Pap the
Disney Gamer's Highlights:
Mickey's Great Adventure in
Tokyo Disneyland (Japan Only)
Developed by: TOMY
System:
Super Famicom

In the past we
have covered games based on the
famous Disney theme parks, such
as
Adventures in the Magic Kingdom
for the NES,
Walt Disney World Quest: Magical
Racing Tour for the
PlayStation and Dreamcast, and
Kinect Disneyland Adventures
for the Xbox 360. The
attractions and stories the
Disney resorts tell, along with
the iconic landmarks and their
place in pop culture history,
make for some truly inspired
video games (and other forms of
media as well). Japan's Tokyo
Disneyland is no exception to
the rule, featuring a game
bearing its legacy: Mickey's
Great Adventure in Tokyo
Disneyland. But before we move
onto the game, let's learn a
little bit about the resort.

Tokyo Disneyland
first opened in Japan on April
15, 1983, making it the first
ever international Disney theme
park. Since its opening, it has
added a brand new park (Tokyo
DisneySea), brought forth a very
popular Disney character (Duffy
the Disney Bear, now appearing
at the two American Disney
resorts) and countless popular
attractions, both original and
classic. The park is unique in
that it wasn't built by Disney
themselves. The Oriental Land
Company built and currently
operates the park, obtaining the
Disney license for usage. The
Tokyo Disneyland resort looks
very similar to the Magic
Kingdom in Orlando, Florida, but
with the best elements of the
Disneyland resort. And with that
piece of history with us in our
mind, let us look at the game
based on this famous theme park.

Mickey's Great
Adventure in Tokyo Disneyland
(or Mickey no Tokyo Disneyland
Daibōken as it is known in
Japan) tells the story of how
Mickey Mouse is looking forward
to spending a day at Tokyo
Disneyland. But upon arrival, he
learns that not only has Pete
kidnapped his friends, he has
taken over the park! Now it is
up to Mickey to travel to the
different lands and defeat Pete
and his goons once and for all.
The game is
unique in that it is the first
Disney theme park based game to
actually star Mickey Mouse.
Mickey has appeared in many
video games, both under his name
as well as the Disney franchise,
yet this is the first time he is
the playable star of a theme
park based game.
Mickey also
plays differently from his
previous video game appearances.
While he can run and jump like
in past side scrolling game
appearances such as
Mickey Mania, he employs a
new mechanic that remains
exclusive to this game. Mickey
wears a backpack with a hose
attached to it. Mickey then uses
two kinds of balloons, a blue
and a red. The blue balloon
works as a projectile attack
used to fend off enemies. The
red balloon allows Mickey to
temporarily float across gaps
and fly quickly.

Along the
journey, Mickey will travel
through levels all based on
famous attractions seen at the
Tokyo Disneyland Resort, such as
Pirates of the Caribbean, Big
Thunder Mountain Railroad,
Splash Mountain, the Haunted
Mansion, and many more. The
presentation of these
attractions as levels may not be
as lavish or as historically
accurate as in other video
games, yet the essence of these
attractions shine through thanks
to bright and colorful graphics
and elements and scenes taken
from the attractions (such as
the famous portraits seen in the
stretching room of the Haunted
Mansion). In total there are six
levels.

FUN FACT:
The game features a level that
takes place inside Cinderella
Castle. It is based on a past
attraction called Cinderella
Mystery Tour where guests would
take a tour inside Cinderella
Castle. The story behind that
attraction was that the villains
have taken over the castle,
leading guests through horrific
scenes that are unlike the
original Disney story would
suggest. This emulates how each
castle at the different resorts
would have a different
attraction or service within its
corridors. Sleeping Beauty's
castle in Disneyland has a
walkthrough that tells the story
of Sleeping Beauty, while
Cinderella Castle in Orlando,
Florida features a restaurant
(Cinderella's Royal Table), a
boutique (the Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boutique),
and a super exclusive Dream
Suite. Nowadays, the castle at
Tokyo Disneyland features a
walkthrough that tells the story
of Cinderella.
The game,
however, isn't perfect. Players
that have been given the
opportunity to experience it
have claimed that the jump
mechanics are off in some cases,
and switching back and forth
between the balloons can be
tedious. Even with its faults,
however, Mickey's Great
Adventure in Tokyo Disneyland is
a really captivating take on a
Disney theme park. Despite its
promising appeal, due to its
connection to the Japanese theme
park, the game failed to make it
overseas. The game does remain
to be one of the most
fascinating attempts at bringing
a foreign Disney theme park to
digital life, making it a rare
video game import worth looking
out for.