Evil witches - they're always up to no good. You'd think people would keep a closer eye on them, instead of acting all surprised when they start scheming to take over the world again. And while she's not quite trying to take over the world, it's the appropriately monikered evil witch Mizrabel and her infamous Castle of Illusions that'll serve as your foil in Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion, as the witch makes her return some two decades after their last game on the Sega Mega Drive.
The game itself starts with Mickey chilling in front of the tube, when Oswald appears on the TV to tell Mickey a strange floating castle has appeared in Wasteland and has taken a load of toons prisoner - including his beloved Minnie Mouse. Being an all round nice guy, Mickey rushes off to Wasteland to save the day, although he can find no sign of his missus - but what they do find is that the evil witch Mizrabel is a bit put out at having her move. Having passed from the Cartoon world into Wasteland (where forgotten characters, rides, and other titbits from Walt Disney's mind reside), she's determined to get back, capturing a bunch of characters in her magical transforming Castle of Illusion, with the idea of sapping their 'heart power' to propel herself back to stardom. With characters to rescue, an evil witch to defeat, and a whole castle to explore, it's up to the courageous mouse to plough through each of her nefarious illusions, and rescue the characters trapped within, directing them to the a single safe refuge in the castle known as 'The Fortress'.
Obligatory spikey blocks to dodge too.
Quickly becoming the hub of your adventure, this Fortress is where all the rescued cartoon characters come to hang out, offering you little bonus quests to do to earn upgrades, E-Tickets (the game's currency) and more. Whether it's finding Scrooge McDuck's Number One Dime so he'll open a shop (from which you can purchase upgrades for Mickey's abilities), borrowing a hair brush for Rapunzel from the Beast or tidying up Cubby's fur by tracing round him on the Touch Screen, they offer little diversions from the main game - and in some cases you'll need to play through a level again to rescue another character that they hold dear, such as locating Michael, the youngest sibling in the Peter Pan story, for his worried sister Wendy. Setting quests is all well and good, but as your Fortress swells in size remembering the laundry list of items and people you need to track down is a bit of a daunting task, and the absence of any detailed list is a definite oversight, as is the fact no levels give you an indication of how many characters are stranded in there, meaning you may miss some completely. For each person you do manage to rescue, a bar fills up showing you how close you are to breaking through Mizrabel's illusions and opening up the next world - of which there is but three, each themed after a different Disney film, namely Peter Pan, Aladdin and The Little Mermaid.
At it's heart, Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion is a platformer in the vein of those from days gone by - make your way through each of the levels, defeating enemies, collecting 'E-Tickets' and jumping from perilous platform to platform, avoiding spiked pits and almost certain death below, as you puzzle your way into the various nooks and crannies packed into the dense levels. But while the basic concept may be fairly run of the mill, Epic Mickey stands out from the pack with its now-trademark Paint and Thinner. Unlike in the previous games, you won't be using the paint and thinner to solve moral quandaries (Epic Mickey on the Wii would change tack depending on whether you preferred to destroy things with thinner, or fill them in with paint), as in Castle of Illusion, your pot and brush are only used for erasing blocks to get past, and painting in platforms to help you reach other areas. In another slight departure from the previous games, you can't befriend enemies and have them fight on your side by painting them in, either - whatever you choose to shoot at them will defeats them, and all that changes is what they leave behind in their wake - paint them and you'll receive health hearts, thin them and you'll get cold hard cash instead.
The captured characters have been fooled by Mizrabel's illusions and it's up to you to save them. Even this particularly goofy-looking version of the Beast.
And as you may imagine, for a game on the 3DS, any "painting" you have to do is deftly handled by the Touch Screen? Showing a simple map of the level, along with various outlines dotting the landscape, all you have to do is tap one these outlines to select it, and then trace round with your stylus to fill it in - or select an existing object, and scribble over it with your thinner to erase it from existence. It's this idea that you'll use throughout your journey in the Castle of Illusion, as you solve the game's puzzles - perhaps painting in a platform or two, bringing a character back into existence or jumping and painting a block in before Mickey lands to give him a leg up. And it's a fun enough idea - we only wish there was a touch more variety to the outlines you draw in, as the same ones get repeated over and over throughout the game.
Over time, Mickey will also build up a library of 'sketches', which are special powers for when you're in need, letting you summon a giant spiky block to give an enemy a serious headache, or an angry Scrooge McDuck that bounces round the screen, defeating any enemies that dare to stand in the way. Again, these are activated by tracing around an outline on the Touch Screen, but they're a bit more limited in their use - so you'll likely want to save them for boss fights. Found at the end of each world, the boss fights pit you against a Disney villain who puts up much more of a fight than your standard baddies, and will put your paint and thinner to the test, making them perfect fodder for an angry Scrooge McDuck...
Despite it's simplicity which harks back to the games of yesteryear, Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion is still a pretty good game, even if it lacks much of the series' trademark bits and bobs. It is however, a little bit on the short side, with just twelve levels spread over three worlds. That said, with dozens of extra side quests waiting to be taken on, you're likely looking at at least a ten to twelve hour game. If you're a fan of platformers, or the house of mouse, Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion could be well worth a look.
Format Reviewed: Nintendo 3DS
