Released in 1990 to overwhelmingly positive critical acclaim and later receiving a remake in 2013, Castle of Illusion was ported to several Sega consoles in both 8-bit and 16-bit and became one of the breakout exclusive games on Sega consoles before Sonic The Hedgehog was released in 1991. You can find additional information about Polygon's ethics policy here.Tweet Developer(s) – SEGA (AM7) Publisher(s) – SEGA Director(s) – Emiko Yamamoto & Yoshio Yoshida Producer(s) – Stephan L.
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It's the best kind of remake â one that stands on its own as a good game with or without admiration for the original.Ĭastle of Illusion was reviewed using a final downloadable Xbox 360 code provided by Sega. It takes cues from its source material but isn't chained down, unwilling to tweak the gameplay or toy with expectations. Outside of its annoying boss battles, Castle of Illusion never wanders too close to the unforgiving nature or archaic design of retro platformers. Wrap Up: Castle of Illusion is a pleasant experience with or without love for the originalīetter to be left wanting than bored or frustrated with what's there. 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. Castle of Illusion begins innocently enough with Disney icons Mickey and Minnie Mouse on a romantic outing in the woods.