Line #25 VideoGame/CastleOfIllusion


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/68a8c0b2_ede6_4810_8138_8408b9e6a3d8.jpeg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:''[[ThisIsGonnaSuck Doggone it, Minnie...]]'']]
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4	''Castle of Illusion Starring WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse'' is a platformer developed by Creator/{{Sega}} in 1990 for the Platform/SegaGenesis and Platform/SegaMasterSystem.
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6	The game takes place within the eponymous Castle of Illusion. Mickey must take it upon himself to rescue WesternAnimation/MinnieMouse from the clutches of [[PunnyName Mizrabel]] [[WickedWitch the witch]], who has kidnapped her in order to steal her youth and beauty. The player must battle through five stages and confront each stage's boss to collect the Seven Gems of the Rainbow. Only with these gems can he then build a rainbow bridge leading to the castle tower to face the evil witch in a {{final b\|oss}}attle.
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8	Cue classic side-scrolling and all the glory of 16-bit graphics and sound. The 8-bit version, released for both the Sega Master System and Platform/GameGear, keeps the fundamentals of its 16-bit big brother, while [[ReformulatedGame altering the level design and mechanics to fit better with the less powerful hardware]].
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10	In 1992, it went and had two sequels: ''VideoGame/LandOfIllusion'' and ''VideoGame/WorldOfIllusion''. A few years later, an additional sequel was released known as ''VideoGame/LegendOfIllusion''. 2012 saw a Platform/Nintendo3DS companion game to ''VideoGame/EpicMickey2ThePowerOfTwo'' going under the name ''VideoGame/EpicMickeyPowerOfIllusion'', officially billed as both a fourth, direct sequel and an ''Epic Mickey'' game, in which the Castle of Illusion has been transported to the Wasteland and Mizrabel seeks to escape from it by draining the essence of popular Disney characters. In 2022, Disney announced ''VideoGame/DisneyIllusionIsland'', a 2D platformer starring Mickey and friends in the vein of previous ''Illusion'' titles. The game was released on the ''Platform/NintendoSwitch'' July 28, 2023.
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12	In the wake of this release, Sega made an [[VideoGameRemake HD remake]] of the original game and was released on the Platform/PlayStation3 on September 3, 2013, while the Platform/{{Steam}} and Platform/{{Xbox 360}} versions were released the following day. The game was delisted from these storefronts on September 2, 2016, due to Sega's contract expiring; it eventually resurfaced in April of 2017. The original version of the game and ''World of Illusion'' were both included as a part of the Sega Genesis Mini in 2019.
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15	!! This game provides examples of:
16	* AbnormalAmmo: The Genesis game gives you apples, marbles, and candles to throw at your foes. The remake limits these to the Enchanted Forest, Toyland and the Castle respectively, while adding golden orbs and sweets to the Storm and Library levels.
17	* AdaptationExpansion: Downplayed in the remake. It is largely very faithful to the original game's structure and there isn't much in the way of new content, but thanks to being a TwoAndAHalfD platformer, it has more elaborate setpieces and bosses compared to the original game (several of which are in full 3D, including the main hub) and the ExcusePlot is given some extra meat by having a narrator narrating through the game and give context to things that were left unexplained in the original game. There are also [[AllThereInTheManual unlockable statues that expand on the bosses' personalities and/or why they hold one of the Rainbow Gems]].
18	* AllThereInTheManual: In the remake, collecting each of the two statue pieces per world unlocks a statue of the world's boss, along with a bio explaining their personality and/or why they have one of the Rainbow Gems in their possession.
19	* AndYourRewardIsClothes: The remake features three unlockable costumes for Mickey to wear. The costumes are an explorer's outfit that is unlocked by finding all the chili peppers, a magician's outfit unlocked by finding all the playing cards, and a knight's suit of armor that is unlocked by defeating Mizrabel.
20	* AnthropomorphicShift: In the original, Mizrabel's true form is a mouse person like Mickey and Minnie. The remake has her as a human.
21	* AsteroidsMonster: The letter A's from the Master System version split into three smaller versions when attacked.
22	* AutoScrollingLevel: The Master System version has two: the first section of the cakes and sweets level, and the second section of Mizrabel's castle. The latter even features a moment where Mickey must let the auto-scrolling catch up with him to push him through a narrow passageway.
23	* {{Backtracking}}: In one of the sections in the Toyland level in the Genesis version, the door to exit is at the beginning of the level, but you need to climb all the way to the top to find the key. Thankfully, you don't need to retrace the level; when you pick up the key, the platforms turn into ramps and you slide down all the way back to the exit.
24	* BigFancyCastle: The hub of this game takes place inside the titular Castle of Illusion. Each door Mickey enters leads to a new level, and in the Genesis version, the final battle against Mizrabel takes place in the castle's turret. In the Master System version, the final level takes place inside the heart of the castle, where Mickey must go through several platforming segments before facing off against a dragon and Mizrabel herself.
25	* BossOnlyLevel: The third stage of each level in the remake.
26	* BottomlessPits: A standard hazard.
27	* BrokenBridge: In the remake, you won't be allowed to enter each level until you have collected enough diamonds.
28	* CallingYourAttacks: The Mizrabel battle in the remake.
29	* TheCameo: In the remake, WesternAnimation/{{Pluto\|ThePup}}, Huey, Dewey, Louie, WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}}, WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck, WesternAnimation/DaisyDuck, Scrooge [=McDuck=], Chip, Dale and WesternAnimation/{{Pete}} can be seen watching the events of the game as a movie alongside Mickey and Minnie, most likely intended as a nod to the post-credits scene of the Genesis version. Chip is even wearing his ''[[WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers Rescue Rangers]]'' hat.
30	* CheatedAngle: In the HD remake, you can actually see Mickey's ears moving in impossible ways, purely for the sake of keeping that iconic look of his head known from animated shorts and comics.
31	* ClockTower: The fifth level of the Master System game, part of the fifth level in the Genesis version and also a level in the HD remake.
32	* DamselInDistress: The main objective of the game is to rescue Minnie Mouse.
33	* DarkerAndEdgier: While not completely dark, the remake has a more ominous feel to it and many of the enemies and bosses are redesigned so that they look less cartoonish.
34	* DefeatEqualsExplosion: This happens to each of the bosses upon their defeat in the Genesis version but is subsequently averted in the remake.
35	* DefeatMeansFriendship:
36	** [[spoiler:In the Genesis version, when Mickey ends up defeating the evil witch and preventing her from stealing Minnie's youth, she actually takes them both back home. On her broom. Whilst they snuggle up on a bench swing.]]
37	** [[spoiler:The remake has Mizrabel give Mickey and Minnie their own brooms to escape the falling castle, and it also adds a reason as to ''why'' DefeatMeansFriendship: it turns out it's a case of KnowWhenToFoldEm. Mizrabel, as the narrator explains, had the wisdom to know when she was defeated, and also to know the reason ''why'' that was so, and it's because she recognized that Mickey and Minnie had a magic even greater than her own: ThePowerOfLove.]]
38	* EasierThanEasy: The easiest difficulty level, aptly named "Practice", is essentially a heavily abridged version of the full game. Large sections of each level are omitted, and also...
39	* EasyModeMockery: The game ends at the 3rd level. However, this is a subversion, as the ending is somewhat more hopeful: Mizrabel has a change of heart and agrees to free Minnie in exchange for just three gems, then does so without any insults at all. The text telling you to try Normal mode is also more encouraging than insulting.
40	* {{Expy}}:
41	** The evil witch's character model is based on Queen Grimhilde from ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'' (better known as simply "the Evil Queen")--both in her "hag" guise when she's old, and in her normal incarnation when she's becoming younger in the final battle. The remake takes it further by having her say she wants to be the fairest one of all.
42	** The Oaf, the boss of level 5, is a recolored version of [[WesternAnimation/FunAndFancyFree Willie the Giant]].
43	* FollowTheMoney: Diamonds in the Genesis version. The remake adds more to their worth as collecting enough will unlock later levels and also unlock concept art.
44	* FullyDressedCartoonAnimal: Minnie, in the remake, wears a red shirt.
45	* GoombaSpringboard: Mickey can use {{Goomba Stomp}}s to jump higher, if he needs to do so.
46	* GoombaStomp: Unlike most games that feature this, ''Castle of Illusion'' requires an additional button press in mid-jump in order to stomp enemies, making it more like a GroundPound than usual. The HD remake doesn't require the extra button press.
47	* GreenEyedMonster: Mizrabel is envious of Minnie's beauty and popularity.
48	* GuideDangIt: The intro in the original has Mickey making quick work of three guards by jumping on them. Then when you try it yourself, Mickey gets hurt because you need to press the jump button ''again'' to take out an enemy. The remake removed this requirement, for this reason.
49	* HeartContainer: Present in the Master System version, although as stars rather than hearts. Mickey starts out with three stars' worth of health, but can pick up extra ones in Toyland and the Clock Tower.
50	* HubLevel: Mizrabel's Castle of Illusion is this once you finish the introduction level.
51	* HostageForMacGuffin: When playing on easy mode, the game ends after the third level when Mickey hands over the collected gems to Mizrabel in exchange for Minnie's release.
52	* HyperactiveMetabolism: Cake in the Master System version. A slice of cake heals one star's worth of damage, a whole cake heals two stars.
53	* LedgeBats: In the Storm level of the Genesis game. The bats have a tendency to jump out at you right as you're crossing a gap.
54	* LevelAte: The third level of the Master System game, which replaces the Storm in that version, is entirely make of cakes, chocolate, and other confectionery, with a giant chocolate bar as a boss. The "milk bottle" section of the Library of the Genesis game is likewise made of assorted sweet foods, the level's boss, the Treat Dragon being designed to look like it were made of red licorice.
55	* LoadBearingBoss: A strange example of this. Once the final boss is defeated, the castle begins to fall apart, likely as a result of the battle, considering she's still alive and in fact has to flee alongside the heroes.
56	* TheLostWoods: The first level of both games is a grassy woodland. In the Genesis game, it phases from GreenHillZone through deeper and darker (and, in some places, spider-filled) woods to a [[BigBoosHaunt haunted forest]] toward the end.
57	* LuckySeven: Seven gems, seven bosses (six in the Genesis version).
58	* MacroZone: A giant study or library forms part of the fourth level of the Genesis game and the entirety of the fourth level of the Master System game.
59	* MythologyGag:
60	** In the remake, Chip and Dale are dressed in their [[WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers Rescue Rangers]] attire.
61	** In level 5 of the remake, the narrator brings up Mickey's [[WesternAnimation/ClockCleaners past experience in cleaning clocks]].
62	** The giant apple chase segment in the level 1 remake is a homage to the chase segments in ''VideoGame/MickeyMania''.
63	** A milk bottlecap in level 4 of the remake has Mickey in his 1930's design.
64	* OneWingedAngel: During the final battle with Mizrabel in both the Genesis version and the HD remake, [[spoiler:Mizrabel uses Minnie's youth and beauty to transform herself from an ugly old witch to a beautiful young woman. This is actually an inversion of Queen Grimhilde's "perfect disguise" in ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'', which makes sense since Mizrabel's character model is based on that of the Queen's.]]
65	* NeverSayDie: Lives are referred to as "tries".
66	* PaletteSwap: The Oaf boss is a recolored [[WesternAnimation/FunAndFancyFree Willie the Giant]].
67	* ThePowerOfLove: Is what leads to Mizrabel's HeelFaceTurn.
68	* PreFinalBoss: In the Master System version, Mickey has to fight a dragon before facing off against Mizrabel herself.
69	* PreorderBonus: Playstation 3 owners who preordered the HD remake between August 20th and September 3rd received three avatars, a dynamic theme and the original Genesis/Mega Drive version of the game.
70	* PunnyName: Mizrabel. [[DontExplainTheJoke Because she's Miserable.]]
71	* QuicksandSucks: In the Cakeland portion of the Library level. Okay, it's more like Quick-Jelly, but it definitely Sucks.
72	* RhymesOnADime: Mizrabel in the remake has her dialogue in the final battle consist of rhymes, [[spoiler:even when she is transformed into her beautiful form]].
73	* ShoutOut: Two of the collectibles of the remake are "[[VideoGame/{{Quackshot}} Donald's chili peppers]]" and "[[VideoGame/WorldOfIllusion magic playing cards]]". And in case you thought it was a coincidence, the trophies/achievements you get for collecting them all are the names of these two games!
74	* SpringJump: The second level has springboards for you to jump on.
75	* SuperNotDrowningSkills: In the stages where you can swim, you never run out of air.
76	* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: The witch Mizrabel is an obvious stand-in for the Evil Queen / Witch from ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs''.
77	* TacticalSuicideBoss: You can't jump high enough to stomp the second stage boss. Don't worry, he'll start releasing helpful springs for no real other reason than chivalry. You can also cheese him by hiding in a corner. The remake justifies this by having him get hit by his own ExtendoBoxingGlove, accidentally releasing the springs in the process. Though that doesn't explain why he [[TooDumbToLive keeps using the boxing clove attack]].
78	* ToyTime: The second level of both games is themed around toys, with toy soldiers marching about. The boss of which is a Jack-in-a-Box.
79	* UnderTheSea: The third level of the Genesis game, which transitions from a lake with islands to [[RuinsForRuinsSake flooded ruins]].
80	* UnderwaterBossBattle: The remake's version of the boss fight against the Merpeople has segments where Mickey has to swim around for a while until the water drains out so he could deal damage to them.
81	* TheUnfought: Shadow Mickey, who's exclusive to the remake. You spend the entire second act of level 4 chasing him to retrieve the green gem, but instead of actually ''fighting'' him, he's brained in the head by a giant spoon as you escape into a giant teacup. You then have to escape the teacup, but after you do ''that'', Mickey simply retrieves the green gem from the dazed Shadow Mickey.
82	* UnlockableContent: The remake features some. Aside from the aforementioned costumes, you are also able to unlock concept art for every diamond you collect that isn't used to gain access to the levels and you can find a statue piece in the first two stages of each level to unlock statues of the bosses.
83	* WhenTreesAttack: The first stage boss in the Genesis version is a living log that jumps out of the tree it's resting in and rolls towards you. What? ItMakesSenseInContext... sort of. The Master System version just has a tree as the first boss. The remake adds an explanation, sort of. The narrator refers to this boss as the "grumpy old oak"; so apparently it was attacking Mickey either just because it was a grouch, or because Mickey woke it up or something.
84	* YouAreTooLate: [[spoiler:In both the Genesis and HD versions, ''just'' as Mickey finally arrives at the final room to save Minnie, Mizrabel completes the first part of the spell and makes herself look much younger. Fortunately, Mickey manages to beat Mizrabel before the last part of the spell (turning Minnie into an old crone) is complete, so Mickey is able to foil Mizrabel's plan anyway.]]

Context VideoGame / CastleOfIllusion