Detective Barbie
Genre(s)Mystery, Adventure
Developer(s)Gorilla Systems Corporation
(Carnival Caper and Vacation Mystery)
Runecraft
(Mystery Cruise)
Publisher(s)Mattel Media/Mattel Interactive
Original release1998-2000
First releaseDetective Barbie In the Mystery of the Carnival Caper!
1998
Latest releaseDetective Barbie: The Mystery Cruise
November 20, 2000

Detective Barbie is a series of three mystery themed point and click adventure games starring the character Barbie. The series consists of Detective Barbie In the Mystery of the Carnival Caper! (1998) Detective Barbie 2: The Vacation Mystery (1999), and Detective Barbie: The Mystery Cruise (2000). The first two games were developed by Gorilla Systems Corporation and published on the PC by Mattel Media/Mattel Interactive. The third game was developed for the PlayStation by Runecraft.

History

The games were sold with pink-and-silver Barbie PCs.[1]

Detective Barbie In the Mystery of the Carnival Caper! was the 9th top-selling computer game at 13 software retail chains representing 53 percent of the U.S. market for the week that ended December 5, 1998.[2]

Plot

Detective Barbie In the Mystery of the Carnival Caper!

Ken went to a local carnival and volunteered for a disappearing magic trick and now he can't be found. It is up the player to locate him.[3] Tasks include gathering clues in specific locations of the park, solving puzzles, and playing mini-games.

Detective Barbie 2: The Vacation Mystery

Team Barbie Detective (Barbie, Ken, and Becky) solve a mystery regarding a series of antique jewels that have been stolen at Lighthouse Cove hotel.[4] Players can use the Barbie GamePad to play the game.[5] Clues are on different locations each new game. Clues bring Barbie closer to solving the mystery and make her find puzzle pieces that contains a mysterious message on the back once fully assembled.[6]

Detective Barbie: The Mystery Cruise

Announced on November 20, 2000, this was a two-player game.[7][8] The premise involves Barbie investigating the disappearance of artworks from a cruise ship.[9]

Gameplay

In the case of the computer games, the entire game has a standard point-and-click style controlled via a mouse. Players move Barbie to a new location by moving the mouse to the edge of the screen, where the cursor will turn into a big pink arrow. Players click on hotspots to interact with them, while interacting with characters to uncover clues.[10]

Critical reception

Detective Barbie In the Mystery of the Carnival Caper!

Richard Cobbett of PC Gamer said the game had neither glitz nor glamour.[11] SuperKids said "persistence, patience, and good directional abilities" were required to solve the case, instead of logic and deductive reasoning skills.[12] Russian website 7Wolf wrote that the graphics were simple, but that it was a good game for girls to unite around.[13] Michelle Regna, writing for Buzzfeed, said the best part of the game was its rides, such as the "Tunnel of Love".[14] Drew Dakessian of Wired said that the game "enabled me to live out my girl-gumshoe dreams."[15]

Detective Barbie 2: The Vacation Mystery

SuperKids thought the game may be too difficult for young players, and recommended that people with short attention spans should stay away from it.[16] The Boston Herald thought the game wasn't innovative but that it would still provide hours of entertainment,[17] though it did describe the game as one of the "hottest new releases" in the children's interactive software space.[18]

See also

References

  1. ^ Michael White Associated Press (December 18, 1999). "KIDS' PCS SHIP LATE; POST-HOLIDAY DELIVERY LIKELY". Daily News. Archived from the original on 2017-03-15.
  2. ^ "Bestsellers". The Washington Post. December 21, 1998. Archived from the original on March 15, 2017.
  3. ^ English, Susan (November 1, 1998). "NEW COVERAGE WOULD BENEFIT MANY PARTNERS". The Spokesman-Review. Archived from the original on 2017-03-15.
  4. ^ "PLAYERS CONQUER ISLANDS". The Cincinnati Post. February 29, 2000. Archived from the original on 2017-03-15.
  5. ^ "Girls Just Want to Have Fun This Holiday Season And You Can Help With Barbie Electronic Gaming Accessories". PR Newswire (press release). November 23, 1999.
  6. ^ "YouTube gameplay video showing the puzzle pieces". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-03-06. Retrieved 2021-03-05.((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. ^ "Mattel Media Reveals Detective BARBIE: The Mystery Cruise for PlayStation At Retail Stores Nationwide". Business Wire (press release). November 20, 2000.
  8. ^ "Mattel Media Stuffs Stockings With Name Brand Hybrid Toys and Electronic Entertainment Products". PR Newswire (press release). November 14, 2000.
  9. ^ Henning, Alex (September 21, 2020). "The Horrifying World of Doll-Based Video Games". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  10. ^ "MEGA MIRROR: BARBIE POSER.(Features)". 1999-04-24. Archived from the original on 2017-03-15. ((cite journal)): Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. ^ Cobbett, Richard (March 22, 2014). "Saturday Crapshoot: Detective Barbie". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2017-03-14.
  12. ^ "SuperKids Software Review of Detective Barbie". SuperKids. Archived from the original on 2021-11-04. Retrieved 2017-03-14.
  13. ^ "Обзор "Detective Barbie Platinum ( Kravchuk )"". 7Wolf (in Russian). January 9, 2002. Archived from the original on 2007-03-09. Retrieved 2017-03-14.
  14. ^ Regna, Michelle (Dec 9, 2015). "21 Barbie Computer Games You Totally Forgot Existed". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 2017-03-14.
  15. ^ Dakessian, Drew (March 2, 2021). "The 'Girl Games' of the '90s Were Fun and Feminist". Wired. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  16. ^ "SuperKids Software Review of Detective Barbie 2: The Vacation Mystery". SuperKids. Archived from the original on 2000-05-24. Retrieved 2017-03-14.
  17. ^ "Games hold clue to Barbie's appeal; Barbie Detective 2: The Vacation Mystery. Mattel Media, $30. Windows 95/98. For age 5 and up. 2 1/2 stars.(Arts and Lifestyle)". 2000-02-20. Archived from the original on 2017-03-15. ((cite journal)): Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  18. ^ "Electric ideas". 1998-12-08. Archived from the original on 2017-03-15. ((cite journal)): Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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