Disney Mobile
Reviewed on Android (also available on iOS)
Overall Review:
Just about everything that Disney has done recently has focused on the acquisition and marketing of characters. They bought Marvel and LucasFilms. They released Disney Infinity and put dozens of characters on store shelves. They have released multiple mobile games that were all built around Mickey and the gang. They have seemed intent on taking full advantage of their cast and trying to use them to help drive sales. I can’t disagree with the strategy. Its not as though they don’t have great characters to work with.
This makes it all the more peculiar that they would choose to quietly release Disney’s Lost Light on mobile platforms. It is a game that is filled with Disney charm, but is without any of the standard Disney trappings. There are no Mickey ears to be seen here.
We are treated, instead, with an adorable hand-drawn squirrel that looks like he might have gotten pulled from a scene with Sleeping Beauty. Our squirrel friend is along for the ride with us and helps to celebrate our success and lament our losses. He isn’t quite an avatar. We aren’t necessarily supposed to “be” the squirrel. But, he is a charming companion none the less.
Disney’s Lost Light is a touch screen puzzle game that will look familiar to anyone who has had a smart phone. Small bubbles rise from the bottom of the screen, each with a number in the center. Players are tasked with swiping across the different bubbles to link them (and have them grow accordingly). Bubbles are cleared when groups of matching bubbles equal in size to their corresponding number are all touching (two bubbles labeled “2,” three bubbles labeled “3” and so on).
The opening stages are very forgiving and spend a lot of time teaching and reinforcing the basics. As the game progresses players will experience different challenges that help to prevent the game from getting stale.
Family Gaming Assessment:
There is nothing here from a content perspective that should concern parents. The game involves popping bubbles on a forest backdrop and watching a squirrel either celebrate or be sad.
No one should be concerned here.
Playability Assessment:
This is a very challenging game. Players need to be able to recognize numbers and patterns very quickly and will need to adapt to the rising bubbles as they come. Children may grow very frustrated depending on how well they do with this genre, so you will want to watch them with this one until you are comfortable that they will be graceful in defeat.
Conclusion:
Buy it if you and your family enjoy the genre. It is hard to turn down a game of this caliber that is only $1.99.
