Disney Illusion Island review - Mickey’s first metroidvania, for better or worse
Duck tales.
Nobody is taking Donald away from me. I love his perpetual grumpiness and 'over it' attitude, combined with that wet and phlegmy unintelligible babble. In a game of childlike magical wonder and relentless positivity, Donald's is the squawking voice of reason - at least, with subtitles on.
Disney Illusion Island is a 1-4 player co-op metroidvania, with players able to choose between Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald. The famous mouse is persistently upbeat, he and Minnie are all lovey-dovey, and Goofy is just gormlessly there to make irrelevant comments. There's no contest on who to pick.
I do feel sorry for Donald, though. He's always ready with a sassy remark to undercut this whimsical adventure, yet he's forever the butt of the joke. Take upgrades, for instance: whenever the four characters receive a new ability - typical of the genre - it's individually tailored to each but with the same function. For the boost jump, Mickey gets a cool jetpack, Minnie an elegant origami plane, Goofy rides a spicy pepper (all his upgrades are food related), and Donald gets a firework rocket in danger of exploding beneath him. Later he's ironically given two extra feathers to glide with - apparently his wings aren't already enough.
It's testament to developer DLaLa that it packed so much character into the game. Players will have their favourites, but Donald is irresistible to me with his determined run and panicked flaps. The animated story scenes are gorgeously presented and filled with slapstick and sarcastic humour, which translates in-game to expressive character design and comedy audio: the eccentrically silly power-ups, the boing of a bouncy platform, or the clang of an enemy hit. The developer also isn't afraid to poke fun at genre conventions (there's a recurring joke about those upgrades for example, and the map giver is bizarrely a toaster handing out bread fragments) and there's some amusing wordplay in the script. The playful orchestral score, too, adds to that Disney authenticity of a playable cartoon. It's all thoroughly charming.
The rich character doesn't always carry through to the world design, however, and as a metroidvania Disney Illusion Island is a simplistic affair. It takes place in the original world of Monoth, comprising three biomes merged together into one explorable map, with Mickey and co tasked with exploring to acquire three magical books suspiciously stolen from the cute furry Hokuns. Yet these biomes all merge together into one long platforming challenge that never quite feels satisfying to explore, due to both visual and gameplay design.
The visuals are impressionistic and abstract with some fun details to spot: sleeping cats, robots at work, and of course plenty of mouse ears. There are individual platform types too: from withering flowers in Pavonia, to the toylike mechanisms of Gizmopolis, and Astrono's intriguing blend of astronomical and oceanic ideas. The latter stands out most for its fluid swimming sections, but on the whole each biome lacks distinct features to aid navigation, so it's very easy to get lost. Monoth is an endless maze of things to jump on, from, or over, but it's repetitive and inorganic, never really coming alive as a believable location beyond a wash of pastels.
Gathering abilities opens up more of the world, but their usage is clearly signposted on the map (which quickly becomes overwhelmed with icons), sapping some of the excitement of discovery and watering down exploration. Moreover, the game too often requires players to arbitrarily collect keys for a locked door, or forces players unnaturally back and forth across biomes. And with no combat (even bosses are simple platforming challenges) gameplay lacks depth, though admittedly you're unlikely to ever spot Mickey with a gun. DLaLa has created an original take on the Disney world, but gameplay and progression are short of inventiveness.
Of course, this is designed as Mickey's First Metroidvania (and it literally is) so its simple gameplay is aimed squarely at a family audience, preferably playing together. I did play most of the game as a solo adventure and while it's a little basic, the moment-to-moment jumping is floaty, fluid and responsive. The suite of abilities includes double jump, glide, wall jumping, and ground pound; when strung together, my Donald was swiftly sailing through areas with ease. There may be a fair amount of backtracking and enemy placement is occasionally unfair, but it's a joy to control these characters - Donald's panicked flapping in stark contrast to my own relaxed manner.
I'm also fond of the difficulty options. When choosing a character, players are able to also choose the number of hearts they'll have. Want an easier ride? Pick the maximum three. Want a challenge? Do a one heart run. Still struggling? Choose the invincibility heart. Any small moments of frustration are immediately alleviated by the frequent checkpoints and if you want that extra challenge, there are plenty of bite-sized secret areas nestled away to discover.
Strangely enough, the game was most difficult during co-op. Playing two-player, my partner was lagging behind and often fell off the screen. The camera, you see, automatically follows the first player - race too far ahead (or miss a jump) and it interrupts the flow of gameplay, even when the camera pans out so far the characters are miniscule. To nudge towards cooperation, characters can hug for an extra heart or drop a rope to assist with tricky sections - a cute touch.
I imagine the chaos of four players - all jumping wildly and grabbing each other for hugs as the camera strains to keep up - is at odds with the smooth solo play. For families (and those with patience), however, this will likely be a fun experience. There's a silly storyline to keep you playing and amuse the kids, a gentle genre introduction for younger players, and a fun take on familiar characters we all know and love. It's Disney interpreted by a small developer, but still authentically Disney.
Then again, I can't help but feel playing with three others fits with the characterisation: Mickey proudly bounding ahead, Minnie cooly tagging along, Goofy hungrily sauntering after, and Donald flailing behind. I'm glad I was able to give him a starring role.