Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse Review

Just like DuckTales on the NES, I also missed out on playing the original Castle of Illusion on the Sega Genesis. Maybe it was my anti-Disney phase that was playing out at the time. Yes, I thought I was too old for the fantasy, but these days my love for Disney has grown exponentially with a newfound affection for the movies, theme parks, and video games showing that I’ll never outgrow the house with the mouse. With that said I’m currently enjoying the remake of DuckTales, and soon I’ll once again reintroduce myself to the magical world of the PS2 classic Kingdom Hearts. Now I’m playing Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse for the first time, and I must say that this remake is a magical experience.

Originally released on the Sega Genesis back in 1991, Castle of Illusion puts me in the role of Mickey Mouse who must rescue Minnie from the clutches of the evil witch Mizrabel who resembles a combination of the “old hag” version of the Evil Queen from Snow White and Maleficent. Time is of the essence, and Mickey must make his way through the castle to gain the seven magical crystals needed to create the Rainbow Bridge in order to save Minnie from certain doom. Yes, Castle of Illusion takes on the typical theme of “save the princess”, but what game didn’t do that back in the day? The good news is that there is only one castle here so there’s no need to deal with that “Thank you Mario, but the princess is in another castle” routine.

Running on both 2D and 3D planes, Castle of Illusion looks absolutely fantastic. The jaw dropping visuals are full of Disney magic, and the narration and voice acting from the characters during the gameplay is a welcome bonus. While roaming through the castle I couldn’t help but notice how similar in style this castle is to the one featured in Mario 64. Each of the game’s unique levels are also full of color, depth, and detail making for an enjoyable platforming experience. Also the transition between 2D and 3D is flawless giving the game a whole new interactive perspective, especially in the first stage with the Indiana Jones style boulder sequence featuring Mickey and a giant apple.

Mickey has also seen some improvement in the gameplay department. In the original Castle of Illusion, Mickey’s infamous “butt bounce” move required an extra button press after the jump. This is no longer required since one button press to jump is all that is needed, however holding down the jump button will result in gaining bigger air. The game’s early levels are extremely easy to pass through rather quickly which made enjoying the background scenery a nice addition, however I suggest not to take the Disneyfication of a game like this too lightly. Castle of Illusion may be a game for people of all ages, but the difficulty boost will kick in after the second level bringing the challenge that gamers crave.

While Castle of Illusion is an entertaining experience, there are a couple of details that keep it from Disney perfection. One issue would have to do with the platforming itself. Mickey seems to have a little more float in his jump as I had plenty of near misses to complete misses. At first I thought this was timing, but  after a while I was beginning to notice a pattern. Eventually I became more accustomed to this inference so I consider this quite minor. The other issue has to do with the game’s length. Castle of Illusion is a short game clocking in at about two hours making some gamers reconsider the $14.99 price tag. While some may deem the price as too high, keep in mind that there was a unique bonus for pre ordering the game on PlayStation Network: an emulated version of the Sega Genesis original.

Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse is a game that brings back that classic Disney nostalgia. The game features plenty of story, detail, heart, and that special Disney magic within us all. Just like the recent release of DuckTales, it’s great to see these classic games remastered in the high definition era for a newer generation of gamers to enjoy. If you have a love for Disney, than Castle of Illusion is a must buy.

• Review based on PlayStation 3 version.