Review: Frozen Fever Party

2014's Frozen Party shouldn't have been bad.  Club Penguin had been given the rights to an incredibly strong and beloved franchise.  There was a wealth of possibilities for costumes, rooms, and storylines.

But a lack of work time - or a surplus of laziness - prevented those great possibilities from becoming reality.  The property was mismanaged, with strange decisions, demeaning quests, pointless wait times, no story, and too few rooms.

So, with such a "successful" first round, of course Club Penguin had the brilliant idea to bring it back.  But could the few tweaks the team even bothered to make save this filler party from the same fate?

Being Club Penguin's first ever true "copy and paste" party, Fever does better than one would probably expect.  Sure, there are still too few rooms.  Sure, there's still no story and the setup is lame.  Sure, waiting for the exact same ice castle and Elsa performance was even more pointless than the first time.   Sure, there is still a feeling that there is a lot more potential.  But there are some improvements this time around that ensure that the party doesn't completely crash and burn.

Case in point: remember when I specifically pointed out how much I hated the Dock's cramped and messy castle room at the first party?  Well, that ugly sore is gone this time around, having been replaced by a far more appealing castle entrance and a party room featuring a detailed and spacious castle interior.  Of course, these are the only rooms that aren't carbon copies from the first party, but they are something.

These new rooms also provided us with something else: lots and lots of pins.  While some claimed it was overkill, I personally felt that these pins added to the experience; despite the fact that no attempt was made to hide these collectibles, I still feel they were the best part of the party, as no one expected them to show up.

Other updates for this party were less exciting.  The new costumes are uninspired remakes, the new pink igloo feels almost exclusively accessible to girls, and the slightly smaller snowflakes still offer no challenge.  Even with these complaints, I do have to say these steps forward are better than nothing.

These little points that differentiated the first party from the second aren't enough to make this a great party.  However, they ensured that this party still could be a little fun for veteran players.  Club Penguin gets a pass this time, but if they make a habit of this, there will be no reason for praise.

Score: 4.5/10

(The original Frozen Party received a 4.  For that review, click here.)