Disney's Illusion Island

[OCH]

 

Charming!

I thought I'll give this a quick go as I was mostly free this evening. Cut to 3 hours later and 22% of the game completed. This is a metroidvania, geared towards younger games in terms of difficulty. Checkpoint's abound and death is effectively nothing more than a marker on the map (the same X that TotK used). The writing/humour is surprisingly on point. I did get the occasional chuckle from it. Donald (my selection of the roster) is basically sarcasm incarnate. So the ideal for me. The expression in the image above, sums up his attitude quite well. The gameplay is quite intuitive without being overly handholding. I know there is some variance to the abilities of each character. For example, you get a double jump ability starting off. Mickey gets a jetpack. Donald gets a rocket. Which works on a trajectory arc. Same basic idea with different execution. On the subject of jumping, as this is at base level a platformer. There is a course correcting floatiness to it. If your double jump has you on collision course with an enemy. You do have a little leeway to avoid it if you're fast enough. Aside from bosses. Enemies are also not to be fought. They are obstacles (sometimes minor puzzles) to avoid. Which too is quite refreshing. Some of the mission goals are a little repetitive, but overall strong impressions so far.

 

Oh and please note: This is a 4 player co-op experience also. The camera pans to accommodate this in certain maps. I am however, exclusively playing this solo.

[OCH]

The End!

100% item completion. All Tokuns, Maps, Memorabilia and Hidden Mickey's found. Just over 13 hours of playtime. My one real complaint, is the boss fights and the repetition involved. I mentioned some quests in the main game are repetitive. The bosses are the ultimate extension of that. Exactly the same thing, four times. I wouldn't mind if it wasn't a tedious structure you had to follow four times. I can only assume this was done to facilitate the 4 player co-op. But solo, it is just a chore. It hampers what is otherwise a fun, light-hearted experience. The aesthetic is always charming and the dialogue never falls flat. There is one particular moment with Minnie, late-gate, that actually made me burst out laughing.

 

Content-wise, this game is jampacked. Complete listings of concept art, the game's OST and hidden items: the Tokun cards (one bio for every enemy and NPC in the game) and Memorabilia - three items specific to just about every Mickey Mouse short and film Disney have ever made. There is a lot of game for your money. I'd recommend this game, especially to those with kids. With the caveat that I would recommend playing it with others, over the solo experience. Which, until very, very, very late game. Isn't intuitive for backtracking and finding hidden items. Since the map is very big and there are specific places wherein the biomes intersect.

 

All that's left for me is the unlocked difficult mode: Metal Mickey. I'm not all that fussed about that. 8/10