World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck
Encyclopedia
is a Sega Mega Drive/Genesis video game that was produced by Sega of Japan and released in 1992.
It is a semi-sequel to the previous games that Sega produced based on Walt Disney
cartoon characters. In the game, Mickey Mouse
and Donald Duck
are sucked into a magical world, while preparing for a magic act. Now they must survive over a dozen different side-scrolling levels, in order to return home.
The game's music, artwork and animation shows influences from classic Disney animated films, including; Aladdin, The Little Mermaid
, The Sword in the Stone
, Alice in Wonderland
and Pinocchio
. The game included many features that broke the standard platforming
mold. It also seems to have an inspirational effect on Kingdom Hearts
as many of the worlds are visited again.
Mickey and Donald can run, jump, or attack by flourishing their capes. Enemies defeated in this way turn into dove
s, cards, or other harmless objects depending on the enemy. After defeating the boss
of each level, a new magic spell is learned, allowing the pair to traverse the next level; i.e. flying on a magic carpet or going underwater in an air bubble.
The gameplay changes depending on if the player selects Mickey or Donald, in a one player mode, or if two people want to control both characters at once. For instance, Mickey can squeeze through certain gaps, while Donald must find a different route; if both are playing, Mickey can pull Donald through the gap. Either can stand on the others' shoulders to ascend higher, and lower a rope to pull the other up.
It is a semi-sequel to the previous games that Sega produced based on Walt Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
cartoon characters. In the game, Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
and Donald Duck
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
are sucked into a magical world, while preparing for a magic act. Now they must survive over a dozen different side-scrolling levels, in order to return home.
Gameplay
The Little Mermaid (1989 film)
The Little Mermaid is a 1989 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of the same name. Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, the film was originally released to theaters on November 14, 1989 and is the twenty-eighth film in...
, The Sword in the Stone
The Sword in the Stone (film)
The Sword in the Stone is a 1963 American animated fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney and originally released to theaters on December 25, 1963...
, Alice in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland (1951 film)
Alice in Wonderland is a 1951 American animated feature produced by Walt Disney and based primarily on Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland with a few additional elements from Through the Looking-Glass. Thirteenth in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film was released in New...
and Pinocchio
Pinocchio (1940 film)
Pinocchio is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the story The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. It is the second film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics, and it was made after the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and was released to theaters by...
. The game included many features that broke the standard platforming
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
mold. It also seems to have an inspirational effect on Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts
is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The first game in the Kingdom Hearts series, it is the result of a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company. The game combines characters and settings from Disney...
as many of the worlds are visited again.
Mickey and Donald can run, jump, or attack by flourishing their capes. Enemies defeated in this way turn into dove
Dove
Pigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerines. In general terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably...
s, cards, or other harmless objects depending on the enemy. After defeating the boss
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
of each level, a new magic spell is learned, allowing the pair to traverse the next level; i.e. flying on a magic carpet or going underwater in an air bubble.
The gameplay changes depending on if the player selects Mickey or Donald, in a one player mode, or if two people want to control both characters at once. For instance, Mickey can squeeze through certain gaps, while Donald must find a different route; if both are playing, Mickey can pull Donald through the gap. Either can stand on the others' shoulders to ascend higher, and lower a rope to pull the other up.
Magic Spells
Along the way, Mickey and Donald learn new magic to perform in later levels.- Magic Carpet (Level 1): Allowed Mickey and Donald to fly on a magic carpet in level 2.
- Underwater Bubble (Level 2): Allowed Mickey and Donald to breathe underwater.
- Magic Box Transportation (Level 3): Mickey and Donald could transport to different places using magic boxes.
- Card Control (Level 4) Mickey and Donald put certain large playing cards under their control, making a bridge or a pathway to the other side of a large gap.
External links
- World of Illusion beta - coverage of a prototype version of the game.
- World of Illusion review in french at Legendary Games