Magical Dreams is the game form of one of Disney’s most beloved movies, Cinderella. However, while the film had all the makings of a classic, its counterpart does not. With dull and repetitive gameplay, as well as an adventure that lasts hardly as long as a television program, Magical Dreams, in a sense, falls flat.
Magical Dreams allows you to play as Cinderella, the Fairy Godmother, two mice called Gus and Jaq, and Cinderella paired with the prince in varied forms of gameplay. At times, you’ll be traveling through the woods doing chores, and at other times you’ll be attempting to evade and save yourself from a cat named Lucifer. You’ll help the Fairy Godmother transform everyday objects into royal and grand objects, and when Cinderella arrives at the ball, she’ll dance with the prince while falling in love.
The game’s downfall, however, is the layout and objectives of the different levels. Too often you’ll find yourself performing mundane and seemingly useless tasks that will quickly become tiresome, such as feeding horses and catching apples to open gates. Each of the levels for the various characters are structured basically the same, forcing you to play the same scenarios a few times over. Lastly, the characters can be hurt, and therefore lose part of their health, by apparently harmless objects and animals. Cinderella will be harmed by stray rabbits, as well as moving scarecrows; Gus and Jaq will be injured by pieces of moving fruit and rolls of string. In the end, nearly everything adds up to a dry and monotonous journey.
Concerning the graphical aspects of the game, Magical Dreams doesn’t slip up too badly. Though some of the environments are slightly blurry, and many of the facial features of the character models are almost indistinguishable, the visuals more or less get the job done. The sound, on the other hand, is one of the few things that Magical Dreams gets right; the music, while not containing many tracks, fits the game very nicely.
Magical Dreams’ strongest weakness is its length. The entire game can be completed in around half an hour, which is extremely short even by the standards of most children’s games. Even with extras such as clips and still images from the movie, the game’s value turns out to be, quite frankly, dismal.
With lackluster and dull gameplay, coupled with a length that’s much too short, it’s difficult to recommend a purchase of the game even for younger children, unless they plan to replay the game a large number of times. That being said, it’s recommended that you don’t put on this glass slipper.
