A hardcore game for the most hardcore of gamers starring… Mickey Mouse? You read that right! Many of you might remember Mickey’s Castle of Illusion for the Sega Genesis released way back in 1990 but for those of you who don’t let me fill you in. When originally released Castle of Illusion, a side scrolling platformer, developed quite a following as well as a reputation for being hard as hell. It was very well received critically for great level design, controls, and music. Fast forward 23 years later and we’re getting a revamped version of the game for XBLA, PSN and PC. More than just a re-skinned or repainted version of the original this new imagining of Castle of Illusion is guaranteed to kick your ass just as hard if not harder than its predecessor.
Check out the E3 trailer
At the recently passed E3 I was lucky enough to spend some time with the game and walked away fairly impressed with what I saw. Not only am I fan of the original I’m also a diehard fan of the Disney brand. I realize a 35 y/o man getting giddy over Mickey Mouse games is a little odd but at this point I’m more than comfortable with my quirks and oddities. That being said I really feel like the current team at Sega is treating this remake with the respect it deserves. They very much wanted to ensure me that they are making this game for gamers and not necessarily your 5 y/o. Just because it stars Mickey doesn’t mean that it can’t induce controller throwing rage quits (I’ve been using this saying a lot lately, maybe I need to get better at games). As I mentioned previously the first Castle of Illusion was the very definition of difficult and Sega Studios Australia is basically taking what we saw in that original and rebuilding it from the ground up. That means we’re seeing the same characters and the same story but with some updated mechanics and a remarkable visual upgrade. It’s still what you’d consider a standard style 2D side scroller but there are some newer, more modern additions with the introduction of 3D boss battles and a fine tuning of the jumping mechanics for example.
The level I played navigated everyone’s favorite big-eared rodent through a massive toy box. In keeping with the theme of being extremely difficult I died numerous times trying to make my way through. It’s clear that you won’t be able to just blast through a stage without learning its tricks and nuances. Patience will become a factor as you meticulously learn when to jump, duck, dodge or dive (IF YOU CAN DODGE A WRENCH YOU CAN DODGE A BALL!). A really nice touch is the Disney narrator talking you through the levels as well which really adds to the overall ‘Disney magic’ of the whole experience.
Visually Mickey looks as good as ever. His animations are fluid and really, truly come across as if you’re watching a classic Disney cartoon. A lot of this has to do with the ever present Disney animators who approve everything at every step of development. Disney has a reputation for being meticulous when licensing their characters for games and the like and this is no exception. Add in the stunning backdrops and you’ve got yourself an absolutely gorgeous game. It’s almost surprising that it’s a downloadable title honestly, but then again we’ve seen a steady increase in the quality of arcade releases over the years so perhaps I shouldn’t be so surprised after all.
Despite only seeing a sliver of what the whole game offers I feel pretty confident in saying that the team at Sega Studios Australia is going to give us a great game. Whether you’re a fan of the original or a new fan you can look forward to a beautiful game with punishing difficulty that will be sure to challenge even the most experienced of gamers. We’re not talking Dark Souls difficulty here but it’ll be hard nonetheless. For myself this is definitely a game to watch.
Castle of Illusion releases later this summer for the Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network and PC.
