Disney Illusion Island

If you’re after a frictionless, family-friendly platforming adventure that’s heavy on charm and light on challenge, then Disney Illusion Island fits the bill better than a muzzle on Donald Duck.

It's a slow starter, but Disney Illusion Island eventually comes into its own as a polished, breezy multiplayer action platformer.

An expressive, characterful entry point for metroidvanias.

A cute My First Metroidvania with charming characters, wrapped up in some fairly basic and uninspired platforming levels. It's not Illusion at its best, but should entertain kids.

With credits behind me, I’m excited to discover more of Monoth’s secrets and collectibles I haven’t yet found, and I’m especially thrilled to play more with my 7-year-old nephew. Illusion Island doesn’t overhaul the platformer genre, or the Metroidvania formula for that matter, but its distinctive no-combat focus on simply moving through Monoth keeps the trip amusing, brisk, and gratifying. I would have liked more challenge; this is a simple adventure that might not capture the interest of platformer enthusiasts with little to no preoccupation with Disney. But when met on its own terms, it’s hard to deny Illusion Island is a jubilant love letter to these characters and platforming.

This new Disney platform game is a strangely cynical waste of potential

Disney Illusion Island looks and sounds incredible and doesn't do much wrong in terms of gameplay. It doesn't really do much to advance the Metroidvania genre, though, and while it's clearly designed to appeal to younger players the convoluted ending and hit-and-miss jokes mean we ended simply enjoying it, rather than loving it.

Disney Illusion Island won’t go down in history like the best Disney platformer classics have. But it’s still a fun, if not forgettable, romp starring Mickey and friends. Those who are newer to platformers or want to get someone in on the genre will be primed to enjoy this title. Also, while I don’t think the exploratory angle does the game any favors, it may appeal to collect-athon fans. Otherwise, Illusion Island is just a reliable game for a rainy day. A perfect seven if there ever was one.

Regardless, if you own a Switch (and based on the sales of that device, you probably do) I’d recommend checking out Disney Illusion Island. Even non-Disney adults will enjoy the snappy action, low-stakes gameplay, gorgeous visuals and co-op shenanigans. And if you are a Disney adult, well, you probably already bought this game and have it installed on your Switch. Good news: You are in for a treat.

Disney Illusion Island is a magnificent return to form for Mickey and friends. Though we wish that it was a bit more challenging, the excellent controls, relaxing vibes, whimsical world, and oodles of collectibles all come together to make for a cozy and enjoyable experience you won't want to miss. We strongly recommend you pick up Illusion Island if you're looking for another quality 2D platformer to add to your library, it's full of that elusive Disney magic and is one of the best platformers to release on the Switch this year.