Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus

In the GBA version, players watch a short clip of Wenlock threatening Annika and Brietta, then turning their friends and family into statues. He also turns Brietta into Pegasus, a flying horse.  Annika has to use the magical Wand of Light to reverse the enchantment. These statues are all around the houses and lands, and Annika must locate all of them and use her wand to turn them back into people, before the enchantment will end.

This is a simple platform game where players will direct Annika from ledge to ledge, finding statues and transforming them. Annika has a magic wand, which serves the dual purpose of changing the statues, and also giving Annika the power to float and hover in order to get to higher levels. As in most platform action games, Annika has a health meter, which can be damaged by enemy hazards. If her health is low, there are a few health power-ups hidden in the levels which will boost her health. If her health is too damaged and she expires, she will return to the beginning of that particular level. The easy mode allows players to have unlimited health.

Annika’s wand is the action in this game, and has four additional powers besides the transformation function.  These powers are awarded throughout the game, in the different worlds Annika traverses. They allow Annika to jump higher, float, melt ice and turn enemies into flowers.

In each level, Annika’s main job is to find all the statues and transform them. A few side quests involve finding keys and using them to unlock doors, which in turn opens up a special mini-game.  Once a mini-game has been unlocked, it can be played any time in the arcade menu. There are lots of mini-games, but they are just variations on two themes: Ride Pegasus through the clouds and gather items, and use Annika’s wand on blocks to make them disappear and allow her access through them.

The graphics are well done, and match the movie nicely. Everything is pastel, of course. There isn’t much to look at in each level, though, as the environments are sparsely decorated with not many items in the houses, and not much shrubbery outside.

Well, there’s not a whole lot else to say about this game. Basically, each level is pretty much like the other, with players moving Barbie around from ledge to ledge, toggling between the special powers of the wand to gain access to various areas. Once Barbie finds a statue, she turns it into a person, and that’s that, folks. The mini-games are simple and not much fun, with really only two games available, as they are all just slightly different from each other. The plain and boring look of the levels doesn’t help any, either. There is a costume area where players can choose different costumes for Annika, but this doesn’t add anything much to the gameplay.

It’s a shame this game is so yawningly boring, as the design and presentation is actually better than many of the kids’ games I’ve looked at lately. The game is designed for young players, and features easily avoidable enemies and a great “jumping” system combined with the wand’s special powers.  The use of the wand allows Annika to float either very high straight upwards, or to hover in a sideways manner.  This movement is smooth and flawless, and Annika will almost always hit her target ledge. The youngest players can choose the Easy difficulty level, and never die, which is great! And, Annika can really jump, which is a welcome change from many GBA games.

However, despite the good programming, there just isn’t any fun gameplay.  Everything is repetitive, and most kids will get bored and stop playing fairly quickly. Parents will probably want to think twice before purchasing this game.  

Gameplay: 6
The gameplay, while designed well, is very boring.  Nothing fun going on here at all.

Graphics: 6
The graphics that are there are well done, but there isn't a lot there.

Sound: 7
The music is the best feature of this game and is pleasant to hear.

Difficulty: Easy
The game is very easy, as it’s designed for young Barbie fans.

Concept: 6
There is nothing new here at all.

Overall: 6
The best designed game in the world isn’t worth much if it isn’t any fun to actually play. Kids will tire quickly of this game, as there just isn’t much to do except wander around from ledge to ledge, turning statues into people. There should have been more variety in the levels, with more puzzle solving and some type of collectables. There are costumes that are earned during the game, but they don’t add anything to the gameplay.