Gaming - Diva Starz: Mall Mania - Review

Publisher: Vivendi Universal Interactive | Developer: Digital Illusions Canada | System: Game Boy Color | Year: 2001 | Region: USA | Rating: E

While toys nowadays have begun to fall out of favor among children for tablets, back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, electronic toys were all the rage. Toys that had robotic elements, voices, and interactivity beyond movable joints were big. Mattel would try to capitalize on this for a female audience with their Diva Starz line in 2000. Diva Starz were electronic dolls that could talk, respond to what outfits were put on them, which accessories they were given, or communicate with one another to share hot gossip. The line was popular, but only for a few years, as MGA would launch their Bratz line of dolls, which became the new big thing. (I actually remember Bratz pretty fondly.) Naturally, during their popularity, Vivendi Universal Interactive would acquire the rights to publish Diva Starz games in order to capitalize on this trend.

The game Vivendi would publish, developed by Digital Illusions Canada, was Diva Starz: Mall Mania for Game Boy Color, released in 2001. This game was clearly made in a rush, given the sparse content. The game sees the four Diva Starz go to the mall, where they must prepare for a fashion show. There are six minigames you must play with each of the four girls, with each girl’s journey getting progressively harder. Don’t be confused, the Diva Starz do not dictate the difficulty, it doesn’t matter who you choose first, second, third, or fourth!

The gameplay is mind numbing. One stage has you on a scooter driving to the mall collecting items to progress. On easy it’s a complete bore, and on the hardest difficulty it’s barely a challenge. Once at the mall you can choose which of the five spots you wanna hang at. Each one is a different minigame, and each one is bland and boring. One game is a terrible dance game where the button prompts seem like they’re doing a rhythm game thing, but it in no way lines up with the music. There is a terrible game where you find your missing pet in a maze. A very basic puzzle game with ice cream, another game sees you trying to get accessories in the dumbest way imaginable. Don’t even get me started on the stupid guess and check fashion game, it makes me wanna slam my Game Boy Color down because it’s so inane.

With, like, a single music track, and visuals that don’t really appeal, it’s blindingly clear the developers had little time, care, and gave little effort. Games specifically marketed for girls in this era were atrocious, and Diva Starz: Mall Mania is vapid, uninteresting, soulless, heartless, and a complete waste of a Game Pak. If you grew up with this game, I’m deeply sorry for your loss.