemy and conquer the planets of the entire universe, I, Lord Hater, will become the GREATEST IN ALL THE GALAXY!!!!!"
;-) That was for the Wander Over Yonder fans =D
I truly thank you for writing such an interesting and detailed review. I'm a Game Boy collector from Madrid, Spain. I have just discovered this title and I was searching for the manual or some info when I found this precious review. Thank you!
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