Hello there, it is time for the next instalment of Lost Gems, discussing the classic games that are no longer officially on sale. In this week’s entry, I will be covering another classic SEGA release that hit the Mega Drive/Genesis, Master System and Game Gear. The magical adventure Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse, developed by SEGA under license from the Disney company. So let us take a look at the 16-Bit release of this platforming adventure.
Disclaimer: while the game discussed here is no longer officially on sale, there are ways to obtain the game. This can be either through the second hand market, or through unofficial digital roms/rips. I do not condone or promote piracy, so there won’t be any links to roms or rips of the game being covered.
So with the introductions out of the way, let’s get started. I will be discussing the general game experience, then give my personal thoughts on the title. I will be referring the game using the shortened title of Castle of Illusion for the sake of brevity.
About the game
Castle of Illusion is a side scrolling platformer, starring the iconic Walt Disney mascot Mickey Mouse, who is on an adventure to save Minnie Mouse. She has been kidnapped by the evil witch Mizrabel, who wants to use her magic to steal Minnie’s youth and beauty out of jealousy. So mickey sets off on an adventure to the Castle of the Illusion, where he must find the seven Gems of the Rainbow. To do this he must defeat the Masters of Illusion, take down Mizrabel and save Minnie.
The main game consists of 5 large levels, which are split into multiple stages. These levels have their own unique theme to them, including an Enchanted Forest, Toyland and a world of sweets. Many of these stages are inspired by the animations produced by Disney, containing many references to them. This is through the enemies, characters and bosses that appear, with Mizrabel based on the Evil Queen from the Disney version of Snow White.
As the player makes their way through the levels, they must battle the army of Mizrabel, consisting of enemies that are tied to the theme of the level. These include toy soldiers, enchanted trees, unicycle riding clowns and candy dolphins. Mickey is able to battle these foes in two ways, the first will be by bouncing on them. This is done by pressing the jump button, then pressing it again while in the air, which will then let mickey kill enemies and reach higher points.
But bouncing isn’t the only way to defeat enemies, as Mickey can also collect items to throw at enemies. These will be scattered through different parts of the levels, being added to Mickey’s total when collected. These items are made up of Apples, Marbles and Fireballs, which can easily destroy the enemies that wander through the Illusion worlds. However, not all enemies can be defeated, as there are some that will respawn, like ghosts which are used to bounce off.
During the course of the game, Mickey has limited lives and health points. If Mickey takes damage during a stage, from enemies or hazards power will be lost. This will lead to a life being lost when too much damage is taken. In the event that Mickey runs out of lives, he will be able to retry using one of the limited continues. Mickey can collect Stars to refill his life power, as well as extra lives that will be put in hard to reach areas, adding risk to the reward.
At the end of each main level, the player will encounter one of the Masters of Illusion. During these stages, the player will face a dangerous opponent in an enclosed arena. These boss battles are challenging, with enemies including the spring loaded Jack in a box and a Candy Dragon. If the player can defeat these strong foes, a Gem will be obtained and Mickey will move to the next area. There are 5 bosses to defeat, with the final two gems being collected during levels.
After all gems have been collected, the player will be challenge the Evil Witch Mizrabel in a final showdown. This is a just an immediate boss battle, where the Mickey must defeat Mizrabel with no items or health pick-ups. There is also a special practice mode, where players can challenge shorter versions of the first three Levels. This is like a sampling of the game for players to try it out, as this is a limited mode with no boss battles.
Personal Thoughts
There are many fond memories with Castle of illusion, as I had it when I was a kid on the Mega Drive. It was part of the Disney Double Pack, where Castle of illusion was included with Quackshot, the Donald Duck adventure game. I wasn’t very good at Qauckshot so I spent more time playing Castle of Illusion, but I didn’t get very far with the game. It did take a long time for me to clear the game, but it wasn’t for lack of trying over the years.
I have played this game in a few different forms over the year. I had the game for the Mega Drive, the Japanese exclusive SEGA AGES I love Mickey and Donald, the PlayStation 3 version and even the Mega Drive Mini console. The game is pretty tough and it took me a long time to clear, but I was able to get it done in the end. It is one of those classics that would have been perfect for the NSO classics library, as it needs to be experienced by fans of platformers.
Castle of Illusion was released before the platforming boom on the Mega Drive, as it launched before the release of Sonic the Hedgehog. This made it the premier platformer for the system in all regions, as it was developed by SEGA. The way that colors were implemented really makes the sprites pop, alongside the environments that made the most of the systems specs. Then there is the soundtrack, which enhanced the experience further.
The music made full use of the FM Synth chips inside the Mega Drive, which give it that distinct early SEGA sound. The soundtrack is a mix of happy, bright, spacey and dramatic compositions, which all come together to give that feeling of a magical adventure. All of the different visual and gameplay elements make this a truly special experience, which is a must play for fans of classic Disney, as there are references hidden throughout the game.
Due to how common the Mega Drive/Genesis version of the game is, Castle of Illusion has managed to maintain pretty reasonable prices. The game has maintained popularity over the years, due to the solid gameplay experience. There was even a remake of the game, which did receive some positive acclaim, but is not as good as the original in my opinion. But that version of the game is still available to purchase, so it is an acceptable alternative.
Castle of Illusion saw many releases over the years, with the original, then Saturn and the bonus included with the remake on the PlayStation 3. The final official release was as part of the Mega Drive Mini consoles that SEGA put out a few years ago. These all have been discontinued, so there is no longer a way to obtain the original. But I do hope that it may come back on the SEGA NSO Library, or another form as SEGA still appear to hold the license.
If you have enjoyed this feature, then please stick around and see what else catches your eye. I cover a wide range of games in reviews, get special previews and put out regular features. I have Lost Gems, Retro Revival where I discuss re-releases and the occasional Gaming Oddities piece, where I cover weird and wacky titles. So stay a while and have a look around.
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