Review: Disney Illusion Island
When a game like Disney Illusion Island puts “Illusion” in its name, it immediately evokes a rich legacy of Disney platformers.
Growing up, I wasn’t exactly a Disney kid. I had nothing against the mouse’s house, I was just more interested in mascot platformers with tragic backstories. Regardless, I loved the heck out of so many 16-bit Disney platformers. Games like Sega’s Castle of Illusion didn’t engage me because of the license, but because they offered their own unique spin on the world of Mickey Mouse. I still remember how Castle of Illusion could effortlessly transition from feeling whimsical, to mysterious, to kind of ominous when it wanted. Heck, it did all of that in the first world!
To its credit, Disney Illusion Island does not wear the “Illusion” brand lightly. Though it bares little similarity to Sega’s seminal title, I could tell how much the developers at DLALA Studios wanted to create a game that could sit alongside the greats in Disney’s video game canon. In some respects, Illusion Island accomplishes this goal. I just don’t think I’ll reminisce about it 30 years from now.
Disney Illusion Island (Switch)Developer: DLALA Studios, Disney GamesPublisher: Disney Electronic ContentReleased: July 28, 2023MSRP: $39.99
Illusion Island starts on an unexpected high note. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy meet up for a picnic on the titular island, each believing the event was planned by someone else in their crew. But just as many afternoon outings go, the picnic was not planned by friends, but by a race of hamster people who are in desperate need of help. It turns out that calamity is imminent for said hamsters if they don’t collect some magic books, and they need help from heroes who can do the job for them.
Natu
Read more on destructoid.com
