When it comes to the Disney brand there have been many opinions expressed about the current state of the company and the many properties it owns. However, regardless of their opinions about their recent projects I do believe that the company has been able to create some projects within that frame that have been successful and entertaining due to some of the studios who created them. With this game starring the iconic mascots of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy that should hopefully mean that this game would have as much care and creativity as possible. Let’s jump into what should hopefully be a magical experience with Disney’s Illusion Island.
The story of Disney’s Illusion Island is that Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy are each invited to a Picnic on a mysterious island only to discover that neither of them were responsible for sending out the invitations. They are then greeted Toku the leader who admits to tricking them into coming to his village. He tells the four heroes that their village is in dire need of their help because three of their mystical Tomes were stolen and that they need them to bring them back otherwise unspeakable calamity would ravage their island. Now armed with only their optimism and some magic words Mickey and his friends must travel to the three biomes and retrieve the stolen mystical tomes before it’s too late.
The overall gameplay is very simple. 1.) move around using the left stick. 2.) Press the B button to jump and press it again after acquiring the boost jump ability to jump further. 3.) After progressing through the story a bit the player will acquire a tool that will help them wall jump which is done by pressing the B button after jumping onto a wall. 4.) There is also the ground pound ability which is activated by pressing the Y button and toggling the left move stick down at the same time. There are multiple abilities that can be unlocked throughout playing the game that each help the players gain access to new areas.
The design of the game is very reminiscent of the classic/modern Mickey Mouse cartoon designs. Each character and biome are designed to look and feel like the player or players are in a magical world. The cutscenes especially are very much reminiscent of a modern day Mickey and friends cartoon which makes them even more fun to watch.
The game can either be played alone or with two or three other players. There is no required amount of players when playing this game because it is meant to be a fun adventure that can be either played alone or shared with either friends or family.
When it comes to the platformer game genre there are usually some games that come to mind when comparing Disney Illusion Island to others. As I was playing I couldn’t help but draw comparisons to other platform games like the early Mario games because of this game being a side-scrolling adventure game. However after playing a bit longer this game is definitely more along the lines of a Metroidvania type game than a platforming game. This genre is used to describe an action/adventure platformer game that features a large interconnected map that can be explored as long as the player has a specific item or tool to access the next area. However because this is a Disney game there are some drawbacks to it when compared to other games in the genre. For instance there is no combat in this game which might turn off a lot of players who are used to these types of games having some sort of combat mechanic. Even though this game is marketed for everyone to play, the lack of some kind of fun combat mechanic, even if it isn’t very flashy, can have an impact on player’s interest in continuing to play after their friends leave or family gets tired.
When it comes to the locations each biome is very different and equally massive. The biomes of Disney Illusion Island are each very unique from having mystical gardens to having underwater regions. This world is massive and filled with many secrets and locations to unlock and explore which can either range from fun and adventurous to dull and a bit of a waste. This world is centered primarily around platforming with each area having different platforms and ways to traverse with some of these areas being locked behind doors or areas that require and item that hasn’t been unlocked yet. There are enemies within this game but they are all enemies that need to be avoided because there is no combat mechanic.
Overall playing this game regardless of its lack of combat can be fun and enjoyable for anyone who seeks to step away from violent or competitive games. This is a good game to play with friends or family especially with younger children and it can also be a relaxing experience for those in need of a break in between major release titles.
Overall rating: 8 out of 10
Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch