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Ballerina
This one is definitely for the younger girl gamer and if they have
dreams of ballet and dancing, then Let’s Play Ballerina for Wii
will allow them to experience the virtual dream of becoming a ballerina.
In the game, players take control of a 12-year old girl whose life
ambition is to become a renowned ballerina but just like life, you need
to overcome a variety of challenges in order to meet your goals. The
game is quite reminiscent of those teen musical dance movies and to
really throw a cliché into the works, your character even has a crush on
one of the dance academy’s most skilled dancers, the heartthrob Nathan
who also plays a mentor in the game.
With such a tricky premise behind the game, gameplay is of course the
key element to Ballerina and interestingly enough, developers Deep
Silver have managed
to create a successful and virtual dancing game that is not cheap nor
condescending to children. The main element of the
game however are the various mini-games littered throughout the story and in
order to truly understand the ballerina experience, it is advisable to
have a Wii Balance Board because it assists in truly connecting you to
the world of ballet and becoming a great prima ballerina. Not only does
the game teach younger games some basic ballet moves, these are used in
conjunction with the balance board and wireless controls to perform some
interesting manoeuvres which mimic real-world ballet moves.
But the game is not all about dancing and what better way to keep the
interest of girl gamers by allowing your character to dress up with a
variety of outfits and even do some basic makeup and hair styles.
Needless to say, there are lots and lots of costumes to pick and scroll
through. But dancing is still the primary mode of play for your virtual
dancing queen.
Thus, once
you have perfected some of the basic skills in the game, you will need
to engage with other virtual ballerinas and like those clichéd dance and
singing teen movies, there are other students who would find it quite
satisfying to see your character fall.
Speaking of falling, with the balance board, at times,
the game did remind me of Wii Fit and considering the current epidemic of
obesity in the world, it’s great that the developers get the kids
moving. Rhythm plays a big part in some of the games and by getting your
timing right, this will assist in keeping up with the moves displayed on
the screen.
Even though some of the mini-games are a little simplistic and the dance
moves quite easy, this game definitely suits the younger game and those
girls under 10 will have a treat playing it. My 8-year old niece
couldn’t get off this game and interestingly enough (not that I’m
complaining), it’s become part of her gaming collection as she vows to
become number one. The more you practice, the better you will become in
performing these ballets moves and eventually you will be the ballerina
leading some of the ballets such as Swan Lake or Sleeping Beauty.
Graphically, the title boasts this colourful and cartoon atmosphere and
even though the characters are simplistic, their ballet animation works
quite well, making it easy for girls to follow. The environments are a
little lacklustre but it does suit the atmosphere well, especially the
different places you visit in this dance academy and stage. The musical score
works well as an ambient track as do the occasional sound effects and it
would have been nice if there was something more in this department.
It’s not bad but it’s not memorable either. However for those classic
ballet stories like Swan Lake, the developers have added some of the
music which makes the whole experience even more quaint.
So how do you review a game designed strictly for young girls? Easy, you
find a reviewer with either a daughter or a relative of the target age
group and try to play it together. At the end of the day, Ballerina is an
interesting game that does offer girls something different besides games
that are generally targeted towards male gamers. In terms of
originality, it’s quite original and links the world of ballet quite
well to the mini-games and the story. If you have a younger gamer in your
family, more specifically a girl who happens to love ballet, than I
suggest you check this out. This may be 6/10 from me but according to
Alexis, it’s a strong 8/10 and so it shall be! |
