From the free 3D roaming of the castle to the fantasic pocket worlds to the scavenger list of magic gems to collect, Castle of Illusion hearkens heavily back to Mario 64 in structure and style. Mickey’s definitely taking a few pages out of Mario’s book here, and not just from the lost sweetheart chapter. Grabbing them is no mean feat though, for each is held by one of Mizrabel’s masters of illusion who hold sway in their dreamlike domains. There’s no way up to the tower where Minnie is held, but if Mickey can collect seven rainbow gems from the castle they’ll form a magical bridge he can cross. Mickey gives chase back to the crone’s castle, a twisted edifice filled with portals to illusory worlds. The ubiquitous mouse is out on a picnic with his gal Minnie when the dastardly witch Mizrabel snatches her away for a dark ritual. Despite a few polish concerns Castle of Illusion does a lot with its limited mechanics and scope, making up for them with wonderfully creative levels. I have no nostalgia for a game I never played, so you can believe me when I say this one holds up just fine on its own. Castle of Illusion obviously isn’t that, it’s a remake of a classic SEGA cart and for my part I was still willing to give it a shot. That’s the one where Mickey gets costumes with special powers, like a firefighter or Carnac the Magnificent. I’m going to be honest… I was a Nintendo kid, so when I picked this up I kinda thought it was The Magical Quest.