Disney Illusion Island Review – Joy In Simplicity

Disney Illusion Island is a Metroidvania that puts Mickey Mouse, Minnie mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, in front of the action. The result, however, is mostly successful. Illusion Island’s joy is not based on adrenaline, but rather the sheer pleasure of moving around. This comes from its exploration without combat and having the opportunity to control some of most famous mascots. Illusion Island can be a little floaty, which is a problem for fans who are used to the genre. I would have liked my platforming skills to be pushed further, but it’s still incredibly fun. 

To save the inhabitants of Monoth, Dlala Studios, the developer behind Illusion Island’s original location, tricksed them into travelling there. To do so, they must track down three Tomes scattered around Monoth’s various biomes. After a few cutscenes that might as well be original Mickey Mouse shorts with how delightful and well-made they are, I’m bouncing Mickey over dangerous but otherwise peaceful creatures (so long as you don’t touch them) en route to my first destination. It’s a quick setup, but I also didn’t feel like I needed more – Illusion Island gets right to the platforming action.

Mickey, Minnie Donald and Goofy all play the same. But because each is animated differently – Mickey moves like classic Mickey Mouse whereas Minnie moves confidently, with all the sass you expect, for example – each mascot feels unique. These larger than life characters are given even more personality by idle animations. My favorite is when Donald boils like a red teapot out of frustration when he’s not moving. Elsewhere, they’re brought to life by the current voice actors in fully voiced Mickey Mouse Shorts-like cinematics. Dlala clearly put in a lot effort to make Illusion Island look and feel like Disney. It works. 

As I continue to explore Monoth, my arsenal of tools will grow. And there’s plenty to discover thanks to hundreds of collectibles. Tokun cards provide quick snippets of information about Monoth’s inhabitants, while my favorite, Mickey Memorabilia, showcases classic props from Disney’s nearly 100-year history of Mickey Mouse shorts, like the infamous brooms of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice The 1940s. Between those two collectibles, Glimt that unlocks permanent health boosts, and new abilities and items, there’s plenty to find long after the credits of Illusion Island (or during your primary playthrough). 

As a collectible, Hidden Mickeys are available, just like the ones found in Disney theme parks.

Illusion Island has no combat so a healthy amount of collectibles are necessary. When faced with challenges, be it spiked creatures Mickey dares not touch or others that shoot projectiles as you run by, your only goal is avoidance – don’t touch whatever looks dangerous. However, a handful of bosses spread throughout Illusion Island’s roughly eight-hour runtime provides more of that traditional combat-like feel. While you don’t directly attack these bosses, the screen fills to become a large arena where, for example, after dodging so many attacks and jumping on specific buttons during the first fight, the boss takes damage until knocked out entirely. Every boss fight is uniquely diegetic, too, further highlighting Dlala’s attention to detail. 

Illusion Island caters to children. There are four-player cooperative options and you can make your characters invincible or restore their health with one simple action. It would have been nice if the game catered for more advanced players just as well as younger ones. In general, I felt very little challenge and, while I can lower my health to prepare for each session, I would like more natural in-game testing of my ability.

Find this healing pool to restore your health.

 Narratively, Illusion Island balances its younger and older audience creatively, with more physical jokes aimed at the former and more textual ones aimed at me. It’s almost always funny, but not all of them. Illusion Island is as comical as it is fun, which is to say it’s genuinely funny and reminiscent of the last decade of Disney’s excellent Mickey Mouse shorts – kid-friendly, but just cheeky enough. The storyline is also simple, but it’s still well-paced and great. 

No matter what I do in Illusion Island, I’m entranced with composer David Housden’s score. It’s delightful and reminiscent of the joyous music that plays throughout Disney World’s various themed lands, which makes Monoth’s different biomes feel unique in Illusion Island’s platformer theme park. Dlala is wise to push Housden’s score to the front of the audio experience because it never fails to shine and elevates the rest of the package. I love Disney music, especially its orchestral efforts, and Housden’s score feels at home in the company’s expansive catalog. 

With credits behind me, I’m excited to discover more of Monoth’s secrets and collectibles I haven’t yet found, and I’m especially thrilled to play more with my 7-year-old nephew. Illusion Island doesn’t overhaul the platformer genre, or the Metroidvania formula for that matter, but its distinctive no-combat focus on simply moving through Monoth keeps the trip amusing, brisk, and gratifying. It would have been nice to see more challenges. The adventure is simple and might not be appealing to those who enjoy platformers but aren’t Disney fans. But when met on its own terms, it’s hard to deny Illusion Island is a jubilant love letter to these characters and platforming.