Ever since 1990 people are still talking about Castle of Illusion which was released on the Sega Genesis starring everyone's favourite Disney icon Mickey Mouse. This is a Remake of the original game which was announced back in April 2013 which was set to release on PSN, Live Arcade and Steam, quite a few people were surprised that Sega was actually planning on making this game. The story plot for Castle of Illusion is similar to the original game the Evil Witch Mizrabel kidnaps Minnie for her youth, it's up to Mickey to save the Minnie and collect the 7 coloured rainbow gems to build a bridge and save the day.
Gameplay: If you've played the original it does follow the same style on its 2D platforming but this Remake version is a 2.5D platformer which has both 2D and 3D graphics during gameplay it does have a nice effect. Using the X button to jump you can jump on enemies and jumping and climbing your way across each of the levels. You can also collect items like Apples or Marbles which can be used to throw at enemies or treasure chests, there isn't else much to say on gameplay controls. But in order to move on to other levels you'll need to collect diamonds in order to unlock the next set of levels, each of the world's you'll enter will have 3 doors two levels and a boss. You'll have at least 3-5 stars on your health if you lose all stars you'll lose a life but trying to collect everything on each of the levels maybe a challenge without dying at certain parts of each level.
Seems simple enough but the downside to the Remake is that the game is a little too easy then the original but there are collectable trophies to collect and chilli peppers which can unlock costumes and Time Trail once you've completed a level. There are puzzles and multiple places to go across through most of the levels, some can lead to the direction you need to go to or lead to another direction which sends you to a path that can lead you to a trophy or a treasure chest.
Graphics and Sound: The 3D graphics and environments being used in this 2D platformer do look really impressive and charming to look at; it can be hard to ignore the art and colourful animation that's been used in Castle of Illusion. What really made this game shined were the 2nd World (Toy Kingdom) and 4th World (Library/Sweet land) on its levels which really do stand out in the whole game on it's layout. There are hardly any camera issues or problems however some cutscenes through most of the game can't be skipped which maybe annoying if you get to a certain part of the game but keep messing up, you won't be able to skip that certain cutscene you would have to sit and watch through it.
The Narrator makes the game itself feel more like a story book which does make a nice touch and of course is voiced by Richard McGonagle. Like most Disney cartoons you'll hear Mickey and Minnie's voices but the story isn't that complicated just seems simple and making it feel more like an Arcade game or a lot like the original version. Soundtrack has been remastered for the remake and is by Grant Kirkhope, as well as an option to listen to the original 16-bit soundtrack composed by Tokuhiko Uwabo and Shigenori Kamiya.
Overall: This is a fun and charming platformer Sega has done a good job on doing a remake on Castle of Illusion just wish that they would make more games like this in the future and takes a different turn on games. But however this game is too short and I mean short you can easily beat this game within a day, but trying to collect everything might be a challenge for some gamers out there. Trophy support is added in along with a leaderboard where you can share your hi-scores online to players around the world.
But don't let this pull you off this is still a Disney game worth checking out and downloading on to your system, this does make a great welcome back to games like these and a good chance for gamers who weren't around that time or didn't get the chance to play the original on the Sega Genesis.