''Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse'' is a 2013 2.5D

platform game A platformer (also called a platform game, and sometimes a jump 'n' run game) is a subgenre of action game in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are characterized by levels wi ...

developed by Sega Studios Australia and published by

Sega is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...

. The game is a

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...

of the original 1990

Sega Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Sys ...

Sega Mega Drive The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Sys ...

video game of the same name, which was the first title in the ''

Illusion An illusion is a distortion of the senses, which can reveal how the mind normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. Although illusions distort the human perception of reality, they are generally shared by most people. Illusions may ...

'' series of

Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime icon and mascot of the Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large shoes, and white ...

video games. The game was released on

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

and

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...

, in September 2013, and later for

iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

Windows Phone Windows Phone (WP) is a discontinued mobile operating system developed by Microsoft Mobile for smartphones as the replacement successor to Windows Mobile and Zune. Windows Phone featured a new user interface derived from the Metro design languag ...

Android Android most commonly refers to: *Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), a mobile operating system primarily developed by Google * Android TV, a operating system developed ...

and

OS X macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...

Gameplay

Following the same style of gameplay as the original Mega Drive/Genesis title, presented in high-definition 3D graphics, the game is largely played as a side-scrolling platformer like its predecessor, although some sections allow

to move in multiple directions, such as puzzle segments. Mickey's main offensive ability is his bounce attack, which he can use to bounce on enemies and reach higher areas. He can also collect projectiles which he can throw at long distance enemies. Levels are re-envisioned versions of the original game's levels now separated into three acts, featuring new layouts, puzzles and enemies, as well as enhanced

boss fights In video games, a boss is a significantly powerful non-player character and computer-controlled enemy created as an opponent to players. A fight with a boss character is referred to as a boss battle or boss fight. Bosses are generally far stro ...

. The castle itself, which was merely a transition in the original game, can now be fully explored, with new areas opened up by collecting numerous gems littered around each level. Throughout the game, players can find playing cards and chilli peppers that can be used to unlock various outfits for Mickey.

Plot

As in the 1990 original, the game casts players in the role of Mickey Mouse who must fight his way through the Castle of Illusion to rescue

Minnie Mouse Minerva "Minnie" Mouse is an American cartoon character created by the Walt Disney Company. The longtime sweetheart of Mickey Mouse, she is an anthropomorphic mouse with white gloves, a red or pink bow, blue (or pink or red) polka-dotted dress, w ...

from the evil witch Mizrabel who wants to steal her youth and beauty. Obstacles include enchanted forests, rebellious toys and mazes of living books.

Development and release

The ''Castle of Illusion'' remake was teased by Sega in April 2013 and was announced later that month. The game was developed by Sega Studios Australia, their last game before the studio was shut down, under the supervision of the original game's director, Emiko Yamamoto. The game features a remastered soundtrack arranged by

Grant Kirkhope Grant Kirkhope (born 10 July 1962) is a Scottish composer and voice actor for video games and film. Some of his notable works include '' GoldenEye 007'', '' Banjo-Kazooie'', '' Donkey Kong 64'', and '' Perfect Dark'', among many others. He has w ...

, as well as an option to listen to the original soundtrack composed by Shigenori Kamiya. The game also features full voice acting for Mickey, as well as narration by

Richard McGonagle Richard Francis McGonagle (born October 22, 1946) is an American actor, voice actor and motion-capture performer. He is most known for his voice work in various video games, movies and television shows. He is also known for his work by voicing C ...

. Both Mickey's and the Narrator's scripts were written by Dean Wilkinson. From September 2016 up until March 2017, the game was delisted from the

Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...

Xbox Live The Xbox network, formerly known and commonly referred to as Xbox Live, is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Gaming for the Xbox brand. It was first made available to the origina ...

and

PlayStation Network PlayStation Network (PSN) is a digital media entertainment service provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Launched in November 2006, PSN was originally conceived for the PlayStation video game consoles, but soon extended to encompass smartp ...

stores. Players who pre-ordered the game on PlayStation Network were able to download the original Genesis game, as well as a theme and custom avatars.

Reception

The iOS version received "favorable" reviews, while the PC and console versions received "average" reviews, according to the

review aggregation A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

website

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

. ''

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

'' praised the Xbox 360 version's presentation while critiquing its slippery controls and a short length. ''

Joystiq ''Joystiq'' was a video gaming blog which was part of the Weblogs, Inc. family later owned by AOL. It was active from 2004 to 2015, acting as the primary video game blog for the group, and operating alongside ''Engadget'' and sister blogs such ...

'' called the PlayStation 3 version "both a great remake and a showcase for the key elements that make a great platformer". ''

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

'' praised the Xbox 360 version's fun platforming while lamenting unskippable cutscenes. ''

Official Xbox Magazine ''Official Xbox Magazine'' (''OXM'') was a British monthly video game magazine which started in November 2001 around the launch of the original Xbox. A preview issue was released at E3 2001, with another preview issue in November 2001. The maga ...

'' called the same console version "a fun update to yesteryear's classic, but also a solid platformer in its own right".

References

Notes

External links

* * {{Portal bar, Video games 2013 video games Android (operating system) games Disney video games IOS games MacOS games Mickey Mouse video games Platformers PlayStation 3 games PlayStation Network games Sega video games Video game remakes Video games scored by Grant Kirkhope Video games set in castles Video games developed in Australia Windows games Video games about witchcraft Xbox 360 Live Arcade games Feral Interactive games Single-player video games Illusion (video game series)