Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse

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Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
Castle of illusion Mickey mouse.jpg
Developer(s) Sega (AM7)
Sega Studios Australia (remake)
Publisher(s) Sega
Designer(s) Yoshio Yoshida
Artist(s) Takashi Yuda
Mikarin Nishida
Composer(s) Tokuhiko Uwabo
Shigenori Kamiya
Grant Kirkhope (remake) [1]
Series Illusion
Platform(s) Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Master System, Game Gear, Sega Saturn, Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, Microsoft Windows
Release date(s) Sega Genesis/Mega Drive
  • NA November 20, 1990
  • JP November 21, 1990
  • EU November 22, 1990
Game Gear
  • JP 23 March 1991
  • NA April 26, 1991
  • PAL April 26, 1991
Sega Saturn
  • JP October 15, 1998
Remake
  • WW Q2/Q3 2013
Genre(s) Platform game
Mode(s) Single player
Media/distribution 4-megabit cartridge, CD-ROM, digital distribution

Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse, known in Japan as I Love Mickey Mouse: Great Mysterious Castle Adventure (アイラブミッキーマウス ふしぎのお城大冒険 Ai Rabu Mikkī Mausu: Fushigi no Shiro Daibōken?), is a platformer game developed by Sega and released for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. It is the first game in Sega's Illusion series of video games starring Mickey Mouse, and was amongst the second wave of games initially released for the platform which helped seal the console's reputation within the period until the release of Sonic the Hedgehog.

An 8-bit game based on the 16-bit original was released for the Master System in 1990, followed by the Game Gear in 1991. It was known as Mickey Mouse's Castle Illusion (アイラブミッキーマウスのキャッスル・イリユージヨン?) in Japan.

Castle of Illusion was re-released in 1998 in Japan as part of the Sega Ages: Mickey Mouse & Donald Duck for the Sega Saturn, which features both Castle of Illusion and QuackShot. A remake of the game is to be released for Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and PC in Q2/Q3 2013.

Contents

Plot and gameplay [edit]

Screenshot of the Genesis version

Castle of Illusion is a side-scrolling platformer in which the player takes control of Mickey Mouse as he goes inside the Castle of Illusion in order to rescue Minnie Mouse from an evil witch named Mizrabel, who wants to steal Minnie's youth. During the game, Mickey visits various worlds in order to obtain seven gems that can build a rainbow bridge to the castle tower where Minnie is being held.[2]

Mickey's main method of attack is to perform a 'bounce' whilst jumping, which can be used to defeat enemies, or to bounce upwards towards higher areas. Mickey can also collect projectiles such as apples and marbles to throw at his opponents. There are various items that earn bonus points, increase the player's health and grant extra lives.

Every level ends in a boss battle against one of Mizrabel's henchmen where Mickey can earn a gem, although there is one level where a gem is earned half-way through. After clearing all six levels, obtaining all gems will open up the route to witch's throne room. There, the player faces the final boss: a giant and youthful version of Mizrabel (resembling Disney's Queen Grimhilde). There is also an easy mode available where players simply play through a handful of levels.

8-bit version [edit]

A redesigned version of the game was also released for the Sega Master System, featuring different game mechanics, levels and graphics. The Game Gear release is almost identical to the Master System version as the cartridge contains a modified version of it, invoking the console's compatibility mode.

Reception [edit]

 Reception
Review scores
Publication Score
MegaTech 93%[3]
Mean Machines 95%[4]

At the time of the game's release, Mean Machines gave the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive version of the game a positive review, awarding the game a score of 95%, specifically praising the games graphics and playability.[5] Mega placed it at 21st spot in their 1992 list of top Mega Drive games of all time.[6] According to GameSpot in 2010, "it wasn't just the levels that made this game so good. The music, the controls, and Mickey's superb animation all contributed to one of the very best Disney games that would heavily influence those to follow."[7]

ACE called the Game Gear version "basically an unadulterated Mario clone — and not a bad one at that", giving it a score of 8 out of 10.[8]

Legacy [edit]

Main article: Illusion (series)

A sequel, Land of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse, was released for the Master System in 1992 and for the Game Gear in 1993. World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck followed for the Genesis in 1992. In 1994, Legend of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse was released for the Game Gear, with a Master System port following in 1998 exclusively in Brazil.

Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion, developed by DreamRift, was released in November 2012 for the Nintendo 3DS.[9] In it, Mizrabel from Castle of Illusion returns as the main villain, redesigned to resemble Maleficent.

Remake [edit]

 It has been suggested that this section be split into a new article. (Discuss) Proposed since April 2013.

In April 2013, a remake of the game, developed by Sega Studios Australia, was announced to be released for the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade and PC during Summer 2013.[10] The game will feature 2.5D gameplay with 3D graphics and is being developed under the supervision of the original game's director[11][12] and music by ex-Rare composer Grant Kirkhope.[13]

See also [edit]

References [edit]

 This article uses bare URLs for citations. Please consider adding full citations so that the article remains verifiable. Several templates and the Reflinks tool are available to assist in formatting. (Reflinks documentation) (May 2013)
  1. ^ http://www.destructoid.com/banjo-kazooie-composer-is-doing-castle-of-illusion-s-ost-252897.phtml
  2. ^ "Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse Review". Gamefreaks365.com. Retrieved 2009-07-05. 
  3. ^ MegaTech rating, EMAP, issue 5, page 78, May 1992
  4. ^ "Out-of-Print Archive • Mega Drive/Genesis reviews • Castle of Illusion". Outofprintarchive.com. Retrieved 2012-11-20. 
  5. ^ "Mickey Mouse - Castle of Illusion - Sega Megadrive - Mean Machines review". Meanmachinesmag.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-12-04. 
  6. ^ Mega magazine issue 1, page 76, Future Publishing, Oct 1992
  7. ^ "Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (Sega Genesis) - Mickey Through The Years on GameSpot". Gamespot.com. 2010-11-24. Retrieved 2012-11-20. 
  8. ^ Whitta, Gary (1991). ACE (47 (August)) (EMAP). p. 72 
  9. ^ "Epic Mickey: Power Of Illusion 3DS Release Date Confirmed". My Nintendo News. 2012-06-19. Retrieved 2013-01-12. 
  10. ^ 4/11/13 12:25pm Thursday 12:25pm. "The Gamer's Guide". Kotaku. Retrieved 2013-04-16. 
  11. ^ 4/15/13 1:00pm Yesterday 1:00pm. "HD Re-Make of Castle of Illusion Mickey Mouse Game Coming This Summer". Kotaku.com. Retrieved 2013-04-16. 
  12. ^ Matulef, Jeffrey. "Castle of Illusion remake unveiled for PSN, XBLA and PC • News • PlayStation 3 •". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 2013-04-16. 
  13. ^ https://twitter.com/grantkirkhope/status/323861486038577152

External links [edit]

Illusion series
Games
Related articles
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