Disney Illusion Island hands-on preview [SGF] — All you need is a little bit of magic

Disney Illusion Island has been on my radar for a moment now. Its whimsical and cartoony theme is eye-catching, and it just looks like fun to play. Because of that, we had to find the time to catch this one while at Summer Game Fest. Not only did we get a seat on the couch to play, we were joined by the CEO of Dlala Studios, as well as Writer and Game Director, AJ Grand-Scrutton, to get our sneak peek. If you needed a great, family-friendly summer game to play with friends or kids, this might be a perfect fit.

We didn’t see much of the story while playing, but we did get a really good feel for the systems. Dlala Studios was surprisingly behind the most recent Battletoads venture, a name that strikes fear into most platforming junkies. Going from something so skill-based to passive is harder than it seems, but everything was perfectly in place during our demo.

You pick one of Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, or Donald to be your avatar. There isn’t a particular benefit to playing one specifically, they’re all going to have the same movesets. They do have some unique animations though, like Mickey sticking a pencil in the wall as he slides down, or Goofy using a chili pepper while boost jumping. All the characters are masterfully drawn, with an amazing art style that is to die for. It extends to the levels as well, with a colorful and charming theme that stretches throughout the game.

Playing Disney Illusion Island is wonderfully simple. It reminds me a lot of Rayman Legends, although with a heavier emphasis on platforming. You’ll make your way through this one in a Metroidvania style, although in our demo we were looking for keys as opposed to needing powers to find other areas. There are a lot of icons on the map we didn’t find out about, so I’m looking forward to finding what Dlala has hidden throughout each vibrant level. Also present are little blue floating blobs called Glimts, which can be used to unlock some fantastic art, along with rewarding permanent extra hearts.

Something a bit different than most games is that Illusion Island doesn’t feature any combat. You won’t even be jumping on the heads of any of the baddies, as even that will damage you. This is the design philosophy of the game, focusing more on platforming and puzzle solving to complete each section. For instance, we had to find three keys to move forward in Gizmopolis (the city we were in). Upon confronting the final boss, we had to jump on buttons to “beat” them, but the design of the encounter was fantastic and fun.

This will definitely be one to pick up for the kids, not just for theme or lack of combat, but the accessibility features. You have the option of giving each selected character different hearts, or an infinite number if you want. There’s largely one button to this one as well, jumping and double jumping. You do have an extra heart to give in the form of a hug using the Y button, and it’s just cute. Lastly, a really cool feature in a lowered rope is available. If you have a friend who can’t make a jump or platform, you can press the down arrow along with holding down Y to give them a leg up with a rope. It’s always nice to see a game the whole family can play together, and with up to four players on the Switch this is an easy choice.

I feel like I’m just scratching the surface on Disney Illusion Island, both in what I’ve played and with what I’ve written. For those looking at this as a quick cash grab, it doesn’t resemble that in the slightest. The controls are responsive, the setting is delightful, and it’s adorable through and through. You can pick up Disney Illusion Island exclusively on Nintendo Switch on July 28th.

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