World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse & Donald Duck

"Go Ahead, Laugh. Ill be playing a Timeless Classic known as World of Illusion."

''Oh No!! It's Mickey Mouse!!! This game must suck, then, of course.'' Those are the opinions I constantly here, over and over, along with ''Mickey Mouse? ROFL!!!'' Just so you know, almost all genesis Mickey Mouse Games were awesome. And If you still dont care, fine. Because ya know what? Ill be playing this, laughing at the Idiot who turned this game down, with its crisp graphics, fun gameplay, and all-around awesomeness. This game was advertised on the back of the American Sonic 2 Manual, and this game desreves its presense wth such a classic as Sonic 2. Im not one of those biased reviewers who give the game a 10/10 and don't mention the mistakes, or 1/10 and dont mention the good qualities. This game got the rating it deserved, and that's that.

Concept and Story: Well, the main idea of the game is that whilst practicing for a magic show, Donald and Mickey find a spooky looking ''magic box'' and Ill quote the story from the game here: ''One night, Mickey and Donald were practicing for thier big Magic Act. one of the Magic Tricks startled Donald, and he fell back, tipping over some scenery. Behind the scenery was a mysterios magic box with a drawn curtain.
''Oh Boy! If it works, we can use it in our magic act!'' Said Donald. ''Uh, dunno if thats a good idea'' said mickey, as he noticed a strange glow behind the curtain.[Does He know somthing Donald Dosnt??????-BtCE] But He was too late, Donald had already stepped inside. Poof! The curtain fluttered and Donald Disapeared! Mickey stepped inside to inspect the box and Poof! He disapeared too. Booming Laughter echoed as donald and Mickey fell through the darkness and said,''You are good magicians in your world, but here in my world of magic, youll have to learn many new tricks to find your way home. If you can find and defeat me, Ill show you the way out'' (End Story) Well atleast this isnt a generic ''Save Minnie'' story. This is more of the 0Get the Heck out if you wanna live''Genre, and thier aren't as many of those. :P Now the concept of Gameplay is that you have a magic Cape to ''Change'' enemies into more docile creatures(Like Disney was gonna put violence in a game). This may seem corny. At first, it did for me, but then I stopped paying attention after a bit. This game is a platformer, so expect a lot of jumping. Also, Donald and mickey's quest's are a tad different, and the 2 Player Quest is Extremely different. The cool part about the 2 player quest is that it involves real teamwork, and that you rely on your partner. Some problems, are that mickey's and Donald's quest are too similar. It would have been a Plus if they were more different. 8/10

Graphics:
Altho the Graphics look somewhat bad on paper, actually playing the game will help you realize the beuaty of them. Altho the Sprites in the game are a tad bit bland, the scenery makes up for it. At it's time, these graphics were awesome, and they truly depict the area's that the level's were supposed to be like, and the graphics are true to the Disney-esque theme. 8/10

Gameplay:
This is where the game shines. This brings the game from an 8/10 to a 9/10. The gameplay is simply brilliant. You would think a simplistic platform like this wouldn't be fun, but isn't the simpleness what makes all time great platformer's great? If Sonic had all kinds of complicated rules, and stuff, Sonic wouldn't really appeal to all. The gameplay, of course, as stated in the concept section, is very well done. This is shown by the challenge and variety the game has to offer. Youll be fling on carpets, and be under a huge ocean in a bubble, and go through mirror halls(the graphics in this area are totally awesome!). Yep, only truly great games have this kind of gameplay, simple, yet completely awesome. 10/10

Controls:
Hmmm. not too much to say here. The controls are responsive, but the gravity feels a tad awkward, and maybe a bit tight. nothing to ruin your fun, though. 9/10

Sound:
These tunes are catchy, and well composed. Altho you won't remember them like you would Saria's Song, from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, you wont forget them quickly. Some of the tunes could have been a bit better, but youll never dislike them or hate them. Usually, youll find yourself dancing along with the songs. The songs fit the Mickey Mouse world, and depending on who you are, youll love or hate them. Personally, Im not a big Disney Song fan, but I enjoyed these. 8/10

Replayability:
Itll be good 4 times through, but unless you have a friend,with a taste for old games, you won't play this game constantly. Itll always be fun to pop it in your genesis every now and then. (No Rating)

Overall:
You may hate Mickey Mouse, but nothing should keep you from playing this game. It has more creativity than most, and a lot of hard work was put in it. Platforming at it's best!
Overall: 9/10

Other Recomended titles:
Castle of Illusion
Mickey Mania
Sonic 1,2,3K
Rocket Knight
Sparkster

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/08/03