| Introduction |
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| Land of Illusion was actually the first Mickey game I played for the Master System. The funny thing about this is that I played it several months before it was actually released in Portugal. A fiend of mine bought it in London and that gave the game a special feeling of having something that unique. As you will see by my review, I absolutely love and respect this game and consider it the best of the three "Illusion" releases on the SMS. |
| Gameplay |
| The gameplay follows the usual fairy tale dream story. One night Mickey was at home reading a book of fairy tales (remember this is before the Internet Boom!!) and fell asleep. When he woke up he was in a strange village, where he was informed that an evil phantom had stolen the Village's Crytal and that the good magic was being replaced by evil magic. With the valley becoming full of gloom, it's up to Mickey to go to the Castle in the Clouds and recover the Crystal. To do so, Mickey has to go through 14 superb, addictive and entertaining levels. The gameplay is pretty much like the one in Castle of Illusion. You can throw apples or jump on your enemies, swim, climb and do a variety of different things with Mickey. The gameplay is interesting also because Mickey can perform different tasks throughout the game. This results in a game that is never boring and highly addictive due to a lot of variety. |
| Graphics |
| The graphics are excellent and have that special SMS feeling that we all know and love, with an excellent use of the 8-bit Sega's color pallette. Each of the 14 levels are diferrent and highly detailed. The backgrounds are solid as well as all the characters. This game has without a doubt some of the best SMS graphics. I especially like the Sand Castle level (King Donaldīs Castle). |
| Sound & Music |
| Well this one his one of the best Master System games in this department. It has top to bottom great music and sound. There isnīt a level that I can honestly say you won't like, and when that happens, you know the game is special. I recommend you to pay particular attention to the Sand Castle Levelīs music (I guess by now you realized itīs my favorite level of the game). |
| Controls |
| The controls can be described in one word: EXCELLENT!! To attack, you can throw apples (Button 1) or jump on your enemies (Buttons 2+1). You can also swim, climb
and do a variety of things with Mickey using the Directional Pad. The controls are interesting because when Mickey does diferent actions through the game (Mickey will shrink on some levels when necessary and use a climbing rope in others). Overall, a lot of variety in this area too. |
| Replay Value |
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| This is a game that you will finish more than once without a doubt. Iīm pretty sure that the regular gamer will want to find all the hidden stars and secrets spread throughout the levels. That will make them finish everything at least 2 to 3 times I believe. As for the hardcore Illusion Series fans like me, playing this game is like a never ending story. I finished it at least 15 times and wonīt stop just yet... and you????
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| Conclusion |
| Land of Illusion is an outstanding game with incredible graphics, excellent sound, superb gameplay and controls and an amazing replay value. This is a MUST HAVE game to everyone that loves Mickey and the Sega Master System. Do yourself a favour and buy this game ... BUY,BUY,BUY!!!!!
P.S. This is my 3rd favorite SMS game of all time!!!! |
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