Disney Illusion Island feels like watching a classic Mickey Mouse cartoon. The characters we all know and love are here, and they’re exactly as you’d expect them to be. We have trustworthy Mickey, sweet Minnie, temperamental Donald and well, witty of mind.

Here you play as one of the “Fab Four” (i.e. Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Minnie), or more if playing co-op, as they head towards what they think is a picturesque picnic. but in reality it is the start of a quest to find and recover three magic tomes used to protect the island. To do this, the group will have to navigate through the mysterious and magical city of Monoth, where all the platforming comes into play.

Old friends

(Image credit: Dlala Studios)

During my preview of Disney Illusion Island, I got to see the game’s opening scene, along with a few of its beautifully crafted levels. As I watched the developers at Dlala Studios climb Minnie-like platforms, swing from vines, and interact with other magical creatures, I was captivated by the world the developers had created. Each area of ​​Monoth’s world has a different theme and looks more magical than the last, and I was amazed at how vibrant and colorful each part of the level was, as well as how fun the platform looked. -form in this game.

The main thing that impressed me, however, was the familiarity of the main characters, to the point where I felt like every playable character had stepped out of an animated Mickey Mouse short. It shows how well the developers know the characters they are working with and that this is a game for Mickey Mouse fans made by Mickey Mouse fans. The humor, character interactions and personalities were so present during that opening scene that I couldn’t help but praise the developers for writing the game during the preview. This was all helped by the fact that Disney legends Bill Farmer and Tony Anselmo returned to reprise their roles as Goofy and Donald in the game.

Nailing down the personalities of these characters was really important to the team, as AJ Grand-Scrutton, CEO and Creative Director of Dlala Studios tells me: “These characters have decades and decades of personalities and things that have preceded us. We want people to come into the game and feel like they’re playing the characters they love.”

In fact, Team Dlala had over 90 years of Mickey history to build on. “A lot of Mickey’s legacy has influenced us,” says Grand-Scrutton, before reviewing well-known Mickey Mouse animations such as Steamboat Willie, Lonesome Ghosts and the newest Disney+ series, The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse. not to mention the Paul Ruddish cartoon it was based on. “I think there are also common points of inspiration that (Rudish) We had that we had too, which is why we both chose these designs that have a touch of classic influence,” says Grand. -Scrutton, “There are definitely nods to Mickey’s heritage, including this modern series in our game.”

magical memories

(Image credit: Dlala Studios)

It’s not just cartoons that have inspired Dlala’s team. The other Disney games, including the Castle of Illusion and World of Illusion games, also played an important role in the development of Illusion Island. “They were a huge influence, especially for us older members of the team; we grew up loving those games,” Grand-Scrutton says, “so while we’re not necessarily a continuation of that series, I think you can see a lot of the influence of that series.” Giving me a specific example, the company’s CEO says, “When you’re playing multiplayer, for example, there’s a rope drop mechanic, which is very similar to World of Illusion. I mean, we probably wouldn’t do any games let alone this game if it wasn’t for those games.”

I also made sure to ask about any other notable Disney characters that I didn’t see during the preview and can assure Daisy Duck and Pluto fans that they weren’t overlooked. After telling me that they regularly get complaints from the rest of the team for not including the couple in the game, Grand-Scrutton tells me, “I really believe in that story, it was about the four fabulous, it was about Mickey Minnie, Donald and Goofy.” . It went back to some of the “Hawaiian Vacation” stuff (Mickey Mouse short from 1937), those classic adventures. But these characters definitely exist in this universe like that.”

You may have only seen a glimpse of Disney Illusion Island, but I can already tell that this is a game that Disney fans will enjoy. The passion I saw from the developers, plus all the Mickey Mouse references sprinkled throughout the game, was enough to make me want to explore more of the magical world of Dlala when the game exclusively launched for Nintendo Switch on the 28th. July 2023. .

Want to know what else we should expect? Take a look at our next switch games list.

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