A clock tower whose grinding gears keep switching the perspective. A micro-scale bonus level set in a swirling tea-cup.
MICKEY MOUSE AND THE CASTLE OF ILLUSION SERIES
A series of false platforms solved by referring to the true reflection behind them.
It’s stylish, it moves well, and every stage is packed with character and gimmicks to uncover and enjoy.
Castle of Illusion isn’t close to Rayman-level artistry, but its looks and personality easily earn its Disney logo. Everything benefits from great art and at least a little 3D though, with flat routes now able to curve around towers, follow train tracks, and other well-implemented effects. Older segments be can a mite bland if you have no emotional connection to their original versions, but the new stuff around them is surprisingly seamless. The actual game is a strange mix of old and new, with lots of specific level design copied outright, but expanded on every axis – the action mostly being 2D with polygons instead of sprites, but with the camera regularly zooming out into the third-dimension proper for bonuses, some set-pieces, bosses, and the Castle itself, which has now been upgraded from a few humble doors to a shameless copy of Peach’s place from Super Mario 64. Unlike the intrusive story of Duck Tales Remastered though, CoI’s plays behind the action rather than constantly interrupting it, and the narrator shuts up when returning to levels to sweep for collectibles. And, well, that’s about it, with the added detail in this remake limited to little more than a narrator on hand to constantly add comments like “Mickey bravely continued through the castle.” This narration can get irritating after a failed jump too many on a specific section, and contributes little. Mickey of course races to rescue her, content from the title of this game that at least he knows exactly which castle his princess will be in. Castle of Illusion is one of the most harmless games I have played in a long time, and for a change that works in its favor.The premise (“plot” would be a little strong), is that Minnie gets captured by the witch Mizrabel – the Queen from Snow White working under a different name – to have her youth and beauty siphoned off. A must-have for fans of the original, for fans of platforming games, and for parents who need a safe game for kids with no violence or sexuality. The game is very short, so I feel that future DLC would be a great idea. The atmosphere and cheer generated by Castle of Illusion make it the perfect Xmas game, I think Sega could have made it a bigger hit releasing it closer to December, or at least offering an Xmas-themed DLC.
MICKEY MOUSE AND THE CASTLE OF ILLUSION FULL
Grant Kirkhope's fairy tale score is full of cheerful melodies and compliments the visuals perfectly. The level of detail in the levels is astounding, though, strangely, it feels more like a remake of World of Illusion (which I prefer) in many parts. The levels are 2.5D recreations of the Mega Drive counterparts all with a warm narration which makes it feel like a bedtime storybook as well as a cartoon. Mickey follows Mizrabel into the Castle of Illusion where he must work his way through the many floors collecting diamonds to create a rainbow bridge to Minnie's prison cell. Mickey and Minnie are enjoying a picnic when evil witch Mizrabel kidnaps Minnie and plans to use her to regenerate her youth. The magical world created for this remake is so magical and enchanting it feels like a Disney cartoon that you control.
Castle of Illusion is one of the classics from the Mega Drive era and was ripe for re-imagining in high definition.
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