World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck

World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck

Genesis - USA - 1st edition.

Developer Sega Publisher Sega Published 1992-12-14 Platforms Genesis Genres Licensed, Platformer Themes Adventure, Cartoon Series Illusion, Mickey Mouse Multiplayer Simultaneous co-op Distribution Commercial

World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck is a platformer developed and published by Sega for the Genesis on 1992-12-14. It is a Mickey Mouse game and the second in the Illusion series.

In the game, Mickey and Donald are practicing their magic act when they discover a strange magic door that just happens to be in their theatre. Going through it transports them to the World of Illusion, an amalgam of scenes from various Disney films, where they will remain trapped unless they can find and defeat a mysterious wizard.

The game was designed to be played with two players simultaneously, one controlling Mickey and the other controlling Donald, but, it can be played in single-player mode where the player controls one character or the other. When playing in two-player mode, you play through all of the levels, but, in single-player mode, different levels are left out for each character. So, if you want to play all the levels in single player mode, you must beat the game twice, once with Mickey and again with Donald.

Personal

Own?	No.
Won?	Yes. As both Mickey and Donald.
Finished	Mickey: 2023-09-28 / Donald: 2023-09-29.

After beating QuackShot Starring Donald Duck, I was eager to try another Sega + Disney joint, and this was also described as an easy game. I beat both the Mickey and Donald games.

Review

5	6	8	6	6

Best Version: Genesis

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

• As is expected from a Sega + Disney joint, the game has wonderful art. The backgrounds look fantastic, the character animation is superb, and each section has unique art.
• The music, composed by Haruyo Oguro and Tomoko Sasaki, fits the game, and there is a unique song for each section of the game. Although nothing stood out to me, it works as a comprehensive score.
• Although I didn't have a chance to try it, footage of the two-player simultaneous mode looks pretty interesting.
• The settings allow you to customize your controls, and there is even a sound test.

Bad

• I wasn't a huge fan of the level design. While there is great variety, it's pretty punishing for new players. Enemies frequently ambush the player, you are randomly set back for choosing the wrong dice in the Alice in Wonderland section, and there are several instances of trial and death.
• The story is paper thin. It feels like the designers already had the idea to make a game featuring Disney properties and slapped on the "World of Illusion" frame at the last minute.
• When playing in single-player mode, the game is pretty short for a Genesis title. A play through for a first time player takes about 40 minutes, but an expert can do it in under 20.
• The audio samples are highly compressed so they sound poor.
• Despite the opening credits suggesting the game will feature numerous Disney characters, it really only features Mickey and Donald. The other characters exist only as background.
• Having to continue after getting a game over on a boss will send you back a long way.

Ugly

• Nothing.

Media

Box Art

• 

  Japan. A great depiction of Donald selfishly using Mickey for his own gain and Mickey being annoyed by it (a preview of how players will treat each other). The background is a nice pastiche of the Disney works portrayed in the game. This is my preferred art.

• 

  USA. Mickey bravely directs a magic carpet while Donald rides fearfully in the back. The clouds have a spooky face and hand. All regions outside of Japan use this art just with different graphic layouts.

Documentation

• 

  Manual - Asia.

• 

  Manual - Brazil.

• 

  Manual - Japan.

• 

  Manual - Portugal.

• 

  Manual - USA.

Videos

Longplay - Gensis - 1 player - Both paths.

Longplay - Gensis - 2 player.

Play Online

Genesis, Mega Drive (Europe), Mega Drive (Japan)

Representation

Strong female character?	Fail	Daisy and Minnie exist solely to reward their male counterparts.
Bechdel test?	Fail	No women ever speak.
Strong person of color character?	Fail	There are no human characters.
Queer character?	Fail	There are no queer characters.

Titles

Language	Native	Transliteration	Translation
English	World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck
Japanese	アイラブ ミッキー&ドナルド ふしぎなマジックボックス	Ai Rabu Mikki & Donarudo Fushigina Majikku Bokkusu	I Love Mickey & Donald: Mysterious Magic Box

Links