Land of Illusion. A game I played a lot back in the days when SMS was 'in.' A game I searched and searched but never found when it was once again 'in' (for me, anyway). So as you can imagine, I was pleased as punch to get my hands on the rom of this one. And you should be too, because it's one terriffic game.
The sequel to the popular Castle of Illusion, Mickey's previous appearance in SMS-land, this one is not nearly as well-known as its predecessor, due in part to its release being in 1992 (and therefore non-existent in the US, as is the sad case with all of the later SMS games). So you mightn't have seen it before, or even heard of it.
The game begins with Mickey dozing off while reading a book of fairy tales, and then awaking in a strange and gloomy village. The reason it is so strange and gloomy is because, according to a villager who looks like Daisy Duck, an evil phantom has stolen the crystal which provides the happiness. Of course, Mickey is hired (well, asked :) on the spot to go and put things right.
And putting things right will require that Mickey ventures through forests and palaces, up mountains and onto clouds, under water, and over deserts and flower fields. Did I mention getting chased by spikes and fires and who knows what else? It's just as well that our hero is a cartoon character...
The game's finest virtue is its magnificent graphics. Mickey is as well-animated as in Castle of Illusion, and his surroundings (which measure up to graphics that I've seen on 16-bit games) are simply some of the best ever seen on the SMS. Each level is a new experience, and I guarantee you'll enjoy the visual aspect of the game.
In terms of gameplay, this is very similar to Castle of Illusion- the movement is more or less exactly the same, including the hip-attack and throwing of blocks, but spiced up by some new additions, including a shrinking potion (for getting to those hard-to-reach places) and rope (for scaling walls, a skill that becomes very handy later in the game).
Some levels require such items to be completed, and you may have to go back to earlier levels to find some of them. And some levels branch off into different directions on the map, depending on how you complete them. There's certainly plenty of them to complete- however, many of them are much too easy and require a minimum of effort. Even the trickier ones aren't likely to occupy you for too long.
No platform game is complete without bosses... and there's some interesting ones to be found here, all with their own way of being beaten, and various rewards for doing so.
Part of the fun of the game is in the other Disney characters you'll meet along the way. These include Minnie, Daisy, Goofy, and Horace Horsecollar, all playing various fairy tale characters such as princesses and blacksmiths who help you out along the way.
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With wonderful graphics and a fun atmosphere, Land of Illusion is marred only by its tame difficulty level, which is probably the way it is because of the fact that it is a Disney game (and therefore probably aimed at younger players). It improves as you progress further, anyway, and besides, the fun and replay value more than make up for this minor flaw. An excellent platform game. |
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