[This blog contains spoilers for a game nobody plays anymore.]
"Legend of Illusion Staring Mickey Mouse" is a Game Gear game released in 1995. It is a standard side-scrolling platformer game with very few gimmicks. It was a Disney game made back when Disney was still a company worth anybody's time.
The reason this game got my attention was for the story. It is a fairy tale that really smacks of many of the old fairy tales I have read. It may even be based on one or two of them.
In the game, the kingdom is ruled by Pete who is a selfish king. He finds out that a disaster has befallen his land because something had gone wrong with the Tree of Life. His wiseman tells him that only a king can go deal with this problem or else the world will fall into darkness. Not wanting to be bothered by a dangerous quest, he ends up getting his laundry boy to do it. This laundry boy happens to be Mickey Mouse.
Hilariously, Mickey's only weapon in the game is soap. Yep. He just chucks soap at the enemies that come his way. Talk about a humble protagonist!
After Pete sends Mickey on his way, his wiseman happens to mention something I guess he forgot. Apparently whoever completes this quest will be destined to become the king himself. Now Pete is angry at Mickey even though it was him that sent the mouse on the quest to begin with. I loved this aspect of the story. Pete is a coward and then he is mad at someone else because he did something cowardly. What a hypocrite!
Along the way, Mickey ends up on a few side quests which involve saving the lives of two other kings who happen to be Goofy and Donald. These are all important things as they are testing Mickey's heart. These tests soon lead him into the Land of Illusion where the Tree of Life is at. Apparently an evil sorcerer turned himself into a beaver and stopped the Waters of Time from flowing with... like... a magical... beaver dam... or something. You have to fight the sorcerer to save the Tree of Life. It was a fun fight too!
Of course, when you come back home, Pete is waiting to have you arrested. You get to fight him too and then end up as king. Pete just ends up in a chain gang vowing to be king again someday.
This game's story is the reason to play it. It's a by-the-numbers classic fairytale but with Disney characters taking up the roles. The gameplay was fine. It's not really great, but it wasn't annoying either. Plus, I like that you are a laundry boy who uses soap as a weapon. That's cute. And yes, I do recommend the game but mainly for its fairy tale narrative. It's too bad I didn't get this one when I was a kid.
This blog was written on April 10, 2024.
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Those "humble beginnings" people God loves. Mickey is like David and Pete like Saul. Interesting touch about the Tree of Life and the Waters of Time. It gave the game a spiritual connotation without being pretentious.
ReplyDeleteI agree. There were a lot of really interesting additions to the game's story.
DeleteI remember playing this one. It was pretty fun if I remember correctly. The fantastical nature of the Mickey games always attracted me to them in my youth, though some were disappointing.
ReplyDeleteWow, you played it? Nice!
DeleteHypocrisy is common. People hold those around them to higher standards than would hold themselves. Then, they get upset when they are not reached.
ReplyDeleteOh, yep. That's Pete for ya.
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