Developer: Dlala Studios
Publisher: Disney Electronic Content
Platform: Switch
Tested on: Switch
Disney Illusion Island – Review
If you’re already a more mature gamer, you’ll probably remember many of Mickey Mouse’s adventures in the older ‘Illusion‘ games. Disney’s round-eared mouse has been going on impressive fever-dream-like adventures for several decades now, but after a remaster of 1990’s Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse in 2013, we didn’t expect to see any new Mickey Mouse adventures such as this. While technically not part of the aforementioned series, Disney Illusion Island does try to go back to basics with authentic platforming fun, colorful levels, and loveable characters. We put the game to the test, and for the most part, we enjoyed what was on offer.
Story
Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald Duck all received the same cryptic invitation to a picnic on Monoth Island. The group assembles, but they soon find out that the invitation was simply a ruse to lure them to the island, where Toku, who leads the Hokuns, awaits them. Toku needs the adventurous group’s help to retrieve the three Tomes of Knowledge, which have been stolen. These tomes protect the island, and now with them gone, the Hokuns are very vulnerable. The group decides to accept the request, even though Donald needed some extra persuading.
Overall, the story is simple, but the presentation is what makes Disney Illusion Island very entertaining. During key story segments, you’re treated to actual cartoon bits, which does evoke the feeling of watching Saturday morning cartoons.
Graphics
Graphically, Disney Illusion Island looks absolutely gorgeous. The game oozes charm from start to finish thanks to its cast of colorful characters that look as if they came straight out of a cartoon. The animations are extremely fluid, and it’s just so much fun that all playable characters have their own unique animations for their power-ups. The game also has over thirty minutes of actual cartoon footage created specifically for Disney Illusion Island. The only gripes we had with the overall presentation were perhaps that some backgrounds looked a bit bland and that some areas could have done with a bit more enemy variety.
Sound
The game’s soundscape is great. The soundtrack is very upbeat and enjoyable, and the sound effects give just the right feedback for the onscreen actions. There’s voice acting present during the animated segments, but sadly the regular dialogues are not voiced. It would have been great if all dialogues were voiced, as it would have added another layer of charm to the experience.
Gameplay
Disney Illusion Island is a platformer with Metroidvania elements. This means that you’ll be jumping from platform to platform while employing a host of different skills to land difficult jumps, scale walls, traverse through water, and so on. These skills are unlocked gradually and when you acquire a new skill, you often have to backtrack in order to reach new areas. The game does not contain any form of traditional combat. There are boss battles present, but bosses are defeated by completing platforming segments.
Even though the game is a lot of fun when played solo, it’s also possible to play the game with an additional three friends or family members. This does make some segments a bit easier, and it’s just good old-fashioned fun. Sadly, we ran into a few annoyances when playing co-op, as additional players are forced to stay close to Player 1. If other players stray too far away, their character(s) will literally be shoved in an envelope to be mailed to the position of the first player. We felt like a traditional split-screen option would be nice here. Of course, when playing with a total of four players in split-screen, the overall overview might be ruined somewhat. Even so, the current format proves to be a bit annoying at times.
We did find it a shame that there was no actual combat in the game. We somewhat missed being able to bonk enemies on the head during platforming. Luckily, the base mechanics are very polished and there’s a lot of fun to be had when traversing the world of Disney Illusion Island. It would have just been nice if things were a bit more spiced up, especially considering how short the game is. You should be able to beat the game in around six hours, and you’ll probably have collected most of the collectibles at that time as well.
Conclusion
Disney Illusion Island is an interesting platformer that can be played solo or with friends and family, and it simply oozes that authentic Disney charm. The game proved to have solid platforming mechanics, fun story segments, and a cast of very likable characters with the capacity to entertain young and old. Sadly, the game is somewhat bogged down due to the lack of actual combat in the game, making the experience a bit duller than it could have been. That being said, as a platformer this one is still a lot of fun, but it could have been even better.
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