Barbie Project Friendship – A Friendship-Filled Adventure For Younger Players Coming This Autumn

Last year, we were amazed at the appearance of Barbie’s iconic 1950s Chevrolet Corvette in Forza Horizon 5 and her super sweet special guest appearance in Candy Crush Saga [74]. This year, a video game starring Barbara Roberts from Malibu and Barbara Roberts from Brooklyn has been announced while those on the gritty and barbaric side of gaming either guide Lara Croft on her darkest journey yet or hunt her and three other survivors down in Dead By Daylight [14] [20] [47] [70] [71]. The history of Barbie games has been decisive with the negative receptions of the Barbie game for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Barbie: Explorer as quite notorious examples of infamy and fond memories of some of my fellow 2000s kids playing BarbieGirls.com, despite its notable issues [32] [34] [35] [55] [62], but it would be quite convenient of a lucky winner of the Barbie-themed Xbox Series S and its own Dreamhouse that were part of the amazingly ambitious marketing of Barbie: The Movie last year to pre-order a copy of the upcoming instalment for the Xbox Series X|S [74] [77]. After encountering Angel Dust and Velvette from Hazbin Hotel drawing their own portraits of the antiheroic radio demon known as “Alastor” and a gorilla looking disgruntled in a Sailor Moon costume [65] [76], let us discuss the full potential of Barbie Project Friendship [44] [45] [47].

C’mon, Barbies! Let’s go party [1]! [44] [45]

The objective of the game is to restore the fun of a community centre under a sky so blue in Malibu [44] [45]. Yes, a Miley Cyrus reference was intended [19]. As you can tell, the game’s graphics are based on the animation style in Barbie: It Takes Two, Barbie: Epic Road Trip, Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams and Barbie: Life In The City [4] [5] [7] [8]. Looking at the way any of the two Barbies construct or sort out a certain thing, such as a load of boxes to unpack and a sandcastle at the beach to build makes me suspect that the control method will be like the efforts to bake sweets as Patisserie Peach in Princess Peach Showtime!; all about the timing [37]. There will be supporting characters to encounter in activities, including Ken, Teresa and Nikki that will be explained a little later [47]. The simplicity and vibrance in terms of graphics and the open-world aspect of the main gameplay remind me of My Little Pony: A Maretime Bay Adventure [3]. Well, both games are developed by Outright Games [47]. The plot may sound quite simplistic with not much of a conflict but since the game is supported by the screenwriter and producer Ann Austen [12] [47], it may still have some of that 3+ charm blooming like a garden of pink tulips [44] [45].

I have a feeling that the open-world aspect of Barbie Project Friendship will not be as big as wreaking havoc in Grand Theft Auto V but can still be as joyfully casual as gathering essences in the Wii version of MySims [26] [44] [45] [53]. [44] [45]

If Club Penguin Island was still around [23] [64], there probably would be a snowcastle building activity for members to try out. [44] [45]

There appears to be a small variety of different gameplay styles to make the experience fairly ambitious, including:

•       A rhythm game that consists of Fortnite Festival vibes as the Barbies rock out on their guitars [31] [44] [45]
•       A tennis minigame that vaguely reminds me of Swing Kings, a minigame from Mario Party 8 [36] [45] [45]
•       A minigame consisting of the objective to power up a bicycle [44] [45]
•       A skateboarding game that seems influenced by the Tony Hawk games [22] [44] [45]

It sounds like other minigames will include making the best ice cream with Ken and perhaps an arcade game tournament hosted by Teresa [47]. Some of these minigames seem to require the cooperation between two players or just one player with a CPU, thus providing some multiplayer mode value [44] [45]. It is understandable why a fellow gamer would prefer to continue the sole focus on the engaging platforming pizzazz inspired by the Kirby series in Gimmick! 2 though [16] [17] [40], considering how much time and effort it would take to ensure the best outcome of each minigame in a party game and chances are that some will be less effective than others [36] [39]. Nonetheless, I can see that there is a lot of trust put into the production of the game, reflecting on the previous experiences in developing titles such as Rainbow High: Runaway Rush and LOL Surprise! B.B.s Born To Travel at Outright Games [46] [49].

This minigame seems to be an example of teamwork a player can try with another player or a CPU [44] [45]. Trust me, I suspect from experience as I recall playing those pair minigames in Wii Party with my sister back in the day [39]. [44] [45]

I also sense some Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi vibes here [54]. [44] [45]

What other features will be in Barbie Project Friendship? There are outfits to unlock and let the Barbies wear [44] [45], including one that looks like an honourable tribute to the plastic starlet’s debut in 1959 [56]. Earning new outfits as part of a rewards system seems rather predictable [44] [45], but I cannot resist such customisation in a game as I love brawling with Princess Peach in her red dress inspired by Pauline and it is understandable why some tomb raiders would try to help the younger Ms. Croft survive in a new outfit based on her classic incarnation named the “Retro Fit” in Dead by Daylight [20] [25] [38] [57]. You can decorate rooms in what appears to be the dreamhouse [44] [45], quite like transforming certain aspects of the rooms of Laura and her family’s residence in Laura’s Happy Adventures [63]. I am already curious about a possible update for the game that will provide new features, much like the “Super Stylin’” update for Bratz: Flaunt your Fashion provided dresses from the Stylin’ Soiree to unlock and the options to take photographs at any of the three locations [43]. Why not welcome back Queen Amelia as part of a “Royal Welcome” update [6]? These customisation options in Barbie Project Friendship provide some element of creativity for creative young minds aside from the importance of establishing decent gameplay and chances are that a future update can elevate the experience to some extent [44] [45].

Several months after the game’s launch [44] [45] [47], perhaps there could be a DLC pack consisting of even more outfits, much like how there was a DLC pack for Bratz: Flaunt your Fashion based on the “Girls Nite Out” line from 2004 that was re-released in 2021 [15] [42]. [44] [45]

Perhaps an update or DLC pack can also provide some new interior decorating options, quite like a stuff pack for The Sims 2, The Sims 3 or The Sims 4 [27] [28] [68] [72]. However, it would not be necessary or it may not be satisfying to some of my fellow gamers as plenty of us recall the backlash against the Katy Perry’s Sweet Treats stuff pack for The Sims 3 [2] [30] [52] [60] [61] [72]. [44] [45]

The credibility of Barbie: The Exhibition has turned High Street Kensington into High Street Ken and the faintly noticeable hype for Barbie Project Friendship is on in honour of the plastic starlet’s 65^th anniversary [13] [21] [33] [75]. Chances are that recommending Barbie: Project Friendship to a die-hard Call of Duty comrade would be like recommending a Nerf gun to Lara Croft or recommending a pizza with a pineapple topping to Angel Dust from Hazbin Hotel [18] [25] [29] [65] [66], but I suspect that it will simply be a decent casual experience primarily aimed at young girls, considering the competence of the casual game developments based on franchises aimed at children from Outright Games [46] [48]. It seems like a fanmade project titled “Barbie Girls Rewritten” that is basically a recreation of BarbieGirls.com has been postponed and in need of help for a while [9] [10] [11] [35], but at least Barbie Project Friendship will be launched for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox X|S and Steam on the 25th of October [44] [45] [47], the same day as the launch of Sonic X Shadow Generations, the anticipated remaster of Sonic Generations featuring Shadow the Hedgehog’s side of the story [58] [59]. Feel free to stick to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Unleashed if you or any young relatives personally consider Barbie Project Friendship too “girly” [50], but ultimately, one’s interests are not based on their gender and you can be a fan of any franchise you love.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Unleashed will come out a week before Barbie Project Friendship and Sonic x Shadow Generations [44] [45] [50] [58] [59], making 2024 an even more ambitious year for Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo aside from their participation in three modes of Fortnite and the launch of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate [41] [73]. [50]

Could there be a blue Barbie Dreamhouse newly built near a lovely flower garden in Minecraft if you happen to be a Minecrafter who also adores Mattel’s plastic starlet in the meantime [51]? On second thought, I am pretty sure that Merryweather’s argumentative magic could be involved [24] [69]… [44] [45]

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Glamourous Gaming Within Promoting Barbie: The Movie

Barbie: The Movie is one of the most hyped films of 2023 with a lot of food-related promotions and so on for marketing it quite memorably and it is in cinemas right now [7] [17] [50]! I adored Barbie and owned quite a lot of Barbie dolls when I was a little girl. Moreover, I fondly remember playing Detective Barbie in The Mystery of the Carnival Caper and Secret Agent Barbie for the PC back in the day [41] [70]. In the present day, I see a lot of potential in the live-action film based on her legacy starring Margot Robbie (who also played the role of Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad, The Suicide Squad and Birds Of Prey [12] [61] [67]) and Ryan Gosling (who also played the role of Sebastian “Seb” Wilder in La La Land [32]) as it must be what the notably flawed live-action Bratz film from 2007 could have been [14] [16] [74] [76], according to some mixed to positive feedback so far [33] [36] [45] [56]. Reflecting on the insane number of promotional events for Barbie: The Movie [7] [11] [17] [50], we gamers have acknowledged a few gaming-related ones [8] [27] [68] [71]. Following my current obsession, let us go party like a gamer in honour of the film’s release while our simmers care for horses in The Sims 4: Horse Ranch [1] [65] [66].

I feel like my childhood has been combined with my adulthood when discussing these gaming-related promotions for Barbie: The Movie [9]! [74] [76] I could smile so much that my cheeks will start to ache as if I were Tour Guide Barbie from Toy Story 2 [64]! Please keep your arms, legs and controllers inside the car and no flash photography. Thank you. [74] [76]

Let us start stylishly with the designs of an Xbox Series S and faceplates for its controller that were revealed in June alongside a collection of dolls based on the characters in the film [6] [77]. For a limited time, the console with a simple but stunningly bold design can be won on Microsoft Rewards with biddings being given to Save the Children in honour of gender equality for the youth [6] [77]. The five designs of the faceplates for a controller that are also prizes for participants are [76]: 

•       A striking hot pink colour [35] [52] [71]
•       Another lovely shade of pink, but with a pattern of little white flowers [35] [52] [71]
•       A colourful tie dye pattern based on Barbie and Ken’s tie dye outfits in the scene that resulted in a meme that trended on Twitter [35] [40] [52] [71]
•       A black and white pattern based on Barbie’s iconic swimsuit from 1959 [4] [35] [51] [52] [71]
•       A white tassel pattern below two white flowers on a coat of black [35] [52] [71]

A mean gamer can use one of the pink controller faceplates on Wednesdays [13] [42]! It is believed that the faceplates and console promoting the new Barbie film are to help the Xbox Series X|S appeal more to young women, even if they are only a limited number of them available for a limited time [6] [71] [76] [77], but regardless of gender, lucky winners can game on with them. 

Separately from the console, the faceplates come in a box with two Hot Wheels toys based on the pink Corvette and GMC Hummer, a compact mirror that resembles a flip phone from the 2000s and a tube of magenta lip gloss from NYX [35] [52] [76]. How the console even comes with its own dreamhouse to be nicely placed in is an impeccable touch [6] [71] [77]. [6]

Speaking of Xbox Series X|S, a few other surprises came along. An update for Forza Horizon 5 that was released a month ago featured a pink 1956 Chevrolet Corvette based on the one Barbie is seen driving in the main Barbie trailer [2] [57] [74] [76], much like how the sixth level of The Simpsons: Hit And Run had a hidden car in a similar colour and style that can be found at the top of Planet Hype [69]. And I thought the Royale from Mario Kart DS was glamourous, especially for those who love to race as Princess Peach [47], but who said only gamer girls would love driving in the pink Corvette? Surely, the Pink Panther would love to steer it in style [49]. There is also a 2022 GMC Hummer EV Pickup inspired by Ken with a vibrant lightning-like pattern on the side available for the game [68] [71]. Outside of gameplay, a diverse collection of ten special edition dolls wearing Xbox-themed and Forza Horizon 5-themed T-shirts and hoodies, including one in a wheelchair and a pink-haired one with a prosthetic leg can be won by fans [71]. Both vehicles will be available to claim in Forza Horizon 5 until this mid-August and the dolls are also a stylish source of promotional value [68] [71].

The dream in FR5 seems real, 
Like getting onto Sheila’s Wheels [54] [55]! [87]

There are not enough words to describe the importance of diversity and representation. A little more on that claim will be expanded on later. [71]

Over a week ago, a collaboration between Barbie and Stumble Guys began [53] [58]. The designs of Ken and the two Barbies who might as well be nicknamed “Malibu” and “Brooklyn” as legendary stumblers in the game’s art style are cute and quirky in an interpretation of the iconic dreamhouse [3]. Ken and one of the Barbies are also seen coated in a purple colour palette in the trailer [58], quite like a version of an Among Us micro figure from a blind bag being completely coated in gold or a tint of green that glows in the dark [63]. They, along with the other Barbie in a sparkly purple palette are available as mythic stumblers to purchase with enough Barbie tokens that are basically the iconic “B” as in-game currency [53]. Some previous collaborations include the one with Hot Wheels back in December 2022 and the one with the raving Rabbids back in March [59] [60], which makes me believe that Stumble Guys might, unfortunately, rely a little too much on crossovers for relevance and popularity like Fortnite in the near future [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [34]. Nevertheless, now that it is available on consoles [75], our stumblers shall strive through bizarre obstacles with Mattel’s bombshell and possibly some more third-party guests later this year and two [53] [58] [59] [60].

C’mon, Stumbles! Let’s go rumble [53] [58]! 
Ah-ah-ah-yeah [1]! [58]

I know what some of you are thinking. The Barbie-themed event in Stumble Guys is not meant to help market and promote Barbie: The Movie as the main doll franchise’s logo is used and none of Barbie’s outfits from the film are worn in the trailer and the event [53] [58] [72], but since it started during the amount of marking for the film [53] [58], it could still technically count as part of marketing it during all the hype. See the style of the logo on the blonde-haired Barbie’s printed all over her top and skirt [72] [74]? [58]

Between the 13th and 20th of July, there was a sugary collaboration with Candy Crush Saga [8] [20] [22] [27], much like how there was an event in the game promoting Sonic the Hedgehog 2 over a year ago [18] [19] [23] [62]. The cartoony interpretation of Barbie’s movie appearance nailed Robbie’s elegantly structured face to a T [8] [20] [22] [27]. It was utterly adorable how Barbie and Tiffi cosplayed as one another in the SS23 announcement video [20], much like how Hello Kitty and Isabelle from the Animal Crossing franchise dressed up as each other on a poster in Animal Crossing: New Horizons [46]. During the event, there were Barbie candies to collect through Barbie quests [22], much like how Barbie tokens are collected in the collaboration with Stumble Guys [53]. Based on the premise of the film [74] [76], the goal of the event was to help Barbie get to the real world, as hinted in the trailer for it [22] [27]. Surely, Candy Crush Saga is so 2012 and 2013 to some of us [39], but I have nothing against those who still find it relevant and rather addicting ten years later, especially if there happen to be some cute and colourful crossovers for promoting a new film [8] [18] [19] [20] [22] [23]. Is anyone up for some pink candy later [21]?

Adorable peppiness overload! [20]

Barbara Millicent Roberts has been an icon for sixty-four years and is now a quirky live-action movie star learning about how the real world works [4] [9] [36] [56] [72] [74]. Despite the criticisms and controversies surrounding her throughout the years [43], she is still adored by doll collectors and primarily young girls today [11] [37]. There are several female video game characters who would seemingly fit in Barbie Land (at first), such as Princess Peach from the Super Mario franchise, Juliet Starling from Lollipop Chainsaw and Catherine from the game with the same name [24] [25] [47] [48] [73]. Aside from that, these gaming-related promotions for marketing Barbie: The Movie are rather outstanding on their own accords [27] [58] [68] [77]. As an autistic woman who loved Barbie as a child, I would be delighted to see an autistic Barbie doll with some respectfully accurate features, such as ear defenders [37], quite like how we were introduced to a Barbie doll with Down syndrome a few months ago [5]. It will not be long until I go and see Barbie Quinn and Ken Wilder travel to the real world and have their mugshots taken [12] [32] [40] [61] [67]. You can be anything, whether you love Barbie or consider her not your thing [44] [72] [74]. No reference to Burdine Maxwell from the Bratz animated series intended [15]. 

Aside from how excited I am for Barbie: The Movie [74] [76], a high-definition remake of Secret Agent Barbie or a direct sequel to it would be an enlightenment [10] [70]. A slightly more easing sound effect for those lasers would be deeply appreciated. [10]

As for the new film based on the plastic beauty’s legacy, I hope Robbie’s experience in playing the role has left a positive impact on her [9] [74] [76], especially after witnessing Harley Quinn break the fourth wall at the beginning of the trailer for the fourth season of the animated series with the same name [12] [26] [61] [67]. Just look at that beautiful pink Warner Bros. emblem! [74] [76]

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