![]() ![]() Though its unwillingness to repeat tricks in order to pad length is one of its greatest qualities, I was left wanting more. I finished the game in just over three hours, and it doesn't have a lot of reason to return aside from collecting gems you missed or rerunning levels as time trials. It felt punitive and frustrating.Ī short running time may be the only element that Castle of Illusion lifts wholesale from the original. But their patterns change slightly after each attack, and on several levels, I often whittled a boss down to one point of health left and then died to a new or revised pattern and had to start the whole sluggish fight over again. They each follow an offensive pattern to avoid until they're open to attack, and take as many as six or seven hits to take down for good. It isn't challenging or groundbreaking, but the game is so open to transformation that I found myself helplessly rapt - and I found I was able to switch from platforming in different dimensions just as smoothly as the game.īoss battles at the end of each level are the only rough patch. The game constantly changes not just how you're viewing it, but what kind of activities you're performing. Most levels will begin as 2D platformers but smoothly shift into a 3D maze or a towards-the-camera chase sequence. the switch from 2D to 3D was a surprising, magical moment for meįrom that point on, Castle of Illusion changes perspective constantly. It was a surprising, magical moment for me, sort of like the first time I watched The Wizard of Oz and suddenly the film switched from black-and-white to color. But when Mickey reaches the castle, the camera suddenly twists around to his side and the controls open up: The game is now in 3D. The first 10 minutes feature the same two-dimensional side-scrolling gameplay that the original Genesis game used, albeit with a sharp visual overhaul. ![]() The game is set up to look like a 2D remake. And that's about as far as the plot goes, with brief voiceovers playing on top of gameplay rather than constant cutscene interruptions. Mickey follows to the titular Castle of Illusion, where he must hunt down seven colored gems to unlock Mizrabel's quarters and save Minnie. Their date is interrupted by Mizrabel, an evil broom-riding witch, who whisks Minnie away to a foreboding tower in the distance. More info GenreĬastle of Illusion is a complete re-imagining of the 1990 Mega Drive/Genesis side-scrolling adventure featuring new gameplay mechanics.Castle of Illusion begins innocently enough with Disney icons Mickey and Minnie Mouse on a romantic outing in the woods. This review was conducted using the Xbox 360 version of the game. The controls do need some work, but while Castle of Illusion is high on mechanic problems, it's even higher on whimsy. Even if you hold no affinity for the original title, this version will likely make you nostalgic for something.Ĭastle of Illusion is a solid remake all-around, offering a unique vision of the core design that will give fans something fresh to delve into while modernizing the experience for newcomers. He has the ability to make music that's simultaneously playful and grandiose, and his work here is magnificent. Even better, Sega employed Grant Kirkhope, who wrote the music for games like Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong 64, to remaster Castle of Illusion's soundtrack. ![]() The completely redesigned hub world, which has Mickey exploring a witch's castle and using amassed collectibles to unlock doors, feels like something out of a Nintendo 64 game. The game also succeeds in feeling like a faithful homage not just to the Genesis original, but to old-school platformers as a whole. On the other hand, it certainly never runs out of steam along the way. On one hand, Castle of Illusion won't last you very long. That the game can be completed in less than three hours is both a curse and a blessing. ![]() The game also leaps from one eye-catching set piece to the next-outrunning a giant apple here, swimming through an ocean of tea there-so quickly that it's never dull. But the game finds its rhythm in a big way during the game's last few levels, when you must outmaneuver enormous books and mace-wielding suits of armor. "Castle of Illusion won't last you very long."įor a while, Castle of Illusion's primary source of challenge is wrestling with the controls. ![]()
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