Epic Mickey on 3DS is a Castle of Illusion Sequel

That'd be neat if Castle (and maybe World?) were unlockables in this title, but I doubt Sega would permit such a thing.

...HELL YES!!!! I Love castle of illusion. I hope this game lives up to the original.

The good old megadrive had the best disney games alot of effort went into them. 2 player castle of illusion was full on awesome it would be cool to have wifi co-op mode and like what sabrewing said unlockable old-school.

Considering that DreamRift is developing this game, it has the potential to be really awesome. I am actually more excited for this game than Epic Mickey 2.

The short description from the Nintendo Power magazine is very promising. Now where's the Amazon entry to preorder it?

@WolfRamHeart Same here. This has the potential to out do it's console counterparts. The fact that it will be hand drawn and have things based on different Disney animated films is brilliant. I'm definitely more stocked for this than the console versions.

Oh God, yes! Day #1
...and hope there is a TRON level in there somewhere...

nvkldvsfhlp[./

Castle of Illusion on the Master System is a PERFECT game, in my opinion. And the Megadrive version wasn't half bad either. Not to mention I loved Mickey's Wild Adventure.

But this could turn out any way at this stage.

Sounds promising, although one thing that sounded a little iffy was the painting mechanic. Drawing something accurate could be hard in an intense situation. Hopefully the mechanic is used well.

@Jumbif Good point. I wonder if time will slow down (or pause) when you draw?

This sounds fantastic!!

Sounds great so far. I secretely hoped for a 2D platformer when i heard there's "Illusion" in the title. Land of Illusion was the most amazing game my young aunt owned for the Master System. Fun times indeed.
When done right this could be among the best and most unique platformers of the decade. (Cautiously optimistic for this one.)

This sounds great. I played both Land of Illusion and Castle of Illusion. My younger brother owned the games but we both ended up enjoying them. I'm feeling the pangs of nostalgia.

I used to rent the original from Mega Foods all the time. My Sister and I loved this game, and its one of the few games that we beat together. I am way more excited about this then the Home console version.

It sounds awesome, but I get worried when I think about how many disappointing licensed DS sidescrollers there are. We'll see!

DREAMRIFT IS BETTER THAN WAYFORWARD.

I know that's a bold statement. But it's true. While WayForward currently holds a slight edge in terms of graphics, DreamRift is clearly better at game design. Don't just take my word for, look at the facts:

The people behind DreamRift have developed two games, Henry Hatsworth and Monster Tale. Hatsworth received an aggregate critic review score of 82.5% and Tale received a score of 80.6%.

WayForward's games have not had that level of consistency. Shantae 2 was a big hit w/ critics at 86.30%, as was Contra 4 (84.1%), Mighty Switch Force (80%), and Aliens: Infestation (77.8%). But WayForward has more often than not produced average games: Batman Brave and the Bold (74%), Thor (66%), Duck Amuck (65.6%), Where the WIld Things Are (64%), Despicable Me (61.3%), Galactic Taz Ball (60%), and Centipede: Infestation (55%).

WayForward almost always has one major flaw to prevent their games from being perfect. Shantae 2 had a frustrating map system. Mighty Switch Force was too short. Batman was too easy. Taz was tough to control. Centipede was repetitive. WayForward's inconsistency makes me plenty glad that DreamRift is charged w/ crafting this important game.

So...WHO IS DREAMRIFT? Well, details are scarce since they've closed their company website. But I've been following them for a while so I'll fill you in.

DreamRift was founded by Peter Ong and Ryan Pijai. They worked together at EA studios on Henry Hatsworth and the Puzzling Adventure. After that they decided they wanted to start their own studio focusing on retro-styled side-scrollers.

The only game they've managed to push out thus far is Monster Tale, but it's got gorgeous sprites and detailed backgrounds, with great controls and level design. Keep in mind that was essentially only the 2nd game the team has worked on together and if nothing else their graphics engine should continue to make huge strides. I wouldn't be suprised if Power of Illusion surpasses the looks of even WayForward's greatest graphical achievements.

(I should note that WayForward is the current king of eShop games. DreamRift is superior at making retail games.)

so this mean the genesis version will be on VC soon?

How does Castle of Illusion stack up to Magical Quest on SNES? 'Cause I just played that and it was a fun lil' game... and definitely excited for 2D platforming by DreamRift on 3DS. Sort of wish it was a new IP. But if it sells more with Mickey, that's good for the devs, which is good for us.

That's a great move as it makes the 3DS a very individual game. The tracing mechanic may be where things may take a downturn. But the devs have a good rep so I'm optimistic

A Castle of Illusion sequel?

Now, if only Disney would allow the original to be re-released.

Sounds interesting! If done right, this could be better then Epic Mickey 2!

Excellent news! The Disney Fanboy in me just fainted from excitement!

I saw the magazine pictures... Scrooge McDuck, Captain Hook, gorgeous graphics and art, and being made by Dreamrift. This shot up my must have list.

Now can we get the Genesis and Master System games on the Virtual Console now?

@shinobi88, not to say I disagree, but I loved both Batman games WayForward did. I do think Dreamrift can surpass WayForward as the go-to 2D guys, but they'll need a few more games like this under their belt first.

@shinobi88

If Wayforward has more games developed, the probability that some of them won't be awesome increases. Not everyone is Pixar. And if you notice your own list, the majority of their least successful titles are actually licensed games that probably needed to be rushed to the market, and where they may not have the same degree of freedom.

Anyway, this one sounds a lot more interesting than the console versions. I still prefer when the portable system gets a new take on the game, instead of trying to ape the console experience on the go.

@sinafela, It's true that WayForward is much better on games they have more time w/, specifically their DSiWare and eShop titles which are always awesome. But since Epic Mickey 2 IS a licensed title, with probably a shorter development time, I'm even more glad DreamRift is on it.

What I want in a retro side-scrolling title is something that feels like one of the great Genesis games. And while all WayForward games look as good or better than the great Genesis games, they don't always play like one. There are a couple factors you NEED to have: gorgeous sprites and detailed backgrounds, suitable difficulty level, suitable length, and solid level design. DreamRift has easily accomplished all 4 of those in both of their releases thus far, while WayForward has only done it in a certain percentage of their games. Thus, I trust DreamRift more. I'm not saying WayForward is bad by any means. Contra 4 may be my all-time favorite DS game. And Batman was a fun game if you weren't looking for a challenge.

Appearance by Scrooge McDuck?? That kicks it up a notch. I thought this game would only focus on the big-time movie releases, which Uncle Scrooge was never in. I'm hoping for an Aladdin or Little Mermaid level myself. I want to draw a dinglehopper.

Btw, here's supposedly a screenshot from the game: <a rel="external" href="http://3dsconnect.com/2012/03/27/first-screenshot-of-epic-mickey-power-of-illusion/.">http://3dsconnect.com/2012/03/27/first-screenshot-of-epic-mickey-power-of-illusion/.</a> Looks like DreamRift isn't letting me down.

I'm really, REALLY excited for this. May even try the Wii game as well. However, I'm gonna consider this Mickey's BIG game of the year, and Epic Mickey 2 can live with being a spinoff.

@WaveBoy: If you like co-op platformers, World of Illusion is a blast. It's a bit less imaginative than Castle, and using the cape as a weapon is kinda lame, but it's fun watching Mickey and Donald work together.

Again SWEET! I love the idea that this is not just a rehash of the game for the Wii and the 360/PS3 and that fact that it is a sequel to one of the best Mickey Mouse platformers shows some serious respect to the Mickey's gaming roots. Impressive, very impressive.

Wait, if this is a sequel to Castle of Illusion, what does that make World of Illusion???

Seems nifty. 3DS is really getting the Disney love with this and Kingdom Hearts! Never played the first Epic Mickey but will probably check this one out.