Everything You Didn't Know About Disney Illusion Island

From the developers and gameplay mechanics to the co-op mode and playable characters, learn all there is to know about Disney Illusion Island.

Disney Illusion Island is slated for release on July 28, 2023. The anticipated Nintendo Switch game follows Mickey Mouse and his famous friends as they go on a mission to explore the mysteries of Monoth Island. While there, they must attempt to recover three magical books that can help save the world from sudden doom.

To prepare gamers for Disney Illusion Island's release, it's worth breaking down everything revealed about the game thus far. From the developer's intentions, game mechanics, and modes of play to the animated artwork details, character clues, and more, players will want to learn all there is to know about Disney Illusion Island before trying the game out.

Developers

The first thing to know about Disney Illusion Island is that it was developed by Dlala Studios, the creative team behind Nintendo's most recent Battletoads entry. According to a Nintendo Life interview with Dlala Studios' CEO AJ Grand-Scrutton, efforts have been made to make Disney Illusion Island the most ambitious title the developer has been a part of.

According to Grand-Scrutton, deliberate efforts were taken to ensure that Disney Illusion Island is accessible, easy to play, and family and kid-friendly. As such, the controls have been paired down significantly to make the game as inclusive as possible. The Nintendo Life article states that "Getting families and friends together to play the game locally was a key priority during the game’s development."

Playable With One Joycon

As part of the efforts to make the game as easy and accessible as possible, Disney Illusion Island can be played with a single Joycon (via Nintendo Life). Users can place a Joycon on its side and play with it horizontally like an older, classic Nintendo controller. For younger, smaller, and inexperienced players, this will make the game much easier to navigate than wielding dual Joycons.

Besides being able to play one-handed, the controls have been simplified to encourage gamers of all ages to participate. For instance, all the movement mechanics for the characters can be controlled using the basic face buttons on the Joycon. The game will not feature motion controls or require advanced button combinations to complete the story. The game is more focused on teamwork, although single players can also complete the game using basic buttons and a single controller.

Platforming Metroidvania Style

As seen in the game's trailer, Disney Illusion Island is a 90s-style 2D platform game on par with a classic Metroidvania title. While not related, the game will be a spiritual relative to Castle of Illusion, another side-scrolling game featuring Mickey Mouse. The gameplay features Mickey and his friends performing platform missions, solving puzzles, and engaging in boss battles in a classic sidescroller style. However, it's important to note that there are no attack buttons or combat skills to fend off enemies.

Instead, players must run, jump, swim, swing, and evade deadly hazards to the best of their abilities. They can also defeat enemies by collecting items and upgrading mobility skills, such as wall jumping. Players in co-op mode can assist each other by dropping ropes and leapfrogging. According to Nintendo Life's Ollie Reynolds, after sampling the game for 30 minutes, the slick platform gameplay is on par with such classic genre examples as Ori and the Blind Forest and Rayman Legends.

Hand-Drawn Animated Artwork

One of the most noticeable aspects of Disney Illusion Island is the stunning hand-drawn animated artwork. According to the game's lead designer, Grant Allen (via Shack News), the style of animation was deliberately created to resemble classic Disney cartoons. Along with the throwback animation style, the game will feature an orchestrated score and original voice talents.

According to Allen, "Being able to produce things that feel like you're playing a cartoon" was a priority when designing the game — adding "the things that you can do and the things you can make the players feel through 2D animation is just amazing." Indeed, there's a retro-futuristic texture to the hand-drawn 2D animation that feels both nostalgic and refreshing at once. Whether witnessing Mickey jam an old-school pencil into the wall and use it as a pole to slide down or Goofy inhaling a retro-style hotdog, painstaking efforts have been taken to make the game feel both classic and modern.

Playable Characters & Multiplayer Mode

With emphasis placed on the co-op mode, up to four players can participate at a time. Along with Mickey, players can choose to control Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and/or Goofy. According to a Gamespot demo, each playable Disney character has different physical mechanics inspired by a type of moveable object. For example, Mickey is patterned after a bouncy ball and has energetic movements as a result. Meanwhile, Minnie is molded after a paper airplane and feels more free and floaty while jumping in the air.

During Minnie's dual jump move, a paper airplane literally materializes from thin air and carries her to safety. While each character is the same size and possesses the same speed of movement, each has their own unique physical mode of maneuvering. This gives all four playable characters their own distinct personality traits that underscore their classic Disney origins.

HP Options

Another awesome fact about the anticipated 2023 video game revealed via Gamespot relates to the HP options. To begin the game, players choose 1 to 4 characters to play with. Once the characters are chosen, players will be given the option to start the game with 1 HP, 2 HP, 3HP, or an iron heart that grants total invincibility. This gives players tremendous freedom to toggle the difficulty level based on their own gaming experience.

The best part about the HP options is the customization. Each player can choose their own starting HP range to begin the game, which is incredibly helpful for multi-players in co-op mode who possess different skill sets and levels of experience. For instance, a newbie can opt for an iron heart while a hardened veteran can choose a single HP while playing together simultaneously. When a player is low on hearts or requires an extra push, they can press the "Y Button" while standing next to a teammate. This will prompt the character to hug his friend and immediately grant them an additional heart. By customizing one's health at all times, the game eliminates the stress of a high-stakes platformer and promotes more accessibility for all ages to participate.

Pricing & Availability

Disney Illusion Island is a Nintendo Switch exclusive. Therefore, gamers should not get their hopes up that a version will be ported to other gaming consoles like PlayStation and Xbox. While it's certainly possible of becoming a 2023 cross-platform game, chances are the game wouldn't be ported to rival platforms until sometime in 2024, if ever.

Slated for release on July 28, 2023, Disney Illusion Island will cost $39.99 upon launch and is eligible for up to 200 Gold Nintendo points. Players can pre-order the game via Nintendo's official website. Languages supported by the game include English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Spanish. Despite its price point, all signs point to Disney Illusion Island being one of the most ambitious Nintendo platform games in recent memory, with deliberate efforts taken to ensure the game is fun, family-friendly, and focuses on cooperative platforming quests rather than intense combat. As an homage to Disney's past and a futuristic new direction taken by Nintendo's platforming designs, Disney Illusion Island has a ton of potential.