For over a decade, Mickey Mouse has been missing in action from the platforming genre. While the character received his own solo title with Epic Mickey a couple of years ago and now its sequel with Oswald, fans have been longing for a Mickey Mouse platform game for years now. Following over a decade since the release of Castle and World of Illusion on the Sega Genesis, the game has finally received a follow up title that goes back to the platforming roots of the series. This time it’s on the Nintendo 3DS with Epic Mickey: The Power of Illusion.
How does the Power of Illusion stack up compared to the two Illusion titles that fans have played decades ago? Does the game have the same appeal it once had? Let’s take a look on what’s HOT and what’s NOT in our review of the game.
HOT
Mickey Mouse is Back
The Power of Illusion really does bring the game back to its roots as the platforming action everyone once loved is back. Following the story in the Epic Mickey series and a mixed sequel to the Castle of Illusion game, Mickey Mouse is back to save the world again with the help of Oswald and Jimminy Cricket. The whole Wasteland is once again in trouble and it’s up to Mickey to free the Disney characters from the wrath of Mizrabel in her Castle of Illusion. As always, Mickey will be stomping through his enemies, going through puzzles, and clearing levels as he helps free the characters from the wrath of the evil Witch. This time, Mickey has a lot of abilities that he can use such as the power of the brush from the Epic Mickey series and the stomping ability that can make him bounce hard. These powers will help Mickey in his lengthy journey back to the Castle of Illusion.
Disney Characters
Through the worlds in the Power of Illusion, players will venture through different worlds where each has their own theme. Based on the Disney characters that you will see in the game, the environments will change from the themes of Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan and many more. Each world has their own puzzles that Mickey will have to solve in order to advance from one world to another. Obstacles that Mickey will face will vary as some will involve him jumping through spikes, and avoiding a flock of enemies that advance toward him. If you are a fan of the Disney characters, you will be pleased to see them in action in the game, though frustrations will start to kick in when you realize that the world that your favorite Disney character is in will be the one giving you a headache as it will be tough to clear that world.
Great Use of the Touch Screen
As mentioned earlier, Mickey Mouse this time will have the ability to wield a brush. To solve certain puzzles in the game, Mickey will be using the touch screen of the Nintendo 3DS to solve them. Depending on what the task is, Mickey can use the touch screen to have you draw a Mickey Mouse logo with the blue ink. Sometimes it will ask you to clear the image using the Green Ink or better yet, draw some things that will help Mickey access one area to the next. Often times, you will be using both screens when playing since there are a decent amount of puzzles to solve through the game.
Great Visuals
The visuals of Power of Illusion doesn’t match the visuals in the Epic Mickey series, but what it does best is improve on the visuals of the Illusion games that were released over a decade ago. This time in Power of Illusion, the sprites are more vivid, the worlds are more colorful and Disney characters looks a lot better compared to the game that was years ago. Amplify the great 2D visuals with the depth of its 3D, you can see Mickey Mouse, the characters, and the environments pops out beautifully right on your Nintendo 3DS.
