So, my dearest Poptropicans,
Today was a weird day. Not like talking cats weird… more like meeting a chipper little boy who takes selfies with immortal gods and hangs out with identical spies kind of weird. These bizarre antics and more are captured in this new Poptropica Worlds trailer:
Well, this video is certainly… interesting. Clearly, one of the aspects that stands out most here, for better or worse, is the running dialogue narrated by an excitable young child named Manfred who’s writing to Balloon Boy about his adventures on Poptropica Worlds. Since Poptropica has never been one to use voice acting, this change has definitely perked some ears.
From the sound of the kid’s voice, the video sets a very clear vibe of being something that hopes to appeal to children. And while Poptropica is a game targeted to kids, there is also an older player base around, many of whom grew up with the game from when they were children, for whom the attempt to appeal is lost in the childlike voice acting.
A commenter on the video, Messy Wolf (WonderfulFilms), writes that “the voice acting was a little bit overdone and catering to a much younger demographic.”
However, another commenter, Kenzie Backlin, had a different opinion, suggesting that “they should do voice acting for all characters.”
Whatever your thoughts on the kid’s narration, we’ve also got the rest of the video to look at. Something that’s more of an unequivocal observation among Poptropicans is that the animation continues to impress, in keeping with the Poptropica style with perhaps more detail than before, especially with the Worlds-style avatars. Good stuff!
Another element that’s important to take note of is the actual content being displayed in the trailer: namely, the islands. We see the boy, Manfred, writing his letter on his desk in his house on Home Island, where he also spins the daily wheel and decks out his place, which he calls his “clubhouse.”
Anyway, could this letter-writing business be a sign that the currently unreleased “Inbox” feature on Worlds is soon to arrive? And that we get to send messages to Balloon Boy, who’s up in the stratosphere? It’s nice to see his presence continued in Worlds, at least.
We also see Manfred run through the other islands currently on Worlds, Crisis Caverns and 24 Carrot. However, he also meets Zeus on Mythology Island, which exists on Poptropica Original but not Worlds – could Mythology be the next island? And perhaps more curiously, how did he get the irritable Zeus to smile for a selfie?!
Beyond that, there are a couple more that are not so familiar: in one scene, a “phantom” colored in pitch black jumps out at him from what appears to be a stage. In another, a horde of spies appears, then disappears in the next moment. The background is that of Zomberry Island with a side of a soundstage from Back Lot, but these characters don’t appear anywhere in the original game, suggesting that these will be brand new islands.
Anyway, what do you think of the new Poptropica Worlds trailer video? What islands are you looking forward to next on Worlds? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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