Review of Disney’s Illusion Island

Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy take center stage in Disney Illusion Island’s Metroidvania adventure, and the outcome is largely positive. Illusion Island is centered around the joy of movement, thanks in part to its combat-free exploration, and the joy of commanding some of the most recognizable mascots in the world, in contrast to most platformers that deliver fun utilizing the adrenaline-inducing victory of challenge.

I wanted my platforming skills to be challenged further, but Illusion Island is still always enjoyable despite the game’s somewhat floaty and basic gameplay, especially for seasoned lovers of the genre.

The Fab Four are duped into visiting Monoth, a unique location made by game developer Dlala Studios for Illusion Island, to save its people. They must find three Tomes that are strewn around Monoth’s diverse biomes to accomplish this. After a few enjoyable and well-made cutscenes, I’m bouncing Mickey over potentially dangerous but otherwise harmless (as long as you don’t touch them) creatures on my way to my first goal.

Illusion Island jumps immediately into the platforming action after a brief setup that I didn’t feel like I needed.

(Video Credit: Dlala Studios)

Playing together are Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy. However, because each is animated differently—Mickey walks like the original Mickey Mouse, while Minnie dances sassily and confidently—each mascot feels distinct. These larger-than-life characters have even more personality thanks to idle animations, such as my personal favorite, in which Donald boils red like a teapot in frustration while not moving. In other places, they are given life by the present voice actors in fully voiced cinematics like to Mickey Mouse Shorts. The entire package demonstrates how much care Dlala took to make Illusion Island seem like a Disney production, and it is utterly successful.

(Image Credit: Dlala Studios)

As I delve deeper into Monoth to learn more, the simple running and jumping that I began with quickly evolve into double, long, and wall jumping, expanding the toolkit at my disposal. And thanks to hundreds of collectors, there is a lot to learn. While Mickey Memorabilia, which is my favorite, displays iconic artifacts from Disney’s nearly 100-year history of Mickey Mouse shorts, including the fabled brooms of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice from 1940, Tokun cards offer brief tidbits of knowledge about Monoth’s people. There is still enough to find in Illusion Island long after the game’s credits have rolled (or during your initial playtime), between those two collectibles, Glimt that grants permanent health enhancements, and new skills and equipment.

(Image Credit: Dlala Studios)

Given that there is no combat on Illusion Island, a healthy amount of collectibles is required. Your primary objective is avoidance when faced with obstacles, whether they are prickly creatures Mickey dares to touch or others that spew projectiles as you go by. Avoid touching anything that appears to be dangerous. However, a few bosses scattered throughout Illusion Island’s approximately eight-hour gameplay provide a more conventional combat-like experience. Although you don’t directly engage these bosses, the screen expands to create a vast arena where, for instance, the boss absorbs damage until it is knocked out after escaping numerous blows and leaping on particular buttons in the first battle. Every boss battle also features a distinct diegetic, emphasizing Dlala’s meticulous attention to detail.

(Image Credit: Dlala Studios)

With up to four players in co-op and the ability to instantly make characters invincible and regain health, Illusion Island is geared for young players. However, I wish the game catered to older players just as much as it does to younger ones. Most of the time, I didn’t feel challenged, and while I could reduce my health before each session, I preferred more natural in-game challenges to test my skills.

(Image Credit: Dlala Studios)

Illusion Island’s narrative skillfully strikes a balance between its younger and older audience, with more physical comedy directed at the former and more text-based jokes directed at me. But almost all jokes work in either direction. Illusion Island is both comical and enjoyable, which means it’s actually funny and reminiscent of the classic Mickey Mouse cartoons from the previous decade – kid-friendly but just naughty enough. The underlying tale is straightforward but excellent and well-paced, just like its mechanics.

(Image Credit: Dlala Studios)

No matter what I do in Illusion Island, I can’t help but be mesmerized by the music of David Housden. Monoth’s numerous biomes in the platformer theme park of Illusion Island feel distinctive thanks to the wonderful music, which is evocative of the cheery music that plays throughout Disney World’s several themed zones. Housden’s score is always excellent and lifts the rest of the package, so Dlala is right to place it in the forefront of the auditory experience. I adore Disney music, especially the symphonic pieces, and Housden’s composition fits right in with the vast library of the studio.

(Image Credit: Dlala Studios)

Now that I’ve earned some credits, I’m eager to learn more about Monoth’s mysteries and collectibles that I haven’t yet uncovered, and I’m especially eager to play with my 7-year-old nephew. Illusion Island doesn’t reinvent the platformer or Metroidvania genres, but its unique no-combat emphasis on merely navigating Monoth keeps the journey entertaining, quick, and satisfying. This is a straightforward journey that might not pique the interest of platformer enthusiasts with little to no obsession with Disney; I would have preferred more challenge. It is difficult to dispute, though, that Illusion Island is a joyous love letter to these characters and platforming when taken on its own terms.