Magic Castle Online Guide: Part I - How to sign up and create an avatar.

Hi Disney Guys and Gals!

Today I'm starting Part I of my "Magic Castle Online" Guide. Today will be all about how to sign-up for an avatar and I'll also explain a little about the purpose of the game.

What is Magic Castle Online and why would I be interested?


MCO is a RPG where you can create a very kawaii avatar and explore the world within MCO. There are currently four worlds within the game and a fifth being added in early August. These worlds are; Castle Town (basically where your avatar lives) which also has a Castle and Downtown Square attached (more info later), Monsters Inc World which is pretty much like a set from the Pixar movie of the same name, a Pirates of the Caribbean World which is, again, like a set off of the movie and with elements of the theme park ride, too. There's also Stitch World, which looks like the town in which Lilo and Stitch live. In August, a fifth world, 100 Acre Woods, is being added but I'm not too sure of what it'll look like just yet - more news as it's available! In addition to these worlds there is a Nightmare Before Christmas World which, I believe, is only accessible between October and December to fit in with the film.

So, you basically have a goal in the game and that is to collect all the cards. It's a card collecting game, but you don't trade or fight with the cards Pokemon style.. you just receive and collect cards through completing mini games and talking to certain people. You can also buy many adorable costumes and clothing for your character and have your own room in which you can put furniture. It's a very cutesy kawaii game.

Sounds interesting? Please read on to find out how to sign up.. with a character name that won't make millions of Japanese think..wtf? (I saw someone who thought the Japanese "alphabet" was simply backwards from the "american" one... they tried to write their name and ended up with a name that, in Japanese, meant utter gibberish) I'm here to save you from that embarassment and also to make sure you set your country to "rest of world".

Disclaimer: All of the content in this post came from the Magic Castle Online site. I do not make any claim to owning these, this is merely a guide on how to enjoy the site if you aren't fluent in Japanese.

First of all visit this site..

You should see a page like the one above. Click on the box circled in red to begin. You'll then be taken to the page below..

I assume that many of you will want to know how to write your own name in Japanese, so I'll cover that. First of all, visit this site and type your name in the box, then choose sans-serif and click. Basically, you should be told how to write your own name in Japanese using their alphabet for foreign words. Go back to the Disney site page and click the button circled in the picture... You then need to find the symbols that make up your name by looking at the name site and at the available symbols on the sign-up page. It really is a matching game, really. Any problems, or if you want a Japanese name, let me know what it is! Once you're happy with your choice, click the underlined word...

After that, you'll see the above page. You can change the following three features, Hair, Face and Clothes. Not too difficult, just click the arrow to go through them. Once you've decided, click the underlined again to continue....

This bit is the most complicated part and to save alot of difficulty, I've simply marked on what is best for you to put in the drop down boxes. So, from the top; where you live. Simply go to the very bottom of the box and select the two symbols that look like the ones circled in my picture above. This means "Foreign Country", ie, Non-Japan! The next one is your profession, but for the ease of signing up, simply put "Other" by selecting the word I have circled in my box. The third box is Age range. So simply select your age range from the drop down. Ok, fourth is your favourite Disney character. Once more, I've simply selected "Mickey Mouse" here, but if you want to know your favourite character's name, leave a comment and I'll see if it's there. The next box is a secret question incase you forget your password. As always, please select the same as the one I've selected, this is "What is your Mother's Name?" (We all have Mom's so.. I thought this best!) And write her name in the box. Once you're done, click the underlined part again....

This is easy enough, enter your password and then retype. Has to be between 4-8 letters long. Once you're done click the underlined to continue...

This is just a confirmation page. If you're happy with your set-up, click the underlined to carry on...

And this is REALLY important. Write the number down!!This is your membership number that you'll need in order to log in, so please don't forget it!! Once you've written it down, click the underlined...

Ok, so if you see this it's all good. Click the underlined to enter the Magic Castle and you're all set!!

Once you're in there, chat to a few people and wander around. A lot of it has English on it, like "Solitaire" etc. I'll put up a guide map tommorow of each land. Until then, take a walk around and chat to everyone. Also, play some games to get points and cards.

More to come, hope this helps! I know it might seem like I'm chucking you in at the proverbial deep-end, but the game is pretty simple to walk around and chat. It's not too difficult if you don't understand Japanese, but if you do, you can do alot more.. so I'll be there to help out with that!!

Any questions or suggestions for more posts, please leave a comment!!

xoxo