Disney Illusion Island Review

Disney Illusion Island

Release: July 28, 2023
Publisher: Disney Games
Developer: Dlala Studios
Genre: Platformer, Reviews, Switch Reviews
PEGI: 3
Comments:

 

Comment

Back in the 90’s and early 2000’s, licensed games were all the rage and back then there also was a plethora of of Disney themed games featuring numerous franchises such as Lion King, Aladdin, Duck Tales and so much more. But perhaps none were as more iconic as the ones featuring our favorite mouse and figurehead of Disney Mickey Mouse. This time he brings along some friends for a Metroid Vania platforming extravaganza.

Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy arrive on Monoth Island, expecting a picnic. They discover a giant bookshelf and meet Toku, leader of the Hokuns creatures, who admits to inviting them for a fake picnic.

Toku seeks their help to recover three stolen Tomes of Knowledge that protect the island. Aspiring to become heroes, Mickey and his friends accept the mission. During the search, inventor Maddy provides them with new abilities to unlock new areas.

They retrieve the Tomes of Engineering, Botany, and Astronomy by battling against three bosses in different biomes. After each battle, Mickey’s team cast a spell taught by Toku that turns defeated enemies into stone statues.

The game play focuses heavy on the platforming, as you play throughout the game and explore more of the map you begin to unlock abilities for your characters which allow you to explore new areas that were previously inaccessible just like most metroidvania games.

You can choose to play as any of the four characters who have their own unique animations and style, however they all play exactly the same and have the same capabilities so it’s purely your preference there. There is no sort of combat involved here, it’s purely about avoiding enemies and obstacles even in boss battles, they are simply more advanced platforming that utilizes the environment to overcome the boss.

The map is pretty large and what you would expect from this type of game and spans over four different biomes, so it doesn’t feel same-y as you go along your way. Co-op can be a lot of fun and chaotic, as players die or fall off the pace of the player 1 they turn into letters and float around until tagged and then they are able to jump back into the fun. There are numerous difficulty levels including an invincible mode for the little ones who might want to accompany you on your adventures.

The animated cutscenes are quite awesome and charming, they definitely fit the vibe of the Disney animation quality and style of the newer stuff they have been doing with Mickey and friends. There were no performance issues at all on the Nintendo Switch in handheld mode or docked. The voice acting was professionally done as well.

Where the game comes up a little short for me is it’s quite easy for a Metroid Vania style game, which is fine ultimately because I believe the goal here was a family centric game vs one for the try-Hards out there.

The other thing that got to me after a while was, I did get a little bored of the whole get to point A (there is a locked door) find three keys and go back to point A and move on, then ten minutes later you hit the next door and have to do it all over again. After the 5th or 6th time, I was begging for a change of pace.

All in all, the game really shines in where it counts, animation and voice, gameplay, fun and family friendly. This is definitely one to try out with the family and have just an overall fun and charming time. The developers said they have tons of ideas for other Disney-centric games, so I’ll keep my eyes out as this was very well done.

Trailer