VGBreakdown: Castle Of Illusion

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Castle Of Illusion

Title:
Castle Of Illusion (Starring Mickey Mouse)
Year Released:
1990
Developers:
Sega (AM7/Shinobi Team)
Platforms:
Sega Genesis; Later ported to Sega Master System, and Sega Game Gear
Net-worth:
Genesis: NIB($58); CIB($28); L($10)
Master System : NIB($63); CIB($37); L($10)
Game Gear : NIB($36); CIB($20); L($7)

Breakdown:

Take your most generic 2D side scrolling game, add Mickey Mouse, and you've got Castle Of Illusion. Familiarity is instant with the usual 'Jump on enemies head/Collect Power Ups/Continue Right To End Of Level' type of gameplay. That is certainly not taking anything away from this great game, however. What you have to keep in mind is this game was from that specific era. Most games from this time consisted of terribly drawn sprites, and choppy movement; which this game has neither. What amazes me most about this game though, is the fact that it was developed very early in Sega Genesis's timeline, even before their now iconic character Sonic's first game. This goes to prove that Disney had a pretty good idea of the amount of revenue video games bring in before most other companies sunk their teeth in. Staying true to their 'family/fantasy' theme, Mickey is set on a quest to retrieve the abducted Minnie through the Evil Witch's castle -- The Castle Of Illusion. Gag. You must collect seven gems - representing approximately seven levels - in order to have the final showdown and ultimately save Minnie. The controls are accurate enough, and the gameplay runs smooth with the right amount of predictability. My favorite part of this game though, was the developers ability to add a health meter, when most other side scrolling games from this generation failed to do so. This helped extensively gain the game popularityand appeal to a wider audience. This could include everyone from a younger kid, to a parent with terrible reflexes whose sitting with their kid (We've all been there). In conclusion, I had a terrific time playing Castle Of Illusion. From it's familiarity, to it's 'draw you in' mystique, this game has something for everyone. Castle Of Illusion didn't really develop any new ideas...It was just a generic side-scroller... DONE RIGHT.