I was actually surprised I finish Power of Illusion so quickly. O_o I randomly fought Maleficient and wham, the game was over. I have officially finished the game. However, I'm going back to finish any of the quests I missed the first time around.
My Playtime: 10.5 Hours
Genre: Side Scroller/Adventure
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Story: Mickey was relaxing at home, when he noticed a SOS message from Oswald in Wasteland on his television. Oswald explained that a castle had suddenly appeared and that toons, including Minnie, were trapped inside! Mickey quickly rushed off to grab the magic paintbrush from Yen Sid's home and rushed to save his love and the others.
Loving the storyline! I'm a huge fan of Kingdom Hearts and any game that put all my favorite Disney characters altogether is an automatic must buy. However, there wasn't much to the plot or any surprises. This game is pretty straightforward. You go to different dungeons and save characters and beat the bad guys.
Gameplay: This is your basic sidescrolling adventure game. Pretty similar to the video games from the olden days, like Mega Man on Nintendo. You can only play as Mickey Mouse. I did a lot of A button smashing. However, the fun and sometime annoying part, was that you can draw or destroy certain things, like blocks or elevators, to help make your path easier. (I have not yet played Epic Mickey so I cannot compare the two.) The drawing aspect was pretty simple. You used the stylus and traced the image on the bottom screen. You can still mess up if you don't stay in the lines and you will have to start over. Another thing was that if you run out of heart points (HP), you automatically restart from the beginning of the section, losing any money or quest items that you have picked up.
There were 3 "worlds" and in each world, there were 3-4 dungeons for you to explore. You can earn money, fight enemies and rescue lost characters. The lost characters go to a place called the Fortress and set up a room there. You later talk to the rescued characters and they will give you quests to improve their rooms. It can either be a search-and-find or you-have-to-paint kind. The quests were easy and you can earn 100% completion on the first try.
Here's my main pet peeve of this game. For a $40 game, I expected a lot more. Instead, I get a game that lasts only 10 hours and have only 3 small dungeons. Really? Only 2 minor boss battles before you fight Mizrabel? Where's the challenge in that? I would've love to see a multi-layered castle or even a bonus dungeon, just to create an unique twist. Unfortunately, Power of Illusion felt like a game the programmers were rushing to get out in time with Epic Mickey 2. This game could've been so much more.
Graphics: Don't expect the top of the line graphics here. But I love it. It's nostalgic 90's style video gaming. Dominantly, the characters were tiny pixelated sprites. When they were talking, a cel-shaded flat drawing appeared on screen. Very pretty images.
Voiceacting/BGM: There was not much voice acting. However, when they did speak, it was a quick one line blurb. Mickey has a few different quotes that he used to match the appropriate moment. I'm not sure if they used the original voice actors but the voices are closely familiar. The background music wasn't memorable but matched the mood of the dungeon.
Loving the storyline! I'm a huge fan of Kingdom Hearts and any game that put all my favorite Disney characters altogether is an automatic must buy. However, there wasn't much to the plot or any surprises. This game is pretty straightforward. You go to different dungeons and save characters and beat the bad guys.
Gameplay: This is your basic sidescrolling adventure game. Pretty similar to the video games from the olden days, like Mega Man on Nintendo. You can only play as Mickey Mouse. I did a lot of A button smashing. However, the fun and sometime annoying part, was that you can draw or destroy certain things, like blocks or elevators, to help make your path easier. (I have not yet played Epic Mickey so I cannot compare the two.) The drawing aspect was pretty simple. You used the stylus and traced the image on the bottom screen. You can still mess up if you don't stay in the lines and you will have to start over. Another thing was that if you run out of heart points (HP), you automatically restart from the beginning of the section, losing any money or quest items that you have picked up.
There were 3 "worlds" and in each world, there were 3-4 dungeons for you to explore. You can earn money, fight enemies and rescue lost characters. The lost characters go to a place called the Fortress and set up a room there. You later talk to the rescued characters and they will give you quests to improve their rooms. It can either be a search-and-find or you-have-to-paint kind. The quests were easy and you can earn 100% completion on the first try.
Here's my main pet peeve of this game. For a $40 game, I expected a lot more. Instead, I get a game that lasts only 10 hours and have only 3 small dungeons. Really? Only 2 minor boss battles before you fight Mizrabel? Where's the challenge in that? I would've love to see a multi-layered castle or even a bonus dungeon, just to create an unique twist. Unfortunately, Power of Illusion felt like a game the programmers were rushing to get out in time with Epic Mickey 2. This game could've been so much more.
Graphics: Don't expect the top of the line graphics here. But I love it. It's nostalgic 90's style video gaming. Dominantly, the characters were tiny pixelated sprites. When they were talking, a cel-shaded flat drawing appeared on screen. Very pretty images.
Voiceacting/BGM: There was not much voice acting. However, when they did speak, it was a quick one line blurb. Mickey has a few different quotes that he used to match the appropriate moment. I'm not sure if they used the original voice actors but the voices are closely familiar. The background music wasn't memorable but matched the mood of the dungeon.
Note: The game can be played in 4 languages - English, Spanish, French and Portuguese. The game is autosaved before entering a dungeon or boss battle. And this is not the same as Epic Mickey 2 on the Wii.
Possible Spoiler - Ending: Pretty anticlimactic. It was what you expected. Before the final boss batlle, Mickey will have to face a barrage of monsters from coming either side of the screen. There are webs that you can draw to slow them down. However, I'm too lazy and I fight them as they come. But try to keep your health and brush bar up. After you succeed, travel to the west to see Minnie stuck in a crystal and Mizrabel. The battle against Mizrabel was pretty easy once you get the hang of her attacks. I have not beaten her on the first try. But I always get her by the second. So, don't despair if you don't succeed the first time.
After her defeat, all the Disney characters' heart were no longer stuck in the castle and now allowed to go home. Every character, one by one, will thank you for your help and leave. Mickey returned home to find Minnie was looking for him. Mickey couldn't wait to tell her about his adventures but was interrupted when Minnie mentioned that she also dreamed about a castle. The end. Exactly. There was no bonus dungeon and you are automatically sent back to the start screen. You can fight Mizrabel again and finish any quests that you might have missed.
I adore the wide range of Disney characters that appeared in this game. The graphics were nostalgic and the controls were user friendly. The dungeons were not overly difficult making it great for children and adults alike. And the quests kept you interested. The only disappointments were the length of this game and the price that doesn't match it. 10 hours for a $40 game is not a great investment. Epic Mickey: Power of Illusions had the makings of a great sidescroller, to be only ruined by lack of dungeons, unsurprising plot line, no replay value and no bonuses. Save your money. Wait till this game goes to $15 or lower. The game is not something you have to rush out to get right this moment. But when the price is right, I do recommend getting it if you are fan of Epic Mickey, sidescrolling games or Disney games in general. I did enjoyed the game, even though once was definitely enough.
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