As part of the new multiplatform release, Disney Illusion Island Starring Mickey and Friends is also getting new content in the form of Scrooge offering the playable characters a new special ability called Dig! This ability can then be turned in for permanent upgrades for a new game mode dubbed Cave Adventuring Scavenger Hunt (C.A.S.H.). This new content will also be released on Nintendo Switch.

Getting ready for its release on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, a new trailer for Disney Illusion Island Starring Mickey and Friends has been released. Check it out below. The trailer gives us quick glimpses at each of the four playable characters, before giving us a wider look at its gorgeous art style and levels and character designs.

As the trailer indicates, along with the new content, Disney Illusion Island‘s multiplatform release will also bring with it sharper visuals thanks to the higher resolution output that is possible on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

The multi-platform release was first hinted at earlier this week when PSDeals was able to scrape through PlayStation Store’s backend for details about the release. The game will include all of the gameplay features from the original Nintendo Switch release, including offline co-op multiplayer for between 2 and 4 players, along with the ability for players to help each other by using unique abilities.

Disney Illusion Island was originally announced back in September 2022. It was eventually released on the Nintendo Switch, even getting a trailer leading up to its July 2023 release date. The trailer gave us a glimpse at some of the areas that players would be exploring in the game, as well as some of the special abilities of each of the four playable characters.

In Disney Illusion Island, players take on the role of Mickey, Minnie, Goofy or Donald as they set forth to explore the titular island. The game has been structured like other metroidvania titles, complete with players needing to explore every nook and cranny in order to find upgrades and shortcuts that will help them progress further through its story.

Back when it came out, the title got generally positive reviews. Its Metacritic aggregate sits at around 73, and in our own review for the game, we gave it a score of 8 out of 10. While we praised the game for great visuals and animations, as well as the general charm it exudes thanks to its witty writing, we did find some of its gameplay mechanics a on the shallower end, and the lack of combat offering up some awkward boss fights here and there.

According to the store description as caught by PSDeals, Disney Illusion Island Starring Mickey and Friends will include all of the features of its original Switch release in the PS5 version. This includes support for offline multiplayer for between 2 and 4 players. Interestingly the PS5 release also has the “Starring Mickey and Friends” suffix in the title when compared to the original release. This might indicate additional content coming to the title.

While no release date has been given for the title, a PS Store listing existing in Sony’s servers indicates that announcement is likely not too far away.

Originally announced back in September 2022, Disney Illusion Island was released on the Nintendo Switch in July 2023. The title got a trailer leading up to its initial release, showcasing the various challenges that players will have to take on as they explore the eponymous Illusion Island.

The title also includes some features more commonly seen in metroidvania titles, with players having the ability to swim, jump and wall-jump, among other things, depending on the character they choose to play as. The base game featured Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy as its primary protagonists. Each character also has co-op abilities where multiple players can support each other in their exploration.

On release, Disney Illusion Island got generally positive reviews, with a Metacritic aggregate score of 73. In our own review of the title, we praised it quite a bit for its great visuals and animations, solid level design, and its witty writing. Our only complaints revolved around a lack of combat, uneven boss fights, and the title not being as complex as one would want from a metroidvania game. Ultimately we gave Disney Illusion Island a score of 8 out of 10, praising its universal appeal and accessibility.

Disney Illusion Island shines the spotlight on the elderly statesmen of the Disney family, i.e. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald. The four friends are headed out to a picnic on an invitation, but quickly discover that the invitation was a ruse to get them to the mysterious island of Monoth, where the resident Tokuns have called them for aid in search of heroes. What starts out as a picnic quickly turns into a quest to recover three tomes from thieves scattered in different parts of Monoth in order to prevent guaranteed disaster for the island and its denizens. It’s a simple, straightforward setup, but it’s surprisingly effective in its execution, thanks in large part to strong, witty writing that consistently delivers chuckle-worthy humour and endearing characterization for pretty much every character you come across, not just the four icons who serve as the main stars.

"Disney Illusion Island is not a standout experience that’ll rank among the genre’s greats by any means, but it has quite a lot going for it, with a few elements in particular that make it a surprisingly unique experience."

Even better are the animations. Quite a bit of Illusion Island’s story moments and character interactions happen during gameplay and with text boxes, but every so often, the game delivers beautifully crafted, lengthy cutscenes. Not only do these boast excellent voice acting – especially for the four heroes, with all of their instantly recognizable voices and quirks – they’re also wonderfully animated. Combining impressive attention to detail and a particularly nostalgic brand of old-school hand-drawn animations, each cutscene is a joy to witness, even if what’s actually happening on the screen isn’t particularly captivating on paper.

Those excellent animations can be found throughout the game, in fact, even outside of cutscenes. Disney Illusion Island is an excellent looking game, almost to the point where it kept surprising me with its visual strengths the more I played it. The gorgeous hand-drawn art never loses its charm, backgrounds and enemies are filled with small details that lend them a great amount of personality, and the four heroes themselves move about in a way that’s consistently fun to look at. From simply walking around or jumping over a small gap to more elaborate strings of platforming maneuvers, animations in Illusion Island are crammed with love and detail, and all flow excellently into each other, so it looks like you’re always watching a classic cartoon.

Each of the four playable characters also has the exact same moveset, but each of them gets a unique animation for every move- while Donald pulls out a plunger for his wall jumps, Goofy uses a comically large fork. Where Minnie uses a parasol to glide, Donald just flaps his wings. Mechanically, there’s no difference whatsoever in how any of the characters move, but the unique animations still inject a great deal of charm into every single thing they do. No, it’s no Cuphead, but to hold every game with hand-drawn animations to that ridiculously high standard would be insanity- so let’s not.

"Combining impressive attention to detail and a particularly nostalgic brand of old-school hand-drawn animations, each cutscene is a joy to witness."

When it comes to the actual gameplay, Disney Illusion Island is much less remarkable, even if it remains enjoyable the entire time, especially once you’re past the opening section where your moveset is limited to just a simple jump. Being a Metroidvania, Illusion Island slowly doles out new movement abilities that then let you get to previously inaccessible areas. With moves like a double jump, wall jump, ground pound, grappling hook, and the like, the game isn’t particularly inventive in the abilities and power ups you unlock, but it manages to make them interesting nonetheless thanks to how it implements those mechanics.

For starters, the moment-to-moment movement always feels great. Yes, it can get a bit too floaty at times, which is obviously down to the game’s bid to be a much easier and less demanding experience, but stringing together a variety of different moves together to get through platforming challenges is always satisfying. It helps, of course, that those challenges all tend to be very well designed. They start out quite simple and straightforward, but as you get deeper into the game, they get increasingly elaborate- never on the same level of platforming-focused Metroidvanias like, say, Ori or Guacamelee, but certainly to the level where the game actually leverages its platforming mechanics in a meaningful way.

Which is good, because platforming is all there is. There is no combat whatsoever in Illusion Island, which means that even though there will be plenty of enemies that’ll lie in your path, coming in different shapes and sizes and posing different threats, the only way to get past them is to, well, get past them. Avoiding enemies is inherently less engaging than defeating them, especially in a Metroidvania platformer, and even though I do understand that that’s a choice made by developer Dlala Studios in order to be as welcoming to as many demographics as possible, it did still end up feeling like the gameplay experience was lacking a key component. That ends up impacting the boss fights as well, which are unable to deliver the set-piece bursts of action you’d expect, owing to the fact that they’re completely platforming focused (not to mention the fact that they all last a bit too long).

"Platforming challenges start out quite simple and straightforward, but as you get deeper into the game, they get increasingly elaborate- never on the same level of platforming-focused Metroidvanias like, say, Ori or Guacamelee, but certainly to the level where the game actually leverages its platforming mechanics in a meaningful way."

Of course, exploration is just as important as platforming or combat in a Metroidvania (if not even more so), and that’s another area where Illusion Island delivers a solid, enjoyable experience, even if never does anything too remarkable. The level design has a good understanding of the Metroidvania genre’s biggest strengths, and going through interconnected environments and slowly unlocking the surprisingly large map feels satisfying. There are also plenty of collectibles to collect and hidden rooms and optional challenges to find, which combines with solid environmental variety to make exploration feel appropriately rewarding. Naturally, it all operates on a much more relaxed and easygoing pace than something like Hollow Knight or Metroid Dread, so don’t expect genre-defining design- but it’s more than serviceable nonetheless.

If those are the sort of expectations you’re going into Disney Illusion Island with, there’s almost no way you’re not going to have a good time on at least some level. It’s a Metroidvania platformer, yes, but it’s much more easygoing and relaxed than the sort of games you’d ordinarily associate that category of games with. It’s bursting with charm, whimsy, and personality, and delivers consistently fun platforming. Even if it never really delivers something on a gameplay level that you’ll be thinking about days after you’ve wrapped up its 6-8 hour adventure, as a whole, it’s an easy game to recommend to all players, regardless of skill level or familiarity with the genre.

This game was reviewed on the Nintendo Switch.

SETUP

Disney Illusion Island is set on the mystical and mysterious island of Monoth, where the game’s main heroes find themselves transported, only to quickly realize that there’s trouble afoot. Three magical books, referred to as Tomes, have been the vehicles for the island’s protection for a long time, but now those Tomes have been stolen, which means it falls to our heroes to explore Monoth Island and recover the books.

PLAYABLE CHARACTERS

Disney Illusion Island is looking to make use of several legendary Disney characters in its bid to attract a crowd, with thee being four playable characters in the game in total. These four are the ever-so-brave Mickey Mouse himself, the calm and resourceful Minnie Mouse, the troublemaker Donald Duck, and the clumsy and innocent Goofy. That said, in terms of actual gameplay, all four characters will play and move the exact same way, so which of them you choose to play as will be an entirely cosmetic decision, effectively.

CO-OP

Disney Illusion Island is promising Metroidvania sidescrolling platform action (more on that in a bit), and not just as a solo experience. The game will be playable in four player co-op, as you may have guessed from there being four playable characters. That said, those looking for an exclusively solo experience need not fret, because you’ll be able to play through the entire game by yourself if you so wish.

SKILLS

Regardless of which character you’re playing as, gameplay won’t change in Disney Illusion Island, but all four characters will, of course, have access to a pool of abilities that you’ll unlock throughout your journey. Some of these include rope drop, where you can drop a rope to a friend from a higher elevation; hug, where you hug a friend to grant them additional health; and leap frog, where you can play leap frog with a friend to jump across larger gaps.

OTHER CHARACTERS

As Mickey and co make their way through the island of Monoth, they’ll be crossing paths with plenty of personalities, some of whom we already have a few details on. There are the Hokuns, which are furry and loyal creatures charged with protecting the Tomes; the Sharpiks, which are slow moving slugs covered in spikes; the Boomrogs, who’re bulbuous creatures that are capable of releasing toxic gases; Toku, a trombone player and the leader of the Hokuns; Mazzy, who creates crazy contraptions using magic and science; and Jido, a scout who knows every inch of the island.

METROIDVANIA

Last time Dlala Studios released a game, the developer tried its hand at the beat ’em up genre with Battletoads, but its next title is going in a very different direction. Disney Illusion Island will, of course, be a sidescrolling 2D platformer where its moment-to-moment gameplay and core mechanics are concerned, but in terms of actual level design, it’s not going to be a very linear affair. As a Metroidvania game, it’s promising plenty of freedom in nonlinear exploration and an emphasis on ability-gated progression and backtracking.

NO COMBAT

One area where Disney Illusion Island is promising a different experience from what you might be expecting, especially for a game that’s billing itself as a Metroidvania, is the combat- in that it has none. According to its developers, this is an experience that’ll focus purely and exclusively on platforming and movement mechanics, which means if you run into enemies in the world, you’ll be tasked with avoiding and getting past them rather than taking them on in combat.

BIOMES

Outside of the combat and platforming, when it comes to the island itself, the game is promising a fair bit of variety in the locations that you’ll be traversing and exploring. In total, there are three main biomes in the island of Monoth, each hiding one of the Tomes. There’s Pavonia, a fruitful and prosperous area that’s rich in flora and fauna. Then there’s Gizmopolis, a hub of engineering, clockwork, robots, and what have you. Finally, there’s Astrono, which is all about astronomy, where even gravity is different. On top of those three main biomes, players will also explore the Library, an old and abandoned hub that’s filled with dusty old tomes and manuscripts.

SECRETS AND COLLECTIBLES

As a Metroidvania game, Disney Illusion Island will, of course, place its fair share of emphasis on exploration, which means there will also be secrets and collectibles to track down. For starters, there are Glimts, which are wisp-like things scattered throughout the map that you can collect and spend on unlocking upgrades, from additional health to concept art. Mickey Memorablia will cover a variety of items from the character’s long and stories legacy that you can find hidden in different places. There are also Tokuns, which are essentially in-game trading cards featuring a variety of in-game characters.

DIFFICULTY

Metroidvania games love to put up a challenge across everything from combat to traversal, though Disney Illusion Island is taking a different approach in this area. This is, after all, a Disney game with characters like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck front and center, which means the goal for Dlala Studios has been to cast as wide a net as possible. Speaking in an interview with Game Informer, creative director AJ Grand-Scrutton said, “It’s not a kids’ game. It’s a family game. What that means is it is difficult at times. There’s some complicated platforming. But then we give people the tools to be able to customize the experience. Every time you start the game on the character select screen, each player can individually set their starting health. For those players who just want to enjoy a story, or for younger players, you can actually set yourself to infinite health from the beginning.”

ANIMATIONS

Disney Illusion Island’s undeniably pleasant art style is clearly one of its bigger highlights from what we’ve seen of it so far, and it looks like the game is going to be just as striking when viewed in motion, if not more. Dlala Studios is promising gorgeous and detailed hand-drawn animations, with a great deal of detail crammd into every movement. Given the property that it’s based on, it should be interesting to see just how much the game impresses in that area.

MUSIC AND VOICE ACTING

In addition to its visual strengths with the art style and hand-drawn animations, Disney Illusion Island is also promising a strong aural experience. Dlala Studios has confirmed that the game features fully orchestrated original score, as well as voice over performances from “authentic voice talents”, as the developer describes them.

INSPIRATIONS

It seems Dlala Studios has taken inspiration from a great deal of sources for Disney Illusion Island’s development, beyond even the obvious ones. Visually and from an art perspective, the game has taken a leaf out of the Rayman games’ book, while the studio is also describing it as an homage to Castle of Illusion, World of Illusion, and Magical Quest, rather than a direct sequel. Meanwhile, in its level design and focus on traversal and platforming, you’ll also find similarities with the Ori games.

PRICE

Disney Illusion Island is being billed as a family friendly, relatively small-scale experience, so it’s no surprise that, happily enough, it won’t be a full-priced game. When it launches exclusively for the Nintendo Switch on July 28, it will be available for purchase for a price of $39.99.

FILE SIZE

The game’s smaller-scale nature and relatively compact scope will be reflected in its file size as well. According to the Switch eShop, Disney Illusion Island has a file size of 6.6 GB, which is pretty much par for the course for most games on the Switch, especially if it’s sidescrolling platformers you’re talking about.

Starfield

Starfield is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated games of the year, and the game finally looks to be on track to hit its updated release date of September 6, 2023. Starfield is Bethesda’s first new IP in over 25 years, and from what we’ve seen so far – the game looks absolutely amazing. Everything from the combat to the exploration and visuals looks impressive, and we’re really excited to see how it all comes up together when the game releases for Xbox Series consoles and PC later this year.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie

While many may see this as yet another Trails title in the long-running series, for many, it’s the conclusion of a journey that ended somewhat abruptly in 2020. The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie takes place after the events of Cold Steel 4 and sees Erebonia at peace. However, trouble begins to stir once more. This time, there are three different character paths to pursue. Lloyd Bannings and the Special Support Section seek to protect Crossbell; Rean Schwarzer and Class VII deal with the aftermath of the Great Twilight; and a mysterious individual named C butts heads with both.

Players can switch between each protagonist with the Crossroads system and venture into the True Reverie Corridor, a randomly generated dungeon with its own side content, characters, and events. Even if the wait for the next entry is long, fans can finally see the Erebonian saga come to a close when The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie launches on July 7th for PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch and PC.

Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals

Oxenfree fans can finally continue the mind-bending journey that began in 2016. Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals is set five years later and sees protagonist Riley returning to her hometown. Mysterious events are occurring again, thanks to strange electromagnetic waves, and she’s determined to find the cause. Once again, conversations play out in real time, and your choices influence the story’s direction, the bonds forged, and Riley’s personality.

You can use the new walkie-talkie to speak to (or ignore) the locals and maybe learn more about the mysterious Parentage. Space-time travel, bigger stakes and more await as everything rests on your shoulders. Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals launches on July 12th for PS4, PS5, PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android, and we can’t wait to see what twists await.

Exoprimal

There have probably been enough jokes about someone at Capcom thinking, “But what if Horde mode Dino Crisis with power suits?” Nevertheless, Exoprimal looks very interesting. Set in 2040, where outbreaks of thousands of dinosaurs occur constantly, players join a squad of exosuit pilots to stem the tide. An AI known as Leviathan is used to predict the outbreaks, but before you know it, time travel is involved. What is Leviathan’s goal with its simulations, and can players resolve the mysteries of the dinosaurs?

The story unfolds through the co-op Dino Survival mode, as two squads of five players compete in various maps to complete objectives. Sometimes you may go head-to-head, but you can forgo PvP entirely. Gather clues to learn more, and pilot several different Exosuits, each with unique roles and capabilities, whether healing allies with Nimbus, tanking damage as Murasame, or taking down hordes of enemies with Zephyr.

Exoprimal launches on July 14th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC, and is also coming to Game Pass on day one.

Pikmin 4

What happens when Captain Olimar crash-lands on a planet and the Rescue Corps sent to retrieve him also crashes? It’s the job of a recruit, aka You, to save everyone, once again corralling and commanding hordes of Pikmin to help.

Releasing on July 21st for Nintendo Switch, Pikmin 4 allows for customizing your character, collecting treasures and exploring the environment to rescue any castaways. A new dog-like creature Oatchi helps out, serving as a mount and also battling some of the hostile monsters that abound. Players can also explore at night, tackling tougher threats and using the new Glow Pikmin.

Throw in a mysterious individual who also seems to be after the castaways, leading to Dandori Battles, where you compete to gather the most objects, and Pikmin 4 seems to have a lot in store for series fans. Newcomers can download a free demo from the eShop, allowing them to sample the gameplay and transfer progress to continue in the full game.

Remnant 2

Defying expectations, Remnant: From the Ashes went from relatively no buzz to a beloved third-person shooter Souls-like that sold over 3 million copies. With Remnant 2, Gunfire Games is going much bigger with new worlds, weapons, armor, enemies, bosses and an increased scale. Taking place nearly 20 years after the events of Subject 2923, Ward 13 is at peace. However, with The Root continuing to spread to other worlds via The Labyrinth, players suit up to try and stop it.

Instead of classes, players have Archetypes, which allow for multi-classing and mixing and matching Skills and Traits. The random world generation is also kicked up a notch, as you’ll explore new biomes with unique quests and enemies on each playthrough, leading to more replay value. Remnant 2 is out on July 25th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (PC)

Roughly two years and several other PS5 titles on PC later, Insomniac Games’ Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is finally coming to Steam and the Epic Games Store. Launching on July 26th, it supports 21:9 and 32:9 Ultra-wide displays. For the triple monitor owners, it even has 48:9 support. Ray-traced reflections are a given, but you also get unlocked frame rates and ray-traced shadows for exteriors.

There’s support for the haptic feedback and dynamic triggers on DualSense in addition to the keyboard and mouse (not to mention other controller options). Upscaling solutions like Nvidia DLSS 3, AMD FSR2, Intel XeSS and Insomniac’s Temporal Injection are also supported. If this isn’t enough, you can also use DLAA to improve the image quality and Reflex for more responsive controls.

Honestly, just hearing that Nixxes is handling the port is good enough for us, as Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is an incredible dimension-hopping 3D platformer.

Disney Illusion Island

Remember that gorgeous-looking 2D platformer starring Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy that Disney announced? Good news – it’s not dead. Disney Illusion Island recently received a new trailer ahead of its July 28th release, and it looks as sharp as ever. The story sees Mickey and the crew venturing to Monoth Island to recover three books. Along with platforming challenges and puzzles, they’ll take on bosses with their unique abilities and delve more into the island’s various mysteries.

The hand-drawn animation, familiar voices and charming soundtrack will draw you in, and there’s also four-player couch co-op support with unique skills for helping each other out. With its adorable visuals and sleek presentation, Disney Illusion Island could fill the hole that Rayman Origins and Legends have left for party platformers.

F1 Manager 2023

It’s easy to be wary of F1 Manager 2023, especially considering how Frontier Developments handled the post-launch support of its predecessor. Nevertheless, with 23 races, new tracks like the Las Vegas Strip Circuit, and the new Race Replay for reliving the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship, there are some interesting bells and whistles. You can also embody a team during big moments in the season using Race Moments.

Frontier also promises better drive AI and “refinements to racing lines, overtakes and incidents.” F1 Manager 2023 launches on July 31st for PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. Hopefully, it’s a step up from its predecessor.

Jagged Alliance 3

The latest entry in the classic squad-based tactical strategy series, Jagged Alliance 3, sees players assembling a team of mercenaries to rescue the President of Grand Chien and defeat The Legion. Mercenaries come with different personalities and quirks, and some familiar faces are returning. However, all tactical decisions rest with the player, whether you’re customizing weapons and load-outs, battling enemy forces or capturing territory.

Jagged Alliance 3 offers an open structure with plenty of freedom, and you can experience the campaign alone or with a friend in co-op. It’s out on July 14th, exclusively for PC. Will it end up with fewer issues than developer Haemimont Games’ Park Beyond? One can certainly hope.

The Expanse: A Telltale Series Episode 1

Telltale Games is working with Alcon and Deck Nine Games for a new narrative adventure based on the popular sci-fi series, The Expanse. As a prequel to the TV series, it sees Camina Drummer (played by Cara Gee) and her crew on the Artemis exploring The Belt, salvaging space ships and having all kinds of run-ins.

As with classic Telltale titles, your decisions matter and can be the difference between valuable supplies or your crewmate losing a leg. The Expanse: A Telltale Series launches July 27th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5 and PC via the Epic Games Store. However, this marks the debut of Episode 1 – four more episodes are coming, each releasing two weeks afterwards.

Synapse

Among the many new titles coming to PlayStation VR2 is Synapse, a first-person shooter from nDreams starring David Hayter and Jennifer Hale. As an operative tasked with investigating Colonel Peter Conrad, who is threatening a world-ending catastrophe, you venture into the latter’s mind, battling through surreal environments while gathering clues on his weapon.

The Heart of Darkness inspiration isn’t exactly subtle, but seeing Hayter play Conrad, lending his signature charisma to what should be an intriguing villain, will be interesting. It also doesn’t hurt that the shooting and visuals look good. Synapse is out on July 4th for PlayStation VR2.

Ed-0: Zombie Uprising

From Lancarse, the team behind duds like The Diofield Chronicle, comes Ed-0: Zombie Uprising. Though it has some role-playing elements, this is a hack-and-slash dungeon crawler with randomly generated environments where you slay hordes of zombies in the Edo period. Play as a Samurai, Sumo Wrestler or Ninja, discover over 150 items and skills, and battle bosses.

Will this result in the zombies not turning Japan into a deadman wonderland? Probably not, but it should make for some mindless fun. Ed-0: Zombie Uprising is currently available in early access for PC but exits on July 13th while also being available for Xbox Series X/S and PS5.

Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg

You may be familiar with the Atelier series, specifically Ryza and Sophie, but how about returning to where it all began? Atelier Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg kickstarted the RPG series, and it’s getting the remake treatment on July 12th on PS4, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch. The visuals are updated, with cute 3D character models and stages, while event illustrations are now animated.

Thankfully, the tutorial, exploration and collecting of materials have been improved. Long-time fans can look forward to new events and characters, but if you’re dreading the five-year time limit that past Atelier games are known for, don’t worry, as the new Unlimited Mode lets you play at your own pace.

Blackout Protocol

A twin-stick co-op shooter with rogue-lite elements vaguely based on the SCP? That’s Blackout Protocol in a nutshell. It launches on July 20th for PC as an early access title and sees the S2P Corporation venturing through Sector 13 to deal with supernatural entities. Shrouded in darkness, you must deal with randomly changing environments and friendly fire, using light to guide the way.

Some entities react differently to being illuminated, further adding to the unpredictability and your Panic Gauge, which can result in debilitating conditions. With skills that carry over between runs, you have to survive more than a few deaths to reach the bottom.

Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara

If you’re looking for a more laid-back platforming experience, Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara may be worth checking out. It sees Koa and Napopo journeying through the world of Mara (which some may recognize from Summer in Mara) and discovering all kinds of things, from pirates to volcanoes. There are collectables to collect and secrets to uncover, but those keen on speedrunning also have options.

With eight different levels, skins to unlock, characters to meet, and sailing, Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara promises a fun, colorful adventure. It releases on July 27th for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch.

The island has its share of challenges as the heroes swim, jump, wall-jump and much more through various obstacles. Each character has unique abilities, but everyone can grind on rails, swing from vines, and more. Based on the trailer alone, the hand-drawn art style looks incredible, while the orchestral score captures that classic Disney feel.

Though not showcased here, there are bosses to battle and puzzles to solve. Players can also assist each other in co-op with unique abilities like Rope Drop and Leap Frog.

Disney Illusion Island launches on July 28th for Nintendo Switch. Check out the last major trailer here.

Players will join Mickey and his friends as they explore the island of Monoth in search of three magical books. The game will put players in the shoes of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy.

The gameplay in Disney Illusion Island revolves around side-scrolling platforming levels where players will try to explore in order to unlock new abilities and uncover hidden secrets. The game also features co-op gameplay for up to 4 players.

The co-op features in Disney Illusion Island are quite extensive, allowing players to hug each other for extra health, drop a rope that can be climbed to avoid obstacles, and even leap frog over allies for longer jumps.

Disney Illusion Island is coming to Nintendo Switch on July 28. The game was originally announced last year.

As Mickey, Minnie, Donald or Goofy, players venture to the brand new Illusion Island, meet friendly new creatures, and much more. They’ll solve puzzles, thrash some enemies, and find the Book of Knowledge. Each seemingly has unique abilities, with Minnie able to grapple, Goofy using an oversized mustard bottle to hover (for real), and Donald swimming underwater.

Overall, the art style looks pretty good, and the platforming seems to channel Ubisoft’s Rayman Origins/Legends. Time will tell if it can match the same level of quality. Stay tuned for more details on its release in the coming months, and wishlist it on the Nintendo eShop now.