The April Nintendo Power reveals many details about the forthcoming Epic Mickey sequels. The Wii game sounds solid, but — frankly — 3DS steals the show, here.
While Wii, 360 and PS3 are all getting The Power of Two — a rather straightforward sequel to 2010’s fun-but-flawed Disney twist — 3DS is getting an entirely different game, and it’s a gorgeous sprite-based platformer called The Power of Illusion. Note the title. It’s important.
The 3DS-exclusive Epic Mickey: The Power of Illusion is a sequel to two games at once: Epic Mickey and the much-loved Sega Genesis classic, Castle of Illusion. As detailed in the magazine, the reasoning is brilliant: Wasteland, the world created for Epic Mickey, is a universe of forgotten, neglected Disney creations. Of course, Castle of Illusion and its villainess, Mizrabel, would end up there!
Warren Spector has turned this game’s reigns over to the very capable and appreciative hands of Dreamrift, creators of last year’s Monster Tale, a clever Metroid-meets-Pokemon DS adventure. Co-founder and game director Peter Ong also helped create Henry Hatsworth, one of the most brilliant games ever released for DS. Ong is a long-time fan of the Genesis Castle of Illusion, and no wonder; in the system’s early days, it was one of the few titles that matched the visual punch and imaginative design of Sonic the Hedgehog.
In Power of Illusion, you’ll guide Mickey through castle rooms recreating Disney films from all over the company’s vast history. As you rescue famous characters (who have been trapped in Wasteland by a jealous Mizrabel) they’ll set up shop in Mickey’s home base, a game design tribute to Suikoden that Ong has been trying to work into a project for years!
And yes, Scrooge McDuck will be on hand. Who knows — if this game sells well, maybe we’ll finally get that Ducktales sequel!
The game cleverly uses the touch screen for bringing items to life by drawing them (tracing, actually). The more accurate your sketch, the more helpful the item becomes. Check out the April Nintendo Power for more details.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m still looking forward to playing the Wii game. But the 3DS-only Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion is shaping up to be a spectacular and beautiful platformer containing a wonderful combination of classic gameplay and new concepts. I can’t wait.
UPDATE: Head over to this link with your 3DS web browser to see some 3D screen shots! http://www.insidethemagic.net/em3d/