Back in the ’90s, Sega launched a series of games with the Illusion title featuring none other than Mickey Mouse. These titles were fantastic platformer games that saw Mickey and other characters navigate dangerous environments. Many years later, Dlala Studios created its latest Disney Illusion Island game, a throwback to many titles with fresh mechanics, engaging gameplay, a fun story, and a massive dose of nostalgia. Our Disney Illusion Island review was great due to these elements, which proves Mickey and the gang are ready to take on new adventures.
Disney Illusion Island Review: A Great Starting Point for Platformer Players
Before we start the Disney Illusion Island review, we need to be clear that it isn’t necessary to play any of the old Illusion titles. You can pick up this game and start playing it without the issue of missing parts of the story. This title is perfect for those who haven’t tried any platform games and want to get their feet wet. Without further ado, let’s talk about Disney Illusion Island’s gameplay and story and why they make this a fantastic game to play.
Story: A Usual Tuesday for Donald
We knew this wasn’t our heroes’ first adventure ever since we saw the first trailer. Mickey and the gang tell you this when the game begins. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy arrive on the island of Monoth after receiving a fake invitation for a picnic. Here, they meet Toku, the leader of the Hokuns, who tasks our heroes with finding the Tomes of Knowledge. Doing so will prevent a calamity that is coming to the island. As you can see, Disney Illusion Island’s story is simple and nothing out of the ordinary, but it shines in the right ways.
The biggest takeaway from the plot is its humor. Many Disney fans can expect this, but we believe all characters shine perfectly and show their personalities. We have Goofy being, well, goofy, Donald as the grumpy duck we all love, and so on. All these characters are great, and while they don’t change the gameplay much, they have perfectly crafted animations, items, and things to distinguish them.
We can’t forget about the residents of Monoth. Good or bad, all of them are memorable. Mazzy is the tinkerer who crafts the item you need to progress through the story. Jido, the cute little robot that’ll unlock parts of the map, and many more. Each one adds more color to this already beautiful game, something we’ll discuss further in our Disney Illusion Island review.
Gameplay: A Peaceful Metroidvania
Disney Illusion Island has key gameplay elements reminiscent of a Metroidvania game; the most significant difference is that there’s no combat. We kid you not; in all our hours playing this title, there was no combat, which is refreshing. You have boss fights that have you jump on certain things to activate a few devices to hit the boss, but you won’t do the fighting. While this is great, some players might find the lack of challenge bad. However, the game has other elements that make it shine and will convince some of the most hardcore players to stick around.
The game is made for people of all ages. It is quite accessible, and the fact that you can have one of the smoothest co-op experiences is even better. The game lets you play with other three players at any time, which makes the journey more fun. When playing solo, we realized the game would’ve been more enjoyable with other people as there are mechanics that only trigger if other players are around. For example, you can hug another character to gain a heart.
The bread and butter are the other gameplay mechanics of Disney Illusion Island. The game has some fantastically crafted levels that get progressively more difficult as you advance. While it won’t stress you or cause you to ragequit, there’s certain difficulty to all levels, and going off the beaten path will make you face more difficult layouts. Still, we think the game needs more challenge overall. While you can choose how many hearts to have at the beginning, from one to three, the layout is the same, and we’d like to see more enemies or different mechanics to make the journey challenging for all players.
Graphics and Audio: An Audiovisual Delight
One thing that we praise here is how perfect the art style and music are. Some people might not like the design of Mickey and Friends, but they fit so perfectly that you forget about it. The backgrounds are perfect in every sense, and even if you change biomes, they all look organic and never out of place. The colors are so easy to the eye that they help to identify where you’re at, especially if you forget to open the game’s helpful map. Besides that, the new characters are unique and memorable, and even after playing the game, I remember each one of them as they stuck around, thanks to their lovable designs.
The audio is as nostalgic as it can get. Anything you can expect from a Disney game is here in terms of music, making exploring every part of Monoth a treat. Plus, the boss fights have their tracks, which improve as you progress through the different stages of the boss scenarios. It is impressive how Dlala made some of the most memorable music we’ve heard in recent years that evoked memories from our childhood days.
The best thing of all is the animation. As we mentioned, Mickey and Friends have the same gameplay mechanics. Mickey clings to a wall with a pencil while Donald uses a plunger. Yet, the great part of this is how every character feels unique, thanks to the animation team. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy have never been animated this well in a 2D video game, and seeing them jump, run, and swing in the game was a visual treat. Our hats off to the people behind the animation of this game.
Conclusion: A Memorable and Accessible Platform Game
We want to conclude our Disney Illusion Island review by saying this title has smooth gameplay, a fun story, and fantastic animation. However, it lacks challenge, which might deter some from playing the game. While this title lets you tailor some options to make it easier, we still think it needs more tweaks to make it challenging during everyone’s first run. Still, it is a delightful game that is full of nostalgia and hits the right spots for those who love Metroidvania titles and are looking for something to sink a few hours into.
Disney Illusion Island launches July 28 on the Nintendo Switch.
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