Enter Sega Studios Australia, the latest studio to attempt to remake a classic property in the form of Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse. If you’re unfamiliar with the game, don’t worry, you’re not alone. The original Castle of Illusion was released in 1990 on the Sega Genesis, and while there have been various sequels and spin-offs released of varying quality since then (I’m looking at you, Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion), the series has largely been forgotten, until now.

Thankfully, you don’t need to have any previous experience with the Illusion series, or the original Castle of Illusion, to enjoy this game. If you’re a newcomer to the series like me, you won’t have any trouble picking up and playing for the first time, though fans of the original will most likely enjoy how Castle of Illusion re-imagines the various aspects of the original game.

"The first thing you’ll notice about Castle of Illusion is how good the presentation is. The game utilizes a mixture of 2D and 3D visuals. It’s a trick that’s often hard to pull off, but Castle of Illusion does it with aplomb."

Castle of Illusion’s setup is delightfully simple: Mickey and Minnie have gone out for a picnic, and are having a grand old time when the evil witch Mizrabel shows up. She’s long been jealous of Minnie’s beauty, and kidnaps her in the hopes of stealing it. Of course, Mickey isn’t going to stand for that, and chases Mizrabel to her castle. There, he meets a wizened old mouse who tells him that to reach Minnie, he’ll have to conquer the castle’s Masters of Illusion and collect seven rainbow gems, and with that advice in mind, Mickey sets off into the castle.

The first thing you’ll notice about Castle of Illusion is how good the presentation is. The game utilizes a mixture of 2D and 3D visuals. It’s a trick that’s often hard to pull off, but Castle of Illusion does it with aplomb. Combine this with a whimsical art style that feels plucked out of a Disney film, and some incredible character animations, and Castle of Illusion is a joy to look at.

The sound design is top notch, too. The game is fully voiced, and all of the characters sound wonderful. There’s also a narrator who comments on the game’s action in a way that recalls titles like Bastion, and provides some of the game’s best lines. The enemies themselves strike just the right balance between silly and menacing, depending on the situation.

"The game largely takes place on a 2D plane, but some segments move into full three-dimensional play. The transition is handled extremely well, and it feels natural when the camera pulls back to allow Mickey to navigate a maze or run from a rather large apple. "

The real standout here, though, is Grant Kirkthorpe’s soundtrack, an orchestral wonder that somehow manages to fit right into all of the game’s varied levels, while still paying homage to soundtracks of the 16-bit era, and managing to sound like something straight from the hallowed halls of the House of Mouse itself. If that’s not your thing, however, the soundtrack from the original game is also here.

Yes, the presentation here is masterful, and for the most part, playing the game is incredibly simple and satisfying as Mickey runs, ducks, and jumps his way to victory. He can also pick up items to toss at enemies, and bounce on their heads to get to hard to reach places. Most of this works great.

The game largely takes place on a 2D plane, but some segments move into full three-dimensional play. The transition is handled extremely well, and it feels natural when the camera pulls back to allow Mickey to navigate a maze or run from a rather large apple.

The level design here is top notch, and will require the use of all of Mickey’s tricks to traverse. Between levels, you’ll spend your time in a hub world reminiscent of Super Mario 64’s castle, which also serves as a gallery to display the game’s concept art and any collectibles you’ve found.

That said, the gameplay isn’t perfect. The jumping is a bit floaty, but once you get used to it, you’ll be pulling off complex maneuvers in no time. This is a good thing, as Castle of Illusion is a challenging game. It requires timing and precision, and while checkpoints are fairly frequent, health and extra lives are not, and one false step into a pit could result in having to redo large sections of a level over again.

"Castle of Illusion is the rare remake that manages to be faithful to the original while updating the game for a modern audience. "

This would be fine, if it weren’t for Mickey’s sense of momentum. Those used to Mario’s extreme sense of control will be frustrated here, as it’s quite easy to overshoot or undershoot platforms because you’ve misjudged the game’s seemingly arbitrary measurement of inertia, and pushed the analogue stick just a little too far, or not quite far enough. This is compounded by the bizarre inability to skip cutscenes, which makes certain challenging sections far more frustrating than they would be otherwise.

Ultimately, however, these are fairly minor qualms in what is otherwise a great game. While it’s fairly short (I clocked in about seven hours from start to finish), it’s hard to complain about the $15 price tag, and Castle of Illusion does feature several reasons to come back. There are collectibles that unlock costumes and statues, as well as a time attack mode to complete and leaderboards to top, though it’s hard to imagine all but the most dedicated coming back once they’ve found everything.

Still, Castle of Illusion is the rare remake that manages to be faithful to the original while updating the game for a modern audience. While much of the design feels reminiscent of the 16-bit era, it still works. It’s not a perfect game, and it’s not the classic that its predecessor was, but it’s enjoyable, smartly designed, and polished, and speaking as someone who just made their first trip to the Castle of Illusion, I’d be more than willing to go back one day.

This game was reviewed  on the PlayStation 3.

So how did Sega go about re-making the old classic title to create an experience that is appealing to today’s standards? Well, for one they went back to the original director Emiko Yamamoto who created the game the original Castle of Illusions: Starring Mickey Mouse. Second, they wanted to make sure the game is keeping its Disney charm and animations up to par by stressing the importance of character animation. At this year’s E3,  I managed to get a hands-on  demo for Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse at the Sega booth. Was I left with positive impressions? Find out in this preview by reading down below. Let’s begin.

Presentation

The best thing about Castle: of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse is its presentation. Sega did a fantastic job at providing classical sounds, animations and visuals in a Disney-like fashion. Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse is full of classical Disney moments as soon as you look at it. It’s not some cheap knock-off that was made by a unknown developer who tried to match the magic of Disney. Instead, this is a full fledged roller-coaster ride that we all used to know and love.

If you’re looking for a platforming game that is full of charm, fantastic animations and re-imaging of classical Disney themes then Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse is the perfect answer. The game’s presentation is appealing to both adults, children and families.

Gameplay

Castle of Illusion was one of the games I wanted to check out at this year’s E3 due to the fact that I am a Disney fan and Mickey Mouse is a significant part of my childhood. I used to watch Disney cartoons all the time, especially if any of them included Mickey Mouse. Obviously, my passion for gaming also led me to playing Disney games like The Lion King, Alladin and Chip’n’Dale on the Nintendo Entertainment System back in the 1990’s. However, I never got to play the original Castle of Illusion on the Sega Genesis, so I didn’t get to experience the game at it’s original form. Meanwhile, ever since I heard of the remake, I was instantly intrigued and wanted to check it out. I won’t be able to give you my comparison impression to either of the games since I didn’t play the original, but I will touch upon the game’s overall feel and mechanics.

The demo started with Mickey standing inside a castle hall that had several rooms with closed doors. Each room represented a level in the game, and the castle’s main hall acted as the game’s main hub. Most of the doors were closed off, so I went into the door that was open which lead me to one of the indoor castle levels. Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse felt just like an old school 2D platforming title with the exception of extraordinary Disney-like visuals and animations. It was exciting to play a game that reminded me of how Disney platforming games were back in the day.

The gameplay mechanics were quite simple, you run, jump and kill enemies as you traverse from point A to point B throughout the stage. Overall, the controls and the platforming was responsive. It was easy to get into and start having fun right-off the bat. The game doesn’t have anything complex or annoying to figure out; instead it focuses on delivering a 2D/3D classical platforming experience. The formula is quite standard, if you’re looking for something revolutionary here for platforming then I am afraid you won’t find it here. This is not a new platforming game but instead a remake of a classic that was memorable and fun back in the day. All Castle of Illusions: Starring Mickey Mouse is trying to do is to re-create that original feeling that the old-school game had.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a platforming game that is full of charm, fantastic animations and re-imaging of classical Disney themes then Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse is the perfect answer. The game’s presentation is appealing to both adults, children and families. While I only played a bit of what the game had to offer, I think most people will be happy with the results and re-creation of the Sega’s classic platforming game.

Stay tuned for our review of Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse when it hits the digital stores on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC later this Summer.

Chris Olson, vice president of Digital Business at Sega of America stated that, “The original Castle of Illusion was tremendously entertaining and has a well-deserved reputation as a SEGA classic. Castle of Illusion Featuring Mickey Mouse brings this great game to a new generation. Mickey is back and he looks fantastic.”

Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse sees the titular mouse fighting to save the beloved Minnie from the witch Mizrabel. Apparently the game will feature new gameplay mechanics to go with the revamped visuals.