It’s not a trick—Dlala Studio’s underappreciated unicorn, Disney Illusion Island, is no longer a Nintendo exclusive, and now families and Disney fans of all platform allegiances can enjoy its whimsies.
When it launched on Nintendo Switch two years ago, Disney Illusion Island helped scratch an itch I’d had since completing Kirby and the Forgotten Land in co-op with my eldest child. Truly great multiplayer experiences for parents and children to enjoy together are a rarity; they’re either too competitive for the younger generation or too simple for the elder. This situation is compounded further outside of the Nintendo Switch family, with little more than Sackboy: A Big Adventure or the sadly neglected LittleBigPlanet franchise on PlayStation.
So, a quality platformer like Disney Illusion Island is all the more welcome beyond Nintendo country. Luckily for those who are experiencing it fresh, or even for double-dipping veterans, there’s even more to love now.
In the House of Mouse’s latest video game adventure, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy are lured to a mysterious land called Monoth with promises of (free) food. However, the picnic is a lie, and the island’s inhabitants, the Hokuns, are in need of their assistance. The three magical Tomes of Knowledge, which protect their home, have been stolen, and the little critters are powerless to take them back. After some light guilt-tripping, our heroes set off to explore the island and apprehend the thieves.
“Unlike other Metroidvanias, Disney Illusion Island has the benefit of being fully playable in multiplayer, with up to 4 players.”
To achieve this, players will traverse a sprawling map with a multitude of different biomes and hazards. In one of the greatest curveballs of the company’s history, Disney Illusion Island can best be described as a “Metroidvania,” a specific style of adventure game inspired by Metroid and Castlevania. Unlike the rest of the genre, however, this adventure has zero combat or violence (beyond some cartoonish bops on the head).
The result is a masterfully crafted journey, chock-full of satisfying platforming and subtle puzzle-solving. On my second trek through Monoth, I was struck all over again by the sheer scale of the map and the gradual fulfillment of unlocking the various traversal skills like double-jumping, wall-jumping, gliding, and swimming. You’ll need all of these tools to collect all the spritely “glimts,” trading cards, and memorabilia scattered around, as well as photographing “Hidden Mickeys” and other challenges. Depending on your skill level, focus, and desire to complete everything, the experience runs between 6-12 hours, and the whole ride feels as well-designed as most Metroid games.
Unlike other Metroidvanias, Disney Illusion Island has the benefit of being fully playable in multiplayer, with up to 4 players. Again, the landscape for this sort of local co-op experience is a desert nowadays, so to have an experience this tight on other platforms is more than welcome. One player might hang back to let another navigate all the hazards in a room safely, or they might coordinate efforts to clear paths more efficiently. It’s refreshing to have a multiplayer game where players aren’t getting in each other’s way.
It’s enough to have a game like this on PS5, but does it take advantage of the enhanced power? Well, in a word or two, not so much. Disney Illusion Island was already a beautiful game thanks to its classic hand-drawn animation style, harkening to Mickey Mouse cartoons new and old. It also ran at a pretty consistent 60fps on Switch to begin with, and didn’t take too long to load. So, there isn’t a lot to gain from being on beefier systems—on the technical front, anyway. Loading is slightly faster and gameplay is a smidge smoother, that’s it. (And actual trophies for the in-game Accomplishments.)
However, those who get on this cartoon train now will be able to take advantage of the content from the Switch version’s post-launch updates. These added a dozen time trial courses and several mystery side quests, and are joined now by a third update featuring Uncle Scrooge and a quest for treasure. The core game was already priced as a steal to begin with, before adding three free updates on top of that.
Lack of “next-gen” shininess aside, Disney Illusion Island was an absolute treat to revisit, and I’m sure any lifelong fan of these characters would have a blast playing it, even if they aren’t as comfortable with this type of game. Dlala deftly arranged the levels to guide players through without holding their hands too obviously, nudging discreetly in the appropriate direction. Traditional animated cutscenes scattered throughout tell the tale like full-blown Mickey Mouse shorts, and the in-game dialogue perfectly catches the foursome’s personalities.
The developers’ love of Mickey Mouse and his friends shines through in everything from the level design to the carefully illustrated sprites for each character. From the standard walking and running animations, to more dynamic gestures for using the traversal tools, right down to the idle or “teetering” motions, they captured the classic feel perfectly. And that love translates into a vigorous, well-honed, must-play experience for Disney fans.
