Summary
TheIllusionfranchise has been dead for over a decade. The franchise began in 1990 with the release ofCastle of Illusion. It received many sequels on Sega consoles before disappearing for a time. It seems like nostalgia will pop up now and again to revive the Mickey Mouse gaming franchise but to no avail.
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Disney Illusion Islandis the latest attempt and finds Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goody on a harrowing adventure in a mysterious land. Will it rekindle the franchise? Also, how does it stack up next to its predecessors? It’s time to take a look at the six titles in this series for some nostalgic gaming. Every release year listed below adheres to North America unless otherwise specified. With that note out of the way, let’s rank them all out.
6Castle Of Illusion
Castle of Illusionis the first game in the series, which was released forthe Sega Genesisin 1990. It was a solo experience starring Mickey on a rescue mission to save Minnie through a magical cursed castle. Mickey had two forms of attack. He could naturally butt stomp enemies and he could also pick up objects, like apples, and throw them at enemies.Castle of Illusionwould eventually get ported to other consoles, like the Game Gear in 1991.
Also, the game was remade in 2013 for systems like the PS3 and Xbox 360. This is wild considering the PS4 and Xbox One would launch in a couple of months after and yet the game was never officially ported to either system. It can, however, be playedvia backward compatibilityon Xbox consoles. It’s a faithful remake with a few tweaks besides the graphics, but not enough to make it count as its own entry. Of the many versions, players should stick with the Sega Genesis game.
5Legend Of Illusion
Legend of Illusionis the fourth game in the series and was released in 1995 for the Game Gear. However, it would also get a Master System port in 1998 as a Brazil exclusive. More interesting than that, Brazil is still manufacturing Master Systems as the console is still huge. That’s a whole other rabbit hole, but savvy emulation junkies should check it out.
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The game itself begins with Mickey dressed up in his Jack and the Beanstalk attire from the cartoon shorts. He can pick objects up heavy objects, like stones, to use for puzzle solving. Mickey also has an infinite amount of small throwable objects that look like green tennis balls. There is a world map but players can’t backtrack and replay stages unlikeSuper Mario World, which can be disappointing for fans.
4Land Of Illusion
Land of Illusionis the third game in the series and the first portable one via the Game Gear. Similar toLegend of Illusion, this game did get a Master System port although Europe received it as well. The wait was also not as long between releases, and both versions are ultimately the same. The great thing about this game was the inclusion of Mickey being able to pick up objects, which was carried onto the aforementionedLegend of Illusion.
Mickey did not have an infinite amount of throwable objects though. It did have a world map players could go back to which is odd then thatLegend of Illusionbacktracked this idea. The variety is also more apparent inLand of Illusionas things begin in a forest before moving on to a water level. Most water levels at this time were tricky, like the one inTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtleson the NES, but Land of Illusion handled itself well.
3World Of Illusion
World of Illusionis the second game in the series and feels like a true sequel to the original’s concept. It was released in 1993 for the Sega Genesis. Mickey is not alone in this adventure and is instead aided by Donald Duck. Thegame features co-opbetween the two characters and it’s the only one besides the latest entry, Disney Illusion Island, that allows this.
The mechanics are also quite different compared to the three other retro games in the series. Mickey and Donald can use magic via a magic cape to turn enemies into something else. The soldiers in the first level can be transformed into flowers, for example. There’s a lot more going on with the level design too especially in the second stage featuring a magic carpet.
2Disney Illusion Island
Disney Illusion Islandis a great game on many levels that is sure to appease fans of this series, Mickey fans, and fans of co-op games. It’s been a while since a 2D platformer with multiplayer in mind has come out. The resurgence is great and this Switch exclusive will be a good accompaniment toSuper Mario Bros. Wonderreleased later this year.
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Some may not know thatDisney Illusion Islandis also a Metroidvania game. Players will gain permanent upgrades to increase traversal potential for all four characters. Mickey, for example, will get a pencil so that he can stick to walls and bounce off of them while Donald will get a plunger. There is no combat aside from boss encounters either, making it an accessible game for all ages thanks to the assist features as well.
1Epic Mickey: Power Of Illusion
Epic Mickey: Power of Illusionbelongs to both theEpic Mickeyand theIllusionfranchises. It was released at the same time asEpic Mickey 2: The Power of Twoin 2012 for the 3DS. Of the three games, this is the bestEpic Mickeyexperience as well as the best Illusion game. The graphics make it stand out as some of the best sprite work on the handheld.
It’s notquite a Metroidvaniabut it does take place in an interconnected world map. There is also an upgrade path for stats like attack power and damage. It’s filled to the brim with Disney stars including Scrooge McDuck fromDuckTales, Wendy fromPeter Pan, and The Beast fromBeauty and the Beast. It’s a love letter to Mickey and Disney overall and it’s a shame that it’s locked away on the 3DS.
Disney Illusion Islandwas released on July 05, 2025, and is available on Switch.
