The Little Mermaid II: Pinball Frenzy

The Little Mermaid II: Pinball Frenzy

An image of two young women in the lower right-hand corner over an underwater background. The words "Disney's The Little Mermaid II: Pinball Frenzy" are shown on the top, along with an image of a pinball hurtling towards a red crab.

Cover art
Developer(s)
Publisher(s) Nintendo of America, Inc.
Platform(s) Game Boy Color
Release date(s)

‹See Tfd›

  • NA: September 24, 2000
  • PAL: March 16, 2001
Genre(s) Pinball
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

The Little Mermaid II: Pinball Frenzy is a video game developed by Disney Interactive Studios and Left Field Productions and published by Nintendo of America, Inc. for the Game Boy Color. It was first released on September 2000 in North America and was later released on March 16, 2001 in PAL regions. The game features two pinball tables based on the animated films The Little Mermaid and The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, with each being represented by Ariel and her daughter Melody respectively. It also includes sixteen unlockable minigames, and supports up to four players through alternating tables. Critical response to the game was primarily positive, with reviewers praising its visuals and appeal to girls. Some critics questioned the decision to create a title based on The Little Mermaid. The game also received several comparisons to Pokémon Pinball.

Gameplay

A screenshot showing a portion of Melody's table. The interface shows the playfield, as well as the player's current score and amount of remaining balls on the bottom of the screen

The Little Mermaid II: Pinball Frenzy is a 2D fantasy pinball video game featuring two pinball tables. The tables are based on the Walt Disney Pictures' 28th animated feature film The Little Mermaid (1989) and its direct-to-video sequel The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000), with each being represented by Ariel and her daughter Melody respectively.[1][2][3] The game is built on a different engine than those used for the previously released pinball title: Pokémon Pinball and Kirby's Pinball Land.[1] It is played in a top-down perspective, with vertical scrolling.[4] Both tables include "flippers, multipliers, bonus targets, and multiballs", which are standard gameplay elements for pinball video games.[2] Objectives for the tables include performing timed skill shots, earning bonus points, and contending with three balls at once.[1][5] The game incorporates new features absent from Pokémon Pinball, such as ball traps.[5]

The player can adjust the game's difficulty by selecting three of five balls per game;[1][6] they can also set the ball speed to either slow or fast: "Turtle" or "Rabbit".[7] According to CNET, the game has a medium difficulty, and has a learning curve of roughly a half hour.[3] The game has a rumble feature, which vibrates the Game Boy Color when turned on with an extra battery.[1][5] It also supports up to four players through alternating tables.[5] High scores are recorded records, allowing players to compare with friends.[4]

The player can unlock sixteen minigames by gaining points and completing activities. The minigames are divided equally between the tables for Ariel and Melody.[5] They are based on scenes from the films: in one minigame, the player whacks frogs and fish during the "Kiss the Girl" sequence, while the player helps Melody escape from a frozen block of ice in another.[1][7][8] If the player successfully finishes a minigame, it becomes accessible for replay from the main menu.[1] The tables also include other references to the films, such as images of Ariel's Grotto and Ursula's Cave and guest appearances from Flounder, Sebastian, and Dash among other characters.[7] The menus, tables, and minigames each feature a unique background score.[5]

Development and release

The Little Mermaid II: Pinball Frenzy was developed by Disney Interactive Studios and Left Field Productions;[2][8] it was published by Nintendo of America, Inc..[8] Disney Interactive Studios served as a "license holder for externally-developed products," which included characters from Disney and other media franchises. It focused on the creation and marketing of "children's entertainment and learning software" across multiple gaming platforms and with various business.[2] The game was exclusively released on Game Boy Color on September 24, 2000, and was later made available on March 16, 2001 in PAL regions.[1][3][7] The manual included a list of the mini-games and table games, and a glossary of pinball-related terms.[8] The game supported the use of the Game Boy Printer.[9]

According to LifeZette, pinball video games from the first half of the 2000s received "very little anticipation" and success with audiences. LifeZette's Josh Smith wrote that they all relied on a similar formula: "Make it classic, or add popular characters." Titles based on other franchises, such as Metroid and Pac-Man, were also published alongside those for The Little Mermaid.[10] Brett Allan Weiss of AllGame, however, wrote that pinball video games were popular and achieved a status as "a harmless game of skill and chance that can be played by thrill-seekers of all ages and persuasions". Weiss followed this up by saying that the release of The Little Mermaid II: Pinball Frenzy reflected how pinball became a widely accepted activity on the same level of baseball and checkers.[8]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings74%[11]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGame[8]
Game Informer7.5/10[12]
GameSpot7/10[5]
IGN7/10[1]
Nintendo Power7.4/10[13]

The critical response to The Little Mermaid II: Pinball Frenzy was primarily positive, with many video game commentators complimenting its visuals and appeal to girls. It was determined to be a good fit for a female gamer by IGN's Craig Harris. Harris, however, was more critical of the physics of the pinballs, describing the mechanics as "a little on the floaty side" and "not as quick as the previous pinball incarnations".[2] Frank Provo of GameSpot felt the game would be popular with a younger audience, and complimented the vibrant colors of the tables and recreation of the films' soundtracks. The minigames and tables' designs was praised by a writer from Spong.com, who felt the game was a "polished, playable pinball title that deserves checking out.[4] Brett Allan Weiss of AllGame thought the game's multiplayer tournaments and adjustable difficulties encouraged family members to play together.[8]

Some commentators were critical of the decision to base a video game on The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. A writer from GamesRadar considered it to be an example of "sheer exploitation", and felt it was "a game no one asked for, based on a sequel fans hated, representing a genre its intended demographic was too young to remember".[14] Game Informer's Jay Fitzloff argued that the game unsuitable for a male gamer, expressing concern that "owning this title will brand them a pansy for the rest of their elementary school careers". Although Fitzloff called the game a "worthwhile pastime", he argued that it was not worth the possibility of being bullied at school.[12]

Critics have also frequently compared The Little Mermaid II: Pinball Frenzy to Pokémon Pinball. Gamekult.com's Usul wrote that The Little Mermaid II: Pinball Frenzy had a superior design and richer gameplay experience to Pokémon Pinball.[6] Craig Harris expressed a preference for the previous Nintendo pinball releases.[2] The game was described as a remake of Pokémon Pinball by Frank Provo, who expressed disappointment at the absence of Pikachu and other Pokémon. Brett Alan Weiss argued that the cute visuals of The Little Mermaid II: Pinball Frenzy was derivative when compared to other pinball games. He followed this up by the game would primarily appeal to young girls, while experienced pinball players would prefer Pokémon Pinball.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Harris, Craig (September 29, 2000). "Disney's The Little Mermaid II: Pinball Frenzy". IGN. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Disney Interactive Studios". GameSpy. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 "Disney's The Little Mermaid II Pinball Frenzy (Game Boy Color)". CNET. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 "Disney's The Little Mermaid 2: Pinball Frenzy - Game Boy Color". Spong.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Provo, Frank (March 15, 2001). "Disney's The Little Mermaid II Pinball Frenzy Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Usul (April 3, 2001). "Test de The Little Mermaid II : Pinball Frenzy" (in French). GameKult. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Disney's The Little Mermaid II: Pinball Frenzy". Nintendo. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Disney's The Little Mermaid II: Pinball Frenzy". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014.
  9. ↑ Calvi, Felipe (January 29, 2012). "Plug and Blast: Game Boy Printer" (in Portuguese). Nintendoblast.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2016.
  10. ↑ Smith, Josh (August 31, 2015). "Pinball Then … and Now". LifeZette. Laura Ingraham. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Disney's The Little Mermaid II: Pinball Frenzy". GameRankings. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016.
  12. 1 2 Fitzloff, Jay. "Platform: Game Boy". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on March 15, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Disney's The Little Mermaid II: Pinball Frenzy". Nintendo Power. Vol. 136. Nintendo. September 2000. p. 112.
  14. ↑ GamesRadarChrisAntista. "The Disney games you forgot existed". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016.

External links

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