Interview: Preparing Disney Magical World 2 for the Switch

Animal Crossing-likes found new life in recent years. This meant an influx of similar titles. It also meant the return of Disney Magical World 2, a Disney character-filled life simulation, on the Nintendo Switch with an Enchanted Edition. To help better understand what went into this new version, Siliconera spoke with Producer Sanae Honma about the game.

Jenni Lada: When did development on the Disney Magical World 2 Enhanced Edition Switch port begin?

Sanae Honma: We started talking about it about a year and a half before the release, and after that we had to coordinate with the licensor and the development company, so I think the actual development period was less than a year.

What sorts of challenges did you face when taking a game from the 3DS to the Switch? How involved is the process?

Honma: Since I was in charge of the Switch version, and the development company was a different one from the 3DS version, I started by gathering information from that time and analyzing the inherited data. In the early stages of development, we soon hit a wall and things didn’t go quite as planned, but with the help of the members of the team at the time, I think we managed to proceed as planned.

On the 3DS, Disney Magical World 2 sometimes felt like it would push the limits a bit. How did the Switch port help eliminate issues?

Honma: Since we were making the game with a higher resolution, we had to worry about the capacity problem in the later stages of development. A large reduction would have affected the overall impression of the game, so we checked the backs of objects and backgrounds that were not visible to the player, one by one, and made careful adjustments.

The visuals are very obviously changed and the game is completely running on a single screen. Are there any other, less obvious changes you added to help improve the quality of life in the Switch version of Disney Magical World 2?

Honma: Beside the visuals and one screen, all the DLC is included in the game. It contains about 100 items that were distributed in stages for promotions at the time, and will be given to players as they progress through the game. Players can use cute outfits and interior decorations from early on, so they can enjoy the game in their own style.

A few visual glitches can come up while playing. How will the team support Disney Magical World 2 post-launch?

Honma: We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We are currently preparing a patch to fix the problem, which will be released at the beginning of this year.

All of the DLC from the 3DS version is included in the base game. During the development process, did you consider attempting to add additional worlds as new DLC?

Honma: I believe that the original concept of the 3DS was once completed with “2″, so this time we didn’t add any DLC or worlds, but focused on high-resolution and single screen so that Switch users and Disney Magical World fans can enjoy the game without stress.

Given the sudden popularity of life simulations during the pandemic, how do you feel that will affect Disney Magical World 2 now?

Honma: I expect it to have an impact. Although life simulation games had already been established as a game genre, I believe that the pandemic has spread the appeal of this genre to people who have never played it before, and I feel that this genre will attract attention from a wide range of people in the future.

Would you consider working on a Disney Magical World 3? If so, which additional Disney films and properties would you most want to incorporate if licensing and the approval process wouldn’t be an issue?

Honma: I myself love Disney, and enjoy the films, goods, and parks every day. If there is a next series for this game, I would like to create more opportunities to interact with the characters since they are very attractive as well as the story.

Disney Magical World 2 Enchanted Edition is available on the Nintendo Switch. The original Disney Magical World 2 is available on the Nintendo 3DS.