Disney Illusion Island Nintendo Switch Review And Analysis: Title, How To Play, All You Need To Know

To start our analysis of Disney Illusion Island, we first have to go back in time. The most nostalgic will remember a series of games from the nineties starring Mickey Mouse and known as the “Illusion” series. Of these, the best known is perhaps its first instalment, Castle of Illusion, from which many more games emerged, such as Land of Illusion, World of Illusion and Legend of Illusion. Why are we telling you this? Because as its name indicates, the game that we are here to talk about today, although it is quite different from all these titles, is a love letter to them. Next, we will tell you everything you can expect from this new adventure from Dlala Studio exclusively for Nintendo Switch, there is more to it than meets the eye!

A Mickey Mouse Metroidvania for everyone

The plot of Disney Illusion Island begins with Mickey Mouse and his friends (Minnie, Donald and Goofy) arriving at the mysterious Monoth Island, where they must recover a series of lost tomes through different locations, facing all kinds of dangers along the way to become true heroes. The first thing that catches our attention about the game is that, as soon as it starts, each player can choose how many hearts he wants to have during the game session. In this way, everyone can adjust the difficulty of the title to their abilities, deciding how expensive the mistakes to make will be and turning the game into an accessible experience for any kind of player.

In its structure, Disney Illusion Island is a Metroidvania with a great peculiarity: it lacks combat. Of course, this is not to say that there are no enemies. We will have to face all kinds of obstacles and hostile creatures whose attacks we will have to dodge. The game also features confrontations against bosses, which we will defeat through different mechanisms, instead of dealing direct damage.

As we progress in the adventure we will get different abilities, such as new ways of moving (jumping off walls, plummeting, sliding around…) that will open the door to new areas to explore. Also, we will unlock fast travel points on the map, although we will do this a little later, so walking to different places can be a bit tiresome in the long run until we reach that point.

Playing with friends is more fun

Although you can enjoy Disney Illusion Island alone, the best way to get the most out of the game is by playing in local cooperative mode with up to three other friends. Although it doesn’t matter which character each one chooses (they all have the same set of movements, only changing the animations for all of them), when we play in company we will unlock various abilities that will allow us to get more out of exploration. Some of these will be giving each other hugs to get a heart back ( Kirby -style making out with his friends), using our friends to jump farther, or dropping a rope on them so they can climb up when they fall.

Monoth Island has a variety of different biomes with their enemies, challenges, and collectables. Of the latter there are a lot of different ones, ranging from points of light to collect to hidden Mickey silhouettes that we will have to take photos of, among others. In general, terms, completing the adventure has taken us just over ten hours, but discovering all the secrets that the game has and obtaining all its rewards can make the experience last much longer.

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A story ending with certain notes

If there is something that we found remarkable about Disney Illusion Island, without a doubt it is its artistic section. The game looks like Paul Rudish’s animated series, but with different twists that make it a unique and separate product from the television classic. The settings are quite alive, as well as being well animated, and all the characters have a very well-defined charisma that matches the universe of Mickey and his friends From him.

The game’s orchestrated soundtrack is also great. It has reminded us of the themes that we usually hear in Disney parks, recreating their atmosphere very well and masterfully accompanying the experience. The only thing we regret and that we feel tarnishes this pleasant set is the absence of necessary dubbing and localization in Europe. When putting the game in Spanish, we find that both the texts and the voices are in Latin American. Something quite unusual for a product of this calibre, which in a way has reminded us of the classic Disney movies of the last century, which also came to us dubbed only in that way.

Conclusion of our Disney Illusion Island review

After everything we have told you, we have it clear. Disney Illusion Island is a fairly accessible metroidvania that offers a great level of exploration. Although it can get a bit repetitive, its beautiful art design and great orchestral soundtrack make it worth giving it a shot, especially in local multiplayer with friends. A game full of magic and adventure. Of course, it is a pity that it has not reached us located in Europe, as it deserved.

However, we believe that there are plenty of reasons to support this spiritual sequel to the Illusion series, since in each section of the adventure you can see all the heart that those responsible have put into it to live up to the legend of Mickey Mouse with a new adventure that, nevertheless, we liked. A different Metroidvania ideal to play with family or friends of all kinds.

Disney Illusion Island is available exclusively for Nintendo Switch both in physical and digital format through the eShop, if you like this kind of game don’t hesitate to give it a try!