Despite the inclusion of the new Kinect with the sale of every Xbox One console, the necessity of the device is still heavily questioned among game fans. Voice commands and hand gestures can be used to navigate the console, but gamers are split on whether these features justify the peripheral’s inclusion with the new console.
The value of the device certainly hasn’t been demonstrated for video games. Other than Ubisoft’s newest Just Dance and the poorly-reviewed Fighter Within, Microsoft’s Zoo Tycoon was the only launch game available for the Xbox One that made extensive use of the Kinect. Even the upcoming Kinect Sports Rivals appears to be little more than a collection of minigames released months too late to show off the Kinect’s capabilities for the Xbox One launch.
It is into this environment that Disney will be releasing Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved. Developed by Harmonix, the game puts players into the world of Disney’s Fantasia movies, allowing them to direct the action and music in tandem.
Disney today released a new preview for Music Evolved (presumably named to indicate that it is the Halo of Kinect-base music games). The preview shows off what is to be expected out of any gameplay trailer for a Kinect-centered game: a lot of arm flailing.
The game world previewed in the video is called “The Hollow.” As shown in the video, players will be able to interact with the level using gestures to change lighting and interact with characters or the environment. This is followed by a conducting music game featuring the classical music the Fantasia movie are known for.
Worries about the Kinect aside, it does appear that the imaginative art and animation Disney is known for has made it into Music Evolved. Since the game is not an Xbox One exclusive, the title could even find a large audience among Kinect adopters for the Xbox 360.