At events like Summer Game Fest and the E3s of old, most of the games found on the show floor are pumped full of adrenaline, explosions, and violence. As such, they tend to launch with T or M ratings, which means the younger generation of gamers are put into a "look, but don't touch scenario." It's always great when a game breaks that mold, and who better than Mickey Mouse and his friends to be one of the mold-breakers at SGF 2023 with Disney Illusion Island, a new adventure game designed for the whole family to enjoy together.
Disney Illusion Island is a 2D Metroidvania-style platformer, which sees Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy adventuring through a mysterious island called Monoth, as they embark on a quest to recover three mystical books and use them to save the world. Players will run, jump, climb, and more through the twisting mazes of Monoth, while they solve puzzles, dodge obstacles, and save the day.
You might notice I didn't mention a normally crucial element of a Metroidvania game in that description – fighting enemies. While enemies will certainly populate Monoth, the game will feature no combat of any kind. The player's only recourse is to avoid them while making progress. This includes boss battles; the example we played saw the team flipping switches to drop objects on the boss's head as opposed to directly dealing damage themselves.
This is a bold choice from Dlala Studios, but I'd argue they picked the right game in which to make it. Mickey and company certainly aren't strangers to violence, but they don't always throw down at a moment's notice. Furthermore, some parents are averse to violence of any kind, no matter how cartoonish or over-the-top it is, so Illusion Island here gives them a great option for family-friendly gaming.
That family-friendly nature radiates throughout the game, most notably in the co-op mechanics.
If one player can't make a tough jump, for example, another can throw a rope down to let their troubled companion climb up the ledge, which keeps things moving along. Also, if one player is taking the lead and other players get stuck on jumps, so long as each player is off-screen for a certain amount of time, they will eventually be warped to where the leader player is, so no one gets left behind.
The best co-op-focused mechanic, however, is a simple one: When playing with a group, anyone on the team can add an extra heart to a partner's life total simply by pressing a designated hug button. If two players press hug near each other, there's a cute little moment between pals and both get an extra heart. It's not infinite, as only one extra heart can be active at a time, but the ability is still neat.
I can feel the "games don't need an easy mode" crowd writhing in their chairs, but don't worry, the world of Monoth still holds plenty of challenge. Many of the areas available in the SGF demo had some devilish platforming areas, with enemies that always seem in the perfect place to deal some damage. A few environmental puzzles will require some thought, and while they're certainly not as mind-bending as a game like Portal, it will still give the youngest players in the group a good brain test.
Longtime Disney fans will even find something to hook onto, as Monoth is filled with collectibles which represent the entire cartoon history of Mickey Mouse and friends. Some of the referenced films are obvious – hello Steamboat Willie, we see you – but others dig far deeper into the Disney vault; if you think we expected to be discussing the 1937 Mickey, Donald, and Goofy cartoon Lonesome Ghosts while playing this demo, you would be mistaken.
It is very odd to hear a video game – a Metroidvania style game, no less – has no combat involved, but once you learn more about it, the choice makes a lot of sense. This game is designed to be a family-friendly affair, and from what we've seen so far, it's nailing that vibe. Disney Illusion Island can serve as a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for video games, in that it is a perfect vehicle for younger players to get into video games for the first time. And hey, at least here there's no Hot Dog Song at the end of every mission.
