Those of us who have played video games from a very young age probably have some weird licensed games that we only owned because someone knew we liked a particular franchise or character. And if you're like me, many of those were Disney games. These varied wildly in quality, but I look back fondly on decent licensed games like The Incredibles and Finding Nemo as some of my most formative gaming experiences. After going hands-on with Disney Illusion Island, I'm confident it'll be that kind of game for many kids in the 2020s.
Disney Illusion Island - Nintendo Direct 2.8.2023
Thankfully, it's shaping up to be great, not just decent. Ahead of its launch on Nintendo Switch next month, I had the chance to try Disney Illusion Island at Summer Game Fest Play Days this year. I was struck by how simple and satisfying it was to play, how playing cooperatively adds some helpful features, and how this is actually an ambitious, combat-free Metroidvania (or Mickeyvania, as its developers want to call it) that's doing its best to draw players of all ages in.
More ambitious than expected
Disney Illusion Island is a 2D platformer utilizing the visual style of the recent The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse shorts. It's a straightforward pitch: pick Mickey, Minnie, Donald, or Goofy and jump around some Disneyfied locales. In all regions, the voice actors for the characters reprise their roles from the shorts. Developer Dlala Studios was an excellent choice for this game as it's already established itself as a go-to studio for stylish 2D games with 2020's Battletoads.
This game could have gotten away with being a pretty, but extremely simple level-based platformer only meant to be played by young children for a couple of hours. Dlala went a step further, though, and has made a full-blown Metroidvania platformer that has some unique gameplay ideas and will appeal to all ages.
The game's first intriguing design choice pops up as soon as you have to pick a character. Dlala made the decision not to give characters distinct abilities. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald are all animated uniquely and can use different items for certain moves, but these differences are purely visual. Dlala told Digital Trends this decision was made because they realize each one of the four is someone's favorite character, and they didn't want to punish someone for picking their favorite by locking away abilities or making them easier or harder to play as.
Thankfully, the core platforming is more than enough fun to make up for it. During my demo, I could pull off a satisfying double jump and wall jump to get to new places, but Dlala teased that more abilities like gliding, swinging on grapple points, and swimming will come later in the adventure. When these are unlocked, the game's map will mark where these moves can be used to access new areas, making it an approachable Metroidvania.
Well, it was bound to happen. The zombies of Dead Island could be leaving the tropical island of Banoi and shambling their way toward, well… the world.
