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Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion
Whether you love the old 2D Disney games of the 80s and 90s, or you became a fan with Epic Mickey, Power of Illusion is aiming to please.
We got to sit down for an extended hands-on session with the upcoming 3DS Power of Illusion game during E3, and came away impressed with the way the game is mixing old and new design and storytelling ideas. The game is firmly entrenched in the fiction established by Epic Mickey. The Castle of Illusion has fallen into the Wasteland of forgotten cartoons, and Mizrabel the Witch isn't happy about it. She's begun to capture various toons within the castle, and Mickey Mouse must come to the rescue.
Old-school players will be immediately familiar with the platforming style. Mickey isn't a fast moving platforming hero, but he does have some fun tricks at his disposal. From his trademark butt stomp to a spinning tornado-like melee attack, the character is fun to play and maneuver through the world.
Taking advantage of the capabilities of the 3DS and tapping into the storyline of the Epic Mickey universe, Mickey will come across designated areas in the game world where things can be drawn in or erased. At this point, a small diagram will appear on the bottom screen, and you have to either draw the outline of an object (to create it) or fill it in with thinner (to erase it). The mechanic results in some light puzzles that show up as the game progresses.
As you explore the game world, you'll run into various famous Disney characters, like Beast, Rapunzel, Peter Pan, and Uncle Scrooge. Once you find and rescue them from the Castle of Illusion, they'll return to your fortress and hang out in their own designated room. Between game levels, you can return to the fortress to chat with these familiar faces, get additional quests from them, and upgrade the rooms in which they live, resulting in some special rewards.
The sections of Power of Illusion that we played were certainly not challenging for experienced platform gamers, but the game has managed to do a phenomenal job of updating the classic Disney platforming experience that many fans remember. We're looking forward to seeing how later levels in the game grow in complexity when the game releases in November.
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