Disney Illusion Island is the newest game featuring Mickey and friends and “Oh Boy!” is this game fun! It’s filled with fun characters, it’s got a fun little story, and the gameplay is entertaining enough I didn't really wanna stop. You get to pick from four different characters: Mickey, Donald, Minnie, and Goofy. It almost gave me a bit of nostalgia, taking me back to Super Mario Bros. 2. The game as a whole feels very retro with a fresh coat of paint which is big in the gaming world these days.
Illusion Island is a “metroidvania” style game taking you through three different biomes. For those of you not well versed on game lingo, metroidvania is a type of game that’s typically side scrolling, taking the player through a map where they must unlock power ups to gain access to lock or unreachable areas in the map. This typically involves a lot of backtracking. Illusion Island does this well making it easy for younger or even novice gamers. However, while the game starts easy enough, it doesn’t come without its challenges. There are a few moments where I was scratching my head trying to figure out what to do next, though it wasn’t too frequent. The game is also built as a four-player co-op which means this game is party ready! I can absolutely see this being played at a get together with friends or a Disney themed party.
The story of the game is simple enough. Mickey and his friends have been brought to the Island of Illusion to find three magic books. There is more to it than just that but I don't want to give too much away. You do come across some very fun characters and some nasty enemies — all while keeping you engaged. The art style is very similar to the Mickey shorts, but it is different. Those differences were weird to me because the story feels like one of those shorts. As I said, it’s not a very difficult game. However, you can make it difficult by reducing your hit points to one, making you more cautious with your gameplay.
Overall, I think this game is great! It’s a lot of fun and it took me back to the old days of gaming! I’m definitely a sucker for a good side scroller and Disney really hooked me with this one. I think friends and families are gonna love playing this game together. Disney Illusion Island for Nintendo Switch hits shelves on July 28.