Back in the day, after a few levels of Sonic, it was Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse on the Master System that really got me into playing platform games. Butt stomping enemies, eating cake, collecting gems, the nightmarish toy level, the mouth-watering cake level... all to save Minnie from the clutches of Mizrabel the witch. Ah, memories!
Thankfully the team at Dlala shares my enthusiasm for the old 90s platformers. "I actually have my childhood Mega Drive Castle of Illusion cartridge next to my desk at work," said Dlala CEO and creative director Aj Grand-Scrutton tells me after a look at the title. "We love those games."
Disney Illusion Island isn't a direct sequel to those classics, but it does have Illusion in the title. Dlala's take is instead a "spiritual successor in a way", Grand-Scrutton continues, "because this game only exists because of how much we love those games. I probably wouldn't be making games if I hadn't played those."