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Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion Preview for Nintendo 3DS

Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion Preview for Nintendo 3DS

2D Hijinks From The House Of Mouse

With the advent of the 3DS and Vita, it seems that Western developers are finally starting to “get” portable gaming. Simply porting games from the big screen to the small doesn’t do justice to handheld devices. It’s far more appealing to create a game from the ground up for portable machines, something that Disney is doing with this second generation of Epic Mickey games. In order to get a worthy Epic Mickey experience for handhelds, Disney and Junction Point recruited the 2D platforming experts at DreamRift, who decided to take their cues from classic Mickey Mouse games for Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion on the 3DS.

Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion Screenshot

Power of Illusion’s setup mixes classic elements with the current Epic Mickey Wasteland setting. In the game, the evil witch Mizrabel from the SEGA Genesis Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse game has accidentally been trapped in Wasteland. In order to escape, she hatches a plot involving draining the essence from illusions of Disney cartoon characters, incidentally trapping the original characters in the castle. In a fit of apparent bad judgment, Minnie Mouse is one of these kidnapped cartoons. Of course, our hero Mickey is having none of this, and enters the castle in order to save his friends and defeat the witch.

The characters and worlds players will encounter in the Castle of Illusion are similarly a mix of old and new. There are areas based on classic worlds such as Sleeping Beauty and Peter Pan , but also newer settings like the tower from Tangled . The characters that Mickey will meet include the inhabitants of those famous Disney worlds as well as classic Disney cartoon characters such as Scrooge McDuck and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion Screenshot

Even Mickey’s arsenal of moves draws from both classic and modern gaming. Just like in the classic platformers, Mickey can jump high in the air, then drop down to do a butt-bounce onto his enemies. However, he also has his new-school paint and thinner abilities that can be used to attack enemies or solve puzzles.

Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion Screenshot

Paint and thinner puzzles will involve the touchscreen in order to be successfully executed. Players will need to successfully trace the outlines of some objects in order to paint them in. Failing to trace accurately can result in an object not acting as expected, with potentially dire consequences for Mickey. On the other hand, tracing very well can grant extra boons to our rodent hero. Erasing objects with thinner involves filling in an outline of the object as quickly as possible, giving players the chance to use speed instead of skill.

On top of Mickey’s basic powers, he has a home fortress that will become filled with characters and objects as Mickey progresses through the game. He can visit characters he has saved in the Castle of Illusion, and doing quests for them fills up the fortress with interesting objects. Mickey then has the ability to choose a small number of these objects to take with him into the Castle. He can also bring up to three allies with him per level, and different allies have different skills that can help Mickey with platforming or combat.

Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion Screenshot

Visually, the Power of Illusion team hopes to use the console’s 3D effect in order to punctuate important events in the game, rather than having the entire game pop out drastically. Thus, the 3D will be fairly subtle during the main portion of gameplay, but important objects may pop out dramatically when used. Reports thus far are that the game looks quite nice on the 3DS, and that players who don’t normally enjoy turning the 3D all the way up were able to play with that setting.

Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion aims to be a game for all ages. While it’s child-friendly in terms of content, it’s not going to be a cakewalk to play. The game’s retro stylings include plenty of platforming challenges that require both thought and reflexes. DreamRift has a good track record with 2D platformers, having created Monster Tale for the DS and assisted with Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure. Based on the information we have so far and the reactions from people who have demoed the game, the company is on the right track with its small-screen take on the Epic Mickey franchise.

Game Features:

  • “Disney Epic Mickey: Power Of Illusion” offers a special drawing and painting function that will allow players to create an interactive world by using the stylus to draw objects in the bottom screen that magically transform into classic Disney-style 2D illustrations. Utilizing the game’s unparalleled dual-screen integration, players will then move their creations to the top screen where they are further transformed into beautiful, fully realized objects that pop off the screen in stunning 3D.
  • Players will utilize the core “Disney Epic Mickey” gameplay mechanic of paint and thinner while playing as Mickey Mouse in an attempt to save classic Disney Toon characters.
  • Players will engage in epic boss battles with familiar Disney villains using attacks involving the power of illusions to surprise players.
  • Players will adventure through game levels based on animated Disney films such as “Peter Pan” and “Aladdin,” as well as interact with beloved Disney characters.
  • In between adventures, players can develop their own fortress by taking a small fort and expanding it into a thriving castle.

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