Let's start with the hurtle that every takeover must pass: does the public actually want these characters on CP and do they appeal to a large audience? The answer to both is a resounding yes. Pixar appeals to every single demographic known to man and the petitions for this party from fans go back to the first few months of 2015. So, yes, indeed, Joy is no Violetta.
With that out of the way, we get to the main meat of the party. Perhaps where this party shines brightest is with the story. Sure, it's no epic battle between good and evil with great plot twists, but it is a solid effort. For the first time in takeover history, Club Penguin didn't just absorb the property they were dealing with and put it on the screen; rather, the team took a fresher approach and used the characters and concepts of the movie's world to suit their own storyline. While the team could have gone deeper into the ideas dealt with in the film, this plot is a perfectly passable one that may not be worthy of standing ovation, but does at least deserve a small round of applause.
Meanwhile, we move onto the quests for the party...and this is where things start to get hairy. The objectives the party sends you on are repetitive and aren't particularly challenging, but the hidden items are at least placed with a little more class than Frozen's infamous snowflakes were and the tile game isn't so simple that it is insulting. Additionally, the mildly entertaining commentary from each character keeps things at least somewhat interesting in the very short time it takes to complete each of the objectives. It could be better, but, as we've seen, it could be a whole lot worse.
Music is another mixed bag, though it looks good at face value. Sure, every room has a different melody, but all of it is either recycled or pulled right from Michael Giacchino's score for the film. And, while I do fully support using some of his fantastic music from the film to further sync the film's atmosphere with the game, it's always nice to hear new CP music, which is such a rare occurance these days.
The design of the party is another area full of obvious pros and cons. First off, each of the emotions is almost perfectly realized in penguin form by Club Penguin artists and all of the items at the party are well designed and instantly recognizable for those who have viewed the film. While there are some missed opportunities in my opinion (TripleDent gum? Jangles the Clown? Riley and her parents?), each of the items that were picked are pretty good choices.
On a related note, the rooms at the party were pretty inventive, though, again, I feel like more could have been done. Only one regular room was decorated and only six were created for the party. Additionally, each of the personality islands could have been expanded. The subconscious could have explored Rockhopper's fears, but, nope, we're stuck with a very simple room. Want to go into the Dream Production studios and explore? Too bad; there's nothing more to see.
And, really that's the whole problem with this party: it deserves to be bigger. There are so many ideas from the film that could be adapted and result in a lot of fun. Friendship Island, as seen in Riley's mind in the film, could have been full of Yarr related memorabilia for a really interesting room. The control pad in the main room could have displayed the 2012 Rockhopper-Squid animated short when clicked. The concept of abstract thought could have been transferred for a completely unique CP experience. The memory dump could show tons of forgotten Club Penguin items from the past. The train of thought that was touched upon in the film could have acted like the souped up Migrator from Rockhoppet's Quest and carted us to each island. There's so much more potential that this rich and creative film lends itself to.
But here's the really disappointing part: Club Penguin had more than a month longer than usual to work on this party and refine it due to their decision to dump missions in June and act like it was fresh content. However, even with that extra time, this party is smaller than most.
While most parties offer several hidden easter eggs that involve clicking on objects to manipulate them, this party has a grand total of one (Click on the emotes after you finish all of the quests and you'll see what I mean). To add to this, this party has virtually no replayability (aside from those two transformations --- which are pretty cool); you can't even replay the small "Unblock Me" game if you want to.
Now, compare this to the decent 2015 Fair, which offered tons of party rooms, decent "room interaction" with hidden functions and tons of games to replay over and over again to get all of the items. See, it doesn't really stack up.
And, yet, you can tell that the team actually cared. For example, each of Rockhopper's emotions wear a pirate hat with a skull and cross bones stitched on it that mirrors their attitude. Additionally, as you go through the quest, you'll hear little sound bites from each of the emotions that come directly from the voice actors who brought them to life in the film. There was some passion and consideration put in here, but apparently, once again, there weren't enough resources or work days to provide a truly layered and satisfying experience.
That is why I have a love-hate relationship with the Inside Out Party. This party really tries to be something special - and it has no wait times or intrusive puffles to boot! - but is too small to really get the job done. That doesn't mean it shouldn't return, though! These characters are going to become classics and I have a feeling people will want to see them again. A second go around could give the team the opportunity to expand the event and really make it something worth celebrating. I'm sure Joy could agree with that.
Score: 7/10
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