Petz Fantasy Sunshine Magic

Review

Common Sense Media says

Charming game counters repetition with cuteness.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

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Kids say

AGE
5
QUALITY
 

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that PETZ FANTASY SUNSHINE MAGIC is part of a two-game set (the companion title is Petz Fantasy Moonlight Magic)  that allows young players to raise pets on their Nintendo DS. In this virtual world, players are trying to keep the fantasy Petz secret from their parents. The flipside is that players are required to care for the pets, paying attention to cleaning, feeding, and entertaining the pet. The title is actually a series of mini-games that are often repetitive, but have rewards in place. It is a game that should delight younger players with the overall tone and look.  

  • Positive messages1
    Most of the messaging revolves around the responsibility of caring for a pet. However, this is a mixed bag as the user in this game (the player) is raising a pet without permission from his or her parents. If the player is playing with the Petz, and the parents come into the area, the Petz will change into an inanimate object to avoid detection.
  • Positive role models1
    Feeding, cleaning, and playing with the Petz to keep them happy is a big element of the game. It puts the onus on the player to do these things, thus promoting responsible behavior. However, the player is raising these pets in secret without telling their parents.
  • Ease of play2
    Generally, the game is very easy to understand with straightforward instructions. However, the overall formula is repetitious. Some elements, though, are not as cut and dried. After winning a gold medal in the mini-games to unlock a new Petz, the game provides you with a code that is redeemable on a site, which the game says is detailed in the instruction manual. Actually, the DS must connect to the Internet to travel to the page where codes can be redeemed and at the time of this review, that Web site was not working on the DS system. The game will also allow players to scan special bar codes to unlock costumes and this can take several attempts to do before the code is recognized.
  • Violence & scariness1
    There are some mini-games that involve dodging obstacles, like fireballs or falling icicles, and if they strike the Petz, the character will blink rapidly, a life is lost and the level will reset. If several lives are lost, the mini-game ends. There is no actual harm to the character itself.
  • Language0
    Not applicable.
  • Consumerism2
    The game is linked to the Petz Fantasy Moonlight Magic NDS title, and the Petz franchise as a whole. Children may wish to collect the other Petz available in the Moonlight Magic title, or to explore the other Petz games as a result of this title, but there is no overt references to either in this particular title.
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What's it about?

In PETZ FANTASY SUNSHINE MAGIC, players can collect up to 20 pets to play with, feed, and clean. They can also enter a Magical World where they can play mini-games to earn enough points to attain a gold medal and unlock another Petz. There are costumes to dress the Petz in, and new skills to unlock that make the mini-games more challenging. The skills fall into four categories: fire and ice (both used in launching missile attacks in the mini-games), speed, and flight (used in racing-style mini-games).

Is it any good?

 

The creatures are definitely cute and the game is kept light and easy. The only areas where the game tends to bog down is when trying to find a way to register the game and redeem codes online. Petz Fantasy Sunshine Magic is definitely for younger players and that age group may not mind the repetitious nature of this title. This is a wash-rinse-repeat style of game that will slightly increase the challenge of the mini-games, but still keeps its target audience firmly in mind. The focus seems to be on making certain young players succeed and enjoy caring for these fantasy Petz. There is a companion title with 20 different Petz called Petz Fantasy Moonshine Magic.

Online interaction: Players can go online to redeem codes to unlock new costumes for the Petz, but the DS could not connect to the Web site to either register the game (and parents will need to register with the Petz page at Ubiworld.com in order to access the various elements) or redeem the codes. The process is not easily accomplished.

Explore, discuss, enjoy

  • Families can talk about responsible behavior, such as caring for pets, and irresponsible behavior, such as doing things secretly that have not been approved by parents.

  • Families can also talk about how some games are actually promoting a product line.

  • They can talk about understanding the limits on the time spent playing games

  • They can also discuss Internet safety and, in particular, why kids should not sign up on web sites without a parent being present.

This review of Petz Fantasy Sunshine Magic was written by
Kid, 8 years old
October 27, 2011
AGE
5
 
pets fanisty aftrnoon magic
this game is great for kids that are 5 yeas old.
What other families should know:
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (6) | Had useful details (5) | Read my mind (5)
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Kid, 10 years old
August 17, 2011
AGE
4
 
PETS are cool
This game is cool .
What other families should know:
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (4) | Had useful details (6) | Read my mind (6)
Flag as inappropriate 
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This review of Petz Fantasy Sunshine Magic was written by
Platforms:Nintendo DS
Available online?Available online
Genre:Mini-games
Developer:UbiSoft
Release date:October 4, 2010
Price:$29.99
ESRB rating:E for Comic Mischief (Nintendo DS)
This review of Petz Fantasy Sunshine Magic was written by

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