There’s some minor level repetition, but the introduction of new enemies and other threats keeps the challenge up. This is where the game kicks off, with the first door revealing a forest locale that slowly transforms from a bright and colourful forest of sentient mushrooms to a creepy haunted wood complete with ghosts for Mickey to jump around and explore.ĭuring the journey, Mickey also plunges into a life-sized toy box, a castle, and a land made entirely of cakes and other kinds of sweets.
He meets and has a quick chat with the castle’s true owner and king, discovering that in order to defeat Mizrabel he must find the Seven Gems of the Rainbow within the various rooms of the Castle, that disguise themselves as various mysterious locations. In this game, the player takes control of Mickey Mouse (shocking, I know) as he is forced to enter the aforementioned Castle of Illusion in order to rescue Minnie Mouse from an evil witch named Mizrabel, who wants to steal Minnie’s youth for herself. In between the ferocious (and, looking back, hilarious) console war between Sega and Nintendo, and the rapid advancements in gaming technology and design, came a little game called Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse.Ĭoming during what could be considered as the best era for Disney games, not including Kingdom Hearts or the smattering of fantastic titles on the original Playstation, Castle of Illusion stands out even arguably amongst The Lion King or Aladdin for quality.
More info GenreĬastle of Illusion is a complete re-imagining of the 1990 Mega Drive/Genesis side-scrolling adventure featuring new gameplay mechanics.The 90s were a great time for games. This review was conducted using the Xbox 360 version of the game. The controls do need some work, but while Castle of Illusion is high on mechanic problems, it's even higher on whimsy. Even if you hold no affinity for the original title, this version will likely make you nostalgic for something.Ĭastle of Illusion is a solid remake all-around, offering a unique vision of the core design that will give fans something fresh to delve into while modernizing the experience for newcomers. He has the ability to make music that's simultaneously playful and grandiose, and his work here is magnificent. Even better, Sega employed Grant Kirkhope, who wrote the music for games like Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong 64, to remaster Castle of Illusion's soundtrack. The completely redesigned hub world, which has Mickey exploring a witch's castle and using amassed collectibles to unlock doors, feels like something out of a Nintendo 64 game. The game also succeeds in feeling like a faithful homage not just to the Genesis original, but to old-school platformers as a whole. On the other hand, it certainly never runs out of steam along the way. On one hand, Castle of Illusion won't last you very long. That the game can be completed in less than three hours is both a curse and a blessing. The game also leaps from one eye-catching set piece to the next-outrunning a giant apple here, swimming through an ocean of tea there-so quickly that it's never dull. But the game finds its rhythm in a big way during the game's last few levels, when you must outmaneuver enormous books and mace-wielding suits of armor.
"Castle of Illusion won't last you very long."įor a while, Castle of Illusion's primary source of challenge is wrestling with the controls.