Happy Action Theater
On the surface Happy Action Theater may look like a collection of Kinect mini games but in reality that label does not do the game justice. While Happy Action Theater features 18 different activities to participate in, most mini games have objectives and punishment for failure. Happy Action Theater has neither. It is also missing an opening navigational menu screen and many other staples of modern gaming. What Happy Action Theater does offer is a bold creative experience that challenges the current definition of what a video game is.
In essence Happy Action Theater is more of a toy than a video game. When you present a child with a toy they will create their own way of having fun, regardless of the intended purpose of the toy. Even when presented with an accessible game like Kinectimals or Kinect Adventures, there are still barriers to the child having fun. Particularly with a young child, an adult will need to navigate a menu or provide explanation for the activity. From the moment you boot up Happy Action Theater your child will be ready to have fun. Instead of a start menu the first activity begins right away.
What follows are eighteen different activities that not only keeps children active but allows them to creatively experiment. Happy Action Theater never explains what to do in each activity, letting children delve into the game environment and experiment with their surroundings. While I would normally complain about a lack of context or objective in a game, Happy Action Theater is not that kind of game. Happy Action Theater gives children a creative outlet to decide how they want to play.
Another way that Happy Action Theater is so accessible is that it strips out many of the annoyances of typical Kinect games. The game doesn’t pause if you’re not standing at the optimal distance from your TV. If you happen to move too close or walk out of sensor range the game just continues. The Kinect sensor will not need to recalibrate when another player jumps in, instead the game just recognizes them and immerses them in the experience.
The interesting thing about Happy Action Theater is the way that it immerses the player into the experience. In most Kinect and motion control games the player interacts with the game world. Happy Action Theater interacts with your world. It recognizes inanimate objects like a coffee table or a couch and uses them as part of the game. One activity features snow fall which will begin to pile up on a couch or table until the player decides to clear it off. Another activity has pigeons landing on objects within range of the Kinect sensor. An element presented in Happy Acton Theater that I have not experienced with any other Kinect game is the field of depth.
Objects that appear on screen will fill your playing environment. The objects do not simply register on a 2D space but will exist in front, to the side and behind the player. My favourite activity sees the player as a giant monster that destroys buildings in a black and white movie. The player is surrounded by destructible buildings and is being swarmed by fighter planes. The buildings behind the player do not simply serve as a background but can be destroyed by the player kicking or striking them. Happy Action Theater does not simply apply a game overlay to your play area; it creates an entirely new environment.
While Happy Action Theater’s core experience is controller and navigation free they have included some smart elements for children and parents to utilize. Each activity can by skipped by pressing RB or the player can go back to the previous activity by pressing LB. If the player enjoys the current activity and doesn’t want to cycle to the next, pressing A will pause the activity rotation and let them continue to play with the current activity. Pressing A once more will resume the activity rotation.
The 18 activities are very different from one another. There is an 8 bit activity that is reminiscent of space invaders, a trippy kaleidoscope, and even a disco dance party activity. Each player will no doubt have a preferred activity and may simply want to play it over and over. Double Fine built in an activity selector that can be accessed by performing the Kinect guide motion. The activity selector menu is set up like a director choosing different acts of a play, a smart nod to the concept of being a theatre. Selecting a particular activity is very easy as your hand controls a giant spot light as opposed to the small on screen reticule in other Kinect games.
Happy Action Theater ignores many of the contrivances and staples of gaming but embraces creative experimentation that leads to an experience that is pure fun. While it may be geared towards a younger audience, anyone who steps up to play will have a fun time. Any barriers to gaming that still exist with Kinect have been broken down by the team at Double Fine with Happy Action Theater.
