Illusions Are For Kids, Right?

Free for Playstation Plus users this month is Castle of Illusion—both the old 1990s version on Sega Genesis and the HD remake. I have fond memories of renting this game for the Genesis, and I also happen to own World of Illusion, which came out a little later in 1992.

Both the Genesis and HD remake follow the same general storyline: a witch called Mizrabel captures Minnie Mouse and, of course, Mickey is tasked to rescue her.

So I began playing the Genesis version, if only for a brief moment. My memory is hazy, but within the first few minutes, I realized you couldn’t simply jump on top of enemies to attack them (like most 2D platformers of this era). I found some jumps would register a kill, but 95% of the time, Mickey would get hurt. A few minutes later, I realized you needed to hit down on the d-pad before landing on an enemy to get the kill. This mechanic felt odd at first, but I continued playing and realized how jumping on some enemies would result in an even higher jump; a pretty smart game mechanic.

Move over New York, this is the real Big Apple

Just like games of its era, you learn from your mistakes as you go, so you generally feel some sense of accomplishment. There are a few cheap moments. For instance, I died at the first boss, which cost me all my throwable items (apples). As such, I had nothing to throw at the boss, which was kind of annoying, since my only option was to use a jump attack.  Also, from what I can tell, you can’t jump and throw your items at the same time.

What I really loved about this game was that I learned everything as I played. At first, I thought you couldn’t jump on your enemies, which made me think that I could only throw projectiles at them. You truly feel some sense of accomplishment, and this is coming from a 24 year-old game meant for children.

On the other hand, the HD remake makes life easier: you can jump on top of any enemy without any problems. No need to hit down on the d-pad, because you automatically bounce off enemies. The gameplay feels very gimped, and frankly too easy. I found it simple to bypass most enemies by jumping over them, which was much less possible in the Genesis version. The controls felt loose, and I found Mickey would slide everywhere. This made me feel less in control of Mickey and less satisfied overall.

What it does do well is re-introduce this game to a new generation of children. The game looks great, and I love how the soundtrack is updated yet remains faithful to the original.  It adds voice acting and a narrator, which adds some charm. It also allows you to jump and throw at the same time, which is a welcomed addition.

Final Thoughts
I highly recommend playing the original over the new version. It’s really great once you learn the controls, and you’re bound to sink a few hours into this game. The HD remake is somewhat forgettable because it sticks to the tried and true, offering very little to differentiate it from similar games. The remake works well, but the original allows you to learn as you play. I truly had a ton of fun, and I hope you will too.