Disney Illusion Island (Switch)
By: Disney
WHILE Uncle Walt chills in his cryo-chamber, Disney has become the world's largest entertainment company, with Marvel and Star Wars now safely in its back pocket. Yet, while ruling the big and small screens, the House of Mouse's videogame output is a far cry from its early-90s heyday, when titles like Castle of Illusion could go toe-to-toe with even the mighty Mario.
Illusion Island, released to little fanfare, is a step in the right direction, with its family-friendly take on the Metroidvania formula where sprawling maps open up as you gain more abilities.
When Mickey and his pals are hoodwinked into visiting the island of Monoth for a picnic, our quartet of Disney mainstays embark on a quest to save its furry inhabitants by recovering powerful tomes pilfered by evil book thieves.
Metroidvania, Disney-style, Illusion Island offers up to four-player co-op action with Mickey, Minnie, confused dog/cow hybrid Goofy and everyone's favourite half-naked wading bird, Donald. Clearly Donald is the connoisseur's choice, offering lashings of flappy tantrums and enough sardonic quips to cut through the treacle.
With a huge map that sprawls in every direction, Monoth's three unique biomes eventually merge together into one infinitely explorable world as players unearth new skills.
So far, so Metroid. The twist here is that there's absolutely no combat – enemies can't be defeated, with players instead finding ways around them. Even its boss battles are violence-free, leading to some wonderfully imaginative ways to 'off' the game's biggest baddies.
Leaning hard into Disney's theme park vibe, there are tonnes of collectibles to unearth, including Disneyland's famed 'Hidden Mickeys' – mouse symbols cleverly ensconced across the environment. Your reward is a treasure trove of Walt ephemera, from concept art to stills from classic Disney animation.
With adjustable difficulty (right down to taking no damage at all) and generous checkpointing, Illusion Island is a game that begs to be played with the entire family, but with enough callbacks and golden age references to keep older gamers grinning.
It's also no slouch in the technical department, with a lush orchestral score and slick animation that captures its iconic characters to a tee – from Donald's avian anger, to Goofy's cornball clumsiness.
A cut above the usual licensed cash-in, Illusion Island is essentially Mickey's First Metroidvania, ready to prime the next generation of lateral thinking adventurers.
Much like the theme parks, it's short, sweet and best enjoyed with a crowd.
