Disney Phantasm Island isn’t technically a Mickey Mouse solo journey, because it options Goofy, Donald Duck, and Minnie Mouse, too. However after almost a decade with no correct Mickey Mouse platformer within the vein of standard video games like Citadel of Phantasm or Epic Mickey: Energy of Phantasm, we’ve lastly obtained the subsequent smartest thing: Disney Phantasm Island, a colourful and wonderful platformer impressed by previous Mickey video games that options each his buddies and new characters.
Out on July 28 solely on Nintendo Swap, Disney Phantasm Island is a 2D co-op or solo platformer that’s visually impressed by the trendy Mickey shorts, however isn’t immediately linked to them. As a substitute, as Phantasm Island’s inventive director defined to Kotaku in a preview earlier this yr, the sport takes inspiration from each period of the well-known mouse.
And the brand new characters you meet—a mixture of plant-based and animal-inspired people—want the assistance of iconic characters Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Minnie to rescue necessary, island-saving tomes from nasty thieves. (Don’t fear who you decide, all of them play the identical.) After choosing one of many basic Disney characters, what follows is a platforming journey by way of a big, maze-like map spreading throughout a number of biomes which are crammed with secrets and techniques, collectibles, and sure, Hidden Mickeys.
No preventing, however a number of leaping!
Because the title implies, Disney Phantasm Island is impressed by a number of the most beloved outdated Mickey video games, a lot of which had the phrase phantasm of their titles. However not like these video games, which have been conventional platformers with fight parts, Phantasm Island ditches fight solely and as a substitute focuses on extremely tight and fluid platforming. You gained’t be leaping on prime of enemies or selecting up power-ups to shoot balls of fireside or goo at baddies. Whereas this may sound like an odd selection for a sport that’s Metroidvania-like in each different sense, it really works splendidly in Phantasm Island.
A giant motive why the dearth of fight by no means bothered me throughout my playthrough was as a result of Disney Phantasm Island by no means obtained boring. Each forty or so minutes I obtained a brand new capacity that permit me discover extra of the map, or I took on some huge platforming problem or squared off towards boss enemies—which don’t function preventing, however as a substitute depend on puzzles. One boss had me swing round particular factors utilizing my grapple capacity. Finally, after I dodged all of the threats and activated each swing level, the enemy was knocked down and Mickey was in a position to make use of magic to show them into stone.
Disney Phantasm Island virtually appears nervous that you just’ll get uninterested in it and cease taking part in, so it’s always making an attempt to maintain your consideration, both by way of powers, collectibles, jokes, or foolish characters. This mixture of selection and approachability appears good for youths and adults alike.
Fortunately, the in-game map makes all of this content material manageable. It’s simple to make use of and masses quick, letting you shortly see the place you’re and the place you might want to go. It additionally exhibits all of the belongings you haven’t collected or paths you continue to must unlock. With out this map, Phantasm Island may really feel like a chore to play. With it, the sport could be very exhausting to place down. I’d verify it and assume, “Effectively, I simply must go over there and I’ll get some extra collectibles to unlock a well being improve” and all of a sudden one other half-hour had handed and I had not stopped taking part in. (This occurred to me at the least a couple of instances.)
A platformer for everybody (who owns a Swap)
What can even assist children (and adults with restricted schedules) take pleasure in Disney Phantasm Island is the best way it progressively turns into harder, however by no means will get too exhausting. So long as I took my time or didn’t get distracted by the beautiful artwork, I may keep away from most baddies and traps. And once I did die, I by no means felt like the sport had screwed me over due to its splendidly snappy, responsive platforming controls and rock-solid efficiency when docked or performed in handheld mode. Plus, deaths gained’t value you or your co-op companions a lot progress due to an ample quantity of checkpoints all through the world.
In case you crave platformers that aren’t brutal nightmares bent on making you throw your controller in frustration, you must play Phantasm Island. And for many who do need a bit extra problem, you may tweak how a lot injury Mickey and buddies can take earlier than dying. In case you decrease this quantity, you’ll add a bit extra spice to Disney’s newest sport.
My solely main grievance with Disney Phantasm Island is its Nintendo Swap exclusivity. I can solely think about how beautiful the colourful, cartoonish artwork and characters would look in 4K, maybe operating at 120fps. Plus, it might let much more folks play this improbable Disney platformer. However, the dev has given no hints about porting the sport to extra platforms sooner or later, which is a disgrace.
Regardless, if you happen to personal a Swap (and primarily based on the gross sales of that machine, you in all probability do) I’d suggest testing Disney Phantasm Island. Even non-Disney adults will benefit from the snappy motion, low-stakes gameplay, beautiful visuals and co-op shenanigans. And if you’re a Disney grownup, nicely, you in all probability already purchased this sport and have it put in in your Swap. Excellent news: You might be in for a deal with.
