Disney Tsum Tsum Festival Offers Tsum Fun, But Has Its Limits

The Nintendo Switch is gradually becoming a home for minigame collections. Super Mario Party, though it has limited boards, is Nintendo’s major offering. Sega has Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. A number of other developers have stepped up, with Harmonix supplying Super Beat Sports and Kaj Forell Video Game Brand’s Super Sportsmatchen on the system. Now, Bandai Namco has another, the family friendly Disney Tsum Tsum Festival. This one is clearly targeting younger gamers and perhaps Disney fans, with 10 minigames to choose from. However, there are some issues keeping it from being a perfect way to spend some time.

As with all minigame collections, not every game in Disney Tsum Tsum Collection is created equal. Some are better than others. While personal preferences will come into play, it is a situation where some are also better designed than others. Ice Cream Stacker is similar to Wii Play: Motion’s Cone Zone, though it lacks the Arzest Corporation game’s challenge. Round ‘n’ Round Run is generally a fine obstacle course, though it is better with multiple players getting in the way. Bubble Hockey is one of the more challenging games, as it is akin to Alleyway. Spinner Battle is a Beyblade-like battle top game that is quite challenging when played alone. Tsum Rhythm is, well, a very basic rhythm game with six songs. Tsum Tsum Mania is an unremarkable shooter. Tsum Chase is a take on Pac-Man, albeit one lacking the Pac-Man Championship Edition refinements. Tsum Curling is, well, curling. Egg Pack Coaster is a motion-based game that is more about keeping your reflexes intact and hoping the Joy-Cons register your movements, Finally, there’s Tsum Tsum Puzzle, a Nintendo Switch version of the mobile game that is one of the strongest in the collection, albeit you rely on RNG for success and it can be an incredibly brief affair. In general, Bubble Hockey, Round ‘n’Run, Tsum Chase, Tsum Curling, and Tsum Tsum Puzzle would be most worth people’s time.

There are definite elements working in Disney Tsum Tsum Festival’s favor. All of these games are fairly short, so people can hop in and out with easy. They’re all easy to pick up and play, so it won’t be too difficult for people who are inexperienced to perform as well as people who are more familiar with games or older. It also has a tour mode for two or more players, with four different “festival” options. Each takes you through a set number of games and tells you how long it will last. Tour Mini Mini 3, for example, has three random games and lasts ten minutes. Tour Mori Mori 7 has people spend 25 minutes with seven games. You could even go Tour Doki Doki ?, with a random number of games that could last three to 25 minutes. It’s well organized. 

But, it isn’t all good. The constant switching of control schemes for Disney Tsum Tsum Festival can be very frustrating. You have single-player options that would allow you to play alone and either try to get a leaderboard spot or complete missions, but you always have to use a single detached Joy-Con for almost every game. Some have it held like a traditional controller, with the occasional motion controls like for Egg Pack Coaster or Ice Cream Stacker, but there are ones like Tsum Curling or Tsum Rhythm, which implement motion controls and have you holding them vertically. Almost every one that brings in gyroscopic elements sacrifices accuracy as a result, especially Tsum Rhythm.

Another downside is that earning new Tsum Tsums is taxing. There are 100 available in Disney Tsum Tsum Festival. A Present Balloon that guarantees you a new character is 10,000 coins. After going through each minigame once, I had under 5,000. A round of the best game, Tsum Tsum Puzzle, can only earn you a few hundred coins. Completing some early missions can only get you a few hundred. The Lost Treasure Coin Pusher game is another means of attempting to get a new Tsum Tsum at a lower price, but it is like those Chuck E. Cheese coin pushers filled with tokens that never paid out. Considering how many Tsum Tsums there are and the target audience, a lower price point would have a better idea.

Disney Tsum Tsum Festival isn’t perfect. It could have made acquiring Tsum Tsums a little easier, since people who love Disney characters would probably have wanted as many options available at once. Some control schemes are less than optimal too. But, it does have a wide range of options, all of which are easy to pick up and play. It also lets you set up a tour to play through a bunch of games in a row. It will have an audience, likely among Disney fans and children, but it will not be among the best remembered Nintendo Switch minigame collections.

Disney Tsum Tsum Festival is available for the Nintendo Switch.