PlayStation 3
Published by Sony Computer
Entertainment Europe
Developed by Magic Pixel Games, SCEA Santa Monica Studio
Carnival Island is a pleasant game that
manages to create a virtual fairground. Although it's aimed squarely at
younger gamers it's also a game that's fun for the young at heart alike.
It also makes one of the most intuitive uses of the PlayStation Move
controller that I've experienced to date. Some areas of the game could
be improved upon but for the most part it's a game that does a lot of
things right and one that the whole family can enjoy.
Whereas most party games really need to be
played with friends or family to be even remotely interesting, Carnival
Island does a good job of appealing to the individual. The game's story
mode allows you to play as a boy or girl. Essentially the idea is to
revitalise Carnival Island which has been deserted for far too long. In
order to this you'll have to play the games, complete challenges and
visit the four areas of the island.
Mini-game collections tend to shine as
multiplayer experiences. Whilst Carnival Island is actually quite
enjoyable as a single-player experience however, as a multiplayer
experience it's not quite as good as could have been hoped for. There is
support for up to four players using either one or two PlayStation Move
controllers. You have a choice of only two modes: Party Time and Pick
and Play. In Party Time you are simply playing five randomly picked
games where as in Pick and Play you'll get to pick up to five games from
your play list. Whilst it's good that up to four players can participate
using just one Move controller, the modes aren't really that exciting.
Maybe the ability to have played through the Story mode co-operatively
would have been a better inclusion (although there's nothing stopping
you from taking turns in the game's single-player mode).
Carnival Island has in excess of 35
mini-games although quite a few are simply variations on a theme. For
instance you may be flipping a coin onto a table, into cups or onto gold
blocks. There are mini-bowling games, games where you'll toss hoops and
even shooting galleries. The mini-games are a real mixed bag in terms of
quality. I thought the mini-bowling, coin toss, and ring throwing games
where the best the game had to offer as they were both simple and
intuitive with responsive controls and played just as you would expect
them to. Others such as the Frog Bog based games, where you launch a
frog and then have to control them with the Move controller, simply felt
poor in comparison and nowhere near as intuitive. One of the games isn't
really a game at all. The Magic Mirror replicates one of those image
distorting mirrors that you'll find in a fun house. Younger children
will probably find it amusing but I suspect it's something that most
will only look at once.
Each of the games has their own set of
challenges to complete. Complete a couple of challenges and you'll
unlock an additional mini-game (which is essentially a variant of the
original mini-game although in fairness considerable effort has been
made to make them feel worthwhile). Points earned in a game are
converted to tickets which you can use to purchase balloons and other
gifts. By playing the games you'll awaken all kinds of animals who will
then cheer you on whilst you're playing a mini-game (meaning you'll see
their character in the background whilst you're playing).
The game's presentation is absolutely fine
and in keeping with the general theme. The game's cartoon cut scenes
look great, although they are very brief and usually feature the two
children enjoying themselves as you manage to restore one of the zones
in Carnival Island. The look of the in-game visuals is absolutely fine
and there are no performance issues to speak of. You'll see plenty of
load screens during the course of the game however and the load times
can be a little testing. There should have been the option to install
data to the hard drive in an attempt to shorten them. All of the
instructions and important in-game dialogue is subtitled or shown in
text so you'll be fully aware of how to play the game and also be able
to follow the game's storyline. There is some speech that isn't
subtitled but none of these omissions have a bearing on the game's
accessibility.
If you own a PlayStation 3 and a Move controller and also have younger children in your home then Carnival Island is definitely a game to consider. The game does a good job of appealing to its target audience and thanks to most of the games feeling completely natural to play (thanks to the support for the Move controller); it's a game that can be enjoyed even by those who normally aren't interested in playing games. Some aspects of the game could have been better. More games, and not simply more variations upon a theme, would have been welcome. The multiplayer modes could also have been more interesting. Still, Carnival Island is an enjoyable game that feels as though it is well suited for its target audience.
