As a gaming mascot, Mickey Mouse doesn't wield the same power as he does in animation. Nonetheless, Disney’s beloved rodent has starred in many excellent releases over the years, including the classic Castle of Illusion series. By evoking that title, Disney Illusion Island declares its intent to be a quality experience, not a cheap cash-in. And it largely succeeds. Although its mechanics could be deeper, this $39.99 Nintendo Switch-exclusive game combines a polished presentation, tight controls, and thoughtful and expansive level design to create an adventure that all ages will love.

Mouseketeers

After a series of comic miscommunications, lovable foursome Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and an extremely surly Donald Duck wind up stranded on a mysterious island. To escape, these heroes must uncover the secrets behind lost tomes, ancient wars, and more than a few betrayals. Fortunately, the game never takes itself too seriously. Text-based dialogue sequences are evenly split between jokes and important explanations. The game's beginning and end are loaded with animated cutscenes that double as entertaining, modern Mickey Mouse cartoons, complete with voice acting.

In general, Disney Illusion Island presents itself like one big Mickey Mouse cartoon. The characters feature throwback, Steamboat Willie-style designs similar to the recent The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse series on Disney+. The island comprises three major biomes themed after botany, engineering, and astronomy. The lovingly painted illustrated backdrops convey these themes with whimsy and charm, from pastoral farmland to whirring robotic mail rooms. In addition, the orchestrated music is rousing and triumphant.

The art never interferes with the gameplay. Despite the many adorable animations, character movement feels satisfyingly tight and responsive, exactly the handling you want from a platformer. Rayman Legends pulled this off, too. These aren't Cuphead-tier retro visuals, but the game looks very nice. The 2D, flat style also means the title never taxes the Nintendo Switch hardware, even with four active players. 

Mickey-Vania

Although the previous Illusion titles were standard 2D side-scrollers, Disney Illusion Island is a Metroidvania. The island and its biomes are one large, impressive, and interconnected map, with sections you can only reach after obtaining a new ability. The Metroidvania formula is one of the most entertaining (but also most confusing) genres, so it’s particularly admirable that Disney Illusion Island does its best to make this style approachable for children. Quests give you hints on where to go next, teleporters reduce backtracking, and exploration mostly involves finding optional goodies for your gallery rather than mandatory upgrades. 

Still, Disney Illusion Island involves a lot of crisscrossing across the huge map, Metroid Dread-style, to find the path forward. Frequently, you’ll need to find three keys within a small cluster of environments to unlock an important door. You gain a pretty standard set of new powers, including a ground-pounding attack and a grappling hook. I enjoy how each character has its own unique tool to represent the same ability. Mickey double jumps using a jetpack, while Minnie uses a paper airplane to achieve the same effect.

Most fascinating, Disney Illusion Island features virtually no combat. You can’t defeat enemies, not even by jumping on them. You can only avoid them as dynamic obstacles. I really admire this attempt to make a kids' game a non-violent affair, which is fitting for the Mickey Mouse brand. It also places a greater emphasis on the game’s pure platforming and excellent exploration. This doesn’t hurt the challenge. Some of the trickier jumping puzzles will make you happy that the game features difficulty options.

That said, the lack of combat makes the game feel somewhat shallow. It leaves a hole that isn't filled with a similarly engaging mechanic. Disney Illusion Island lasts several hours, but the many rooms start to blur together as interactions feel increasingly similar, despite an expanding toolkit. Even gimmicks, such as shifting room layouts and ethereal platforms, didn’t provide the variety I craved. Children may not mind, as they might be enthralled by the Metroidvania format. Disney Illusion Island is more of an introduction to the form rather than a stellar example of it.

Things definitely get more chaotic in multiplayer mode. Disney Illusion Island features local co-op for up to four players. In multiplayer, characters gain additional abilities to heal each other or rescue each other from dangerous situations. As a solo player, I found the game’s boss fights pretty tedious because they last too long without changing up their tactics. But in multiplayer, the same battles were much better and breezier.

Illusions Revealed

Disney Illusion Island is a game made with love and care, and it's a worthy entry in the Mickey Mouse canon. The fact that it’s as good as it is only makes its shortcomings, like mechanics that wear too thin too quickly, more disappointing. But as a fun and beautiful platformer that also doubles as a gateway to Metroidvania design, Disney Illusion Island is worth your attention.

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