castle-of-illusions

[castle-of-illusions]

ITS ALWAYS "i used to watch the gameplay when i was younger" BUT NEVER "i play that game too"

[castle-of-illusions]

If u like the storm level in castle of illusion youre more insane than i am

[castle-of-illusions]

The Big Apple ‘Castle Of Illusion’ SEGA Mega Drive Support us on Patreon

[castle-of-illusions]

Sega Genesis has some of the best game soundtracks. You people talk about a cottage core moment listening to *insert generic song here*

No when I’m in the forest it’s me and Castle of Illusion Stage 1 for me.

[castle-of-illusions]

Dance ‘Castle Of Illusion’ SEGA Mega Drive Support us on Patreon

[castle-of-illusions]

[castle-of-illusions]

[castle-of-illusions]

Castle of Illusion, starring Mickey Mouse (2013, Steam)

Remember when I reviewed Monster World IV, remake and then original, and ended up concluding that the older version was better? Anyway, Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse. Older version is better. End of review.

Nah, I wouldn't do that to ya. Probably about three people read my Tumbly reviews and by that very fact alone they're my best friends. If you're reading this, I mean you. I don't have many friends. The few I do have are special.

In lieu of fellow human meatbags to chat shit with, I've always had videogames though. By the release of the original Castle of Illusion back in 1990, I'd already played videogames for a good five years by my reckoning. I knew that I liked platform games. And I knew who Mickey Mouse was. And so, the title needed no real introduction. Here's a jumpy-jump game where you play as Mickey Mouse. It was very 'of its time', meant neither negatively nor affectionately.

2013's version is very of its time.

It's a pretty thing, that's for sure. Initially, I really enjoyed the little touches; instead of a small cutscene between levels where Mickey discovers the door to the next area, that plays out instead as a humble little hub area so you can do that same thing manually. And instead of experiencing the joy and wonder of a new area for yourself, there's a storybook-style narrator telling you what Mickey can see now; as if your eyes were lying to you.

Par for the course in the twentytens though, right in the middle of an era that decided gamers aren't smart enough to figure anything out for themselves so the film storytelling adage 'show, don't tell' went completely out of the window in favour of 'stop the show, grab their hand, point them in the right direction, shove 'em there forcibly'. I'm just being cynical, the narrator was kinda nice. Added a little then-modern twist to the familiar proceedings.

And they are familiar -- that's kinda what you want from a remake innit? I want to jaunt through a forest, leap some leaves, end up with it all getting spooky; and the game does this. Toy area with a climb to the top for a key, and then slide back down to the door as all the steps you ascended become slides? It's there. And yet, there are little ameliorations to remind you that this ain't yer dad's Mickey Mouse. Remember that rolling apple in the second part of the forest area? Of course you didn't, you blinked and missed it. But now it's a full-on Crash Bandicoot-style run into the camera with absolutely-missable gems!

Did I mention the gems?

Well, y'see, here's the thing. Between 1990 and 2013, expectations for platform games changed quite a bit. It's not good enough to simply get through the levels, now there's the expectation that you collect. Absolutely. Fucking. Everything. In order to unlock something or other. And this contemporary busywork is added to the remake, something I'm not entirely keen on -- I'll level with ya, I just wanted to see the ending and now I have I'm not going back for trinkets.

And why not? Game's not fun enough. I doubt the older version was either, it was a 'good-but-not-great' platformer that although pleasant enough to beat once or twice, didn't actually justify a replay. This'n feels the same, but they tried. And actually I wish they didn't, because some of those embellishments to the levels actually really piss me off -- remember when you got the rainbow gems at the end of the original, Mickey built a rainbow bridge out of them, then you went into the tower to fight Mizrabel at the end? Wouldn't it be great if you had to, manually, ascend that tower? With time-sensitive platforms and barely-visible rope swings and etcetera blah blah blah.

Well nah.

That visibility thing's a real problem, by the way - and one I constantly had toward the latter part of the game. The original, as 'good, but only good' as it was, knew how to telegraph most of the challenges to let the player know what was expected of them in the moment. It's good game design, Dave. The remake? Not so much. It's like the developers cared so much about making it look all modern (for 2013, I remind you -- although the art direction's still nice in my eyes) that they neglected to care sometimes about making it clear to look at.

Sounds like a nitpick gripe, actually hampered my enjoyment on a fundamental level. The apex of this would be the candy dragon boss in the sweets/cakes area, lobbing those macaroons at me in a pattern with absolutely no tells as to which of the three platforms any given projectile was aimed at. Now, it's the same pattern every time and learnable; but that most-cursed indie platformer dev credo of "learn by dying" wasn't really a thing back in 1990 and it shouldn't have been here. Especially given that for some reason the game kept the original's lives system. As well as, uselessly, its scoring system.

I did, when considered as a whole, enjoy more than I didn't. The game sees the original's 'good-not-great' and fails to raise with its 'okay-not-good-not-great'.

3/5

[castle-of-illusions]

Oh No! ‘Castle Of Illusion’ SEGA Mega Drive

[castle-of-illusions]

Disney should do whatever you call this type of stuff more often. It's awesome

[castle-of-illusions]

Toyland isnt fun but rather annoying and totally made to mess with your mind but yall arent ready for that conversation

[castle-of-illusions]

The Castle act 2, I can not describe my hatred for you

[castle-of-illusions]

ugh the candyland dolphins are SO annoying

[castle-of-illusions]

Replaying some levels rn I love exploring the castle and finding out more

[castle-of-illusions]

People call castle of illusion hard..... I used to think its hard too This just makes me realize how much i played it because now i can finish the game easily in just a couple hours or less

[castle-of-illusions]