Detective Barbie

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.

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

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 2021-11-04.
  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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