World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse & Donald Duck

"Not outstanding, but worth a look"

Introduction

I can't say I'm quite as much of a Mickey Mouse fan as I used to be, but I certainly wanted to play this game when we purchased it from a car boot sale. I got impatient because it was the day before my last GCSE examination and I'd taken a vow not to play video games before my exams were over. I barely made it.

Gameplay - 7/10

Certainly interesting, despite the fact that after a few plays you realise that the levels are INCREDIBLY short. What saves this from being a complete dud is the fact that this is effectively three games in one. One version played as Mickey Mouse, another as Donald Duck and also a two-player version.

On every level, there will be various different places you get to visit - Mickey might have to rush across an insane banqueting table, while Donald has to traverse through a confusing two-layered maze, for example. In early levels there is no proper explanation for these differences, while later in it gets more interesting. For example, there is one point where Donald cannot squeeze through a gap, so he has to return to a previous point in the game and take a different route.

The levels themselves provide a lot of variety - following a spider and walking along the web it creates, playing a piano in the clouds and grabbing items, riding on a magic carpet, and a sky rocket ride. There's also a very fast-paced raft ride where amateur players might end up losing a lot of lives very quickly. The final stage does seem to drag on a little too much, though.

The boss fights are okay; they're not a patch on the bosses for Castle of Illusion, but still have their moments - such as the shark boss, which jumps through the floor at you, as well as trying to chomp you.

The two player mode is interesting, if a little aggravating. Both players share the same screen, and so if one player lags behind, the other will have to wait for them to catch up. If one player loses a life in this mode, they simply reappear at the point where they died - or the other player must play on until they find their partner (a little like Streets of Rage). There are some very fun moments to be had, including a minecar ride where you control by jumping alternately. Having said this, my sister and I were absolutely baffled by a certain part of the last level in the two-player mode - a level consisting of one screen, and five doors (it took ages just to figure out how to enter one of the doors).

Overall, the gameplay is okay, but it's by no means perfect.

Story - 5/10

Well, it's a little better than Castle of Illusion's. Mickey and Donald have incurred the wrath of an evil sorceror with their amateur magic tricks and they must prove their worth in his bizarre world and battle him. The ending seems a little silly, but it's not too bad.

Graphics - 6.5/10

Mostly, the graphics are very nice looking - despite also being rather childish in places. Some of the character faces are rather horrible looking, and there are a lot of apparent homages to Disney's Alice in Wonderland, including a level full of playing card guards. For some reason, a large amount of the enemies also resemble the Mad Hatter, and I can't quite figure out why. There are a few neat transitions between levels, especially when after traversing through an underwater level, you find yourself jumping over a fish bowl. Oh, and there's an amusing level set in a picture book where all the enemies are made up of words.

Also, one great point is the continue screens; these are hilarious. Mickey gets revived Minnie Mouse blowing him a kiss, Donald gets enraged when Daisy Duck blows a kiss at someone else. These make you forget about how irritating some of the other graphics can be.

Sound - 9/10

Luckily, the sound in this game is generally good - I particularly enjoy the music that plays throughout the sunken ship level, and also the festive music in the Christmas Box level (2 player only). I could have done without the repeated cries of "wow" from the stars though - every time they see something "amazing".

Play Time/Replay Value - 6/10

Not a lot, except that you'll want to play through the game a number of times to experience the different versions of the game. Two player can be enjoyable if you can find a friend who'll play it with you.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 08/29/05