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Castle of Illusion / Fushigi no Oshiro Daibōken
キャッスル・イリュージョン / ふしぎのお城大冒険
21 Nov 1990







 
 
Back in the early days of the Mega Drive, there really wasn't much going on in the platform game stakes. The mediocre Alex Kidd Tenkū Majō (1989) had been and gone, and aside from an excellent port of Daimakaimura (Aug '89) there wasn't much until the arrival of the first Sonic (1991).
Well, not much except for 'Mystery Castle Great Adventure' - a smooth, crisp, and immediately accessible action platform game featuring Mickey Mouse. It's all here: the characters, backdrops and set-pieces are meticulous and colourful, each level is beautifully staged, and the musical score is enchanting and memorable.
The game sees Mickey work his way through a mysterious mansion full of different rooms, jumping on enemies to defeat them. 6 bizarre dimensions await: haunted forests, toy rooms gone mad, giant cups of coffee...
The layout may seem a little basic and slow-paced at times, but cranked up in 'Hard' mode it's a good challenge: you start off with only 2 units of energy, and power-ups are scarce.
Castle of Illusion remains surprisingly enduring considering its age. It has a distinct simplicity and 'artisan' feel that allows it to keep a very immediate and enduring appeal; much more so than its two follow-ups, QuackShot (1991) and World of Illusion (1992).

Rating:
 

 
 
 


 
I Love Mickey Mouse - Fushigi no Oshiro Daibōken
アイラブミッキーマウス ふしぎのお城大冒険
MEGA DRIVE
DETAILS
Format Mega Drive
Released 21 Nov 1990
Publisher Sega
Product ID G-4042
Size (cm) 17.8 x 12.8 x 2.5
Weight (kg) 0.18
PRICE
STATUS
Beautiful little platformer full of flair and charm, with excellent replay value and a catchy soundtrack.
Great fun even if you don't love Mickey Mouse.

Standard MD packaging, 4Mbit cartridge, colour manual.

Mickey Mouse no Castle Illusion
ミッキーマウスの キャッスル・イリュージョン
GAME GEAR
DETAILS
Format Game Gear
Released 23 Mar 1991
Publisher Sega
Product ID G-3301
Size (cm) 11 x 9.5 x 2
Weight (kg) 0.08
PRICE
STATUS
Downsized version of the Mega Drive original, with simplified visuals and stages.
One of the earliest platform games for the Game Gear, and one of the best!

Standard GG cardboard packaging, 2Mbit cartridge, colour booklet.

I Love Mickey Mouse - Fushigi no Oshiro Daibōken
I Love Donald Duck - Georgia Oh no Hihō

アイラブミッキーマウス ふしぎのお城大冒険
アイラブドナルドダック グルジア王の秘宝
DETAILS
Format Sega Saturn
Released 15 Oct 1998
Publisher Sega
Product ID GS-9179
Size (cm) 14.2 x 12.4 x 1
Weight (kg) 0.10
PRICE
STATUS
Special re-issue of Sega's first two Disney platformers for the MD:
- Castle of Illusion (1990)
- QuackShot (1991)
Marks the 13th and final release of the Sega Saturn Sega Ages series.

CD case, Sega Saturn CD-ROM disc, colour booklet, spine card.

 



'Castle of Illusion', 'Mega Drive', 'Game Gear', 'Sega Saturn' and 'Sega' are registered trademarks of Sega Corporation
Castle of Illusion / Fushigi no Oshiro Daibōken TM & © 1990 Sega All Rights Reserved
Mickey Mouse © The Walt Disney Company All Rights Reserved
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