City of Vera?
it that part of Disney lore?
not that I'm aware
Additional Comments:
Another classic Genesis title that received some heavy play when I was growing up. It seems that I just can't say enough about the 8-bit/16-bit Disney titles, especially the games that appeared on the Genesis. And just like the other Disney platformers of the day, this one followed suit with some clever level design, albeit compared to greats like Quackshot or Aladdin, Castle of Illusion does feel a tad clunky at times, but not enough to hamper gameplay by any means.
Now, as a kid, I'm fairly certain I made it as far as Mizrabel in Normal mode - at least I vaguely remember seeing that boss battle, although I don't recall the Dungeon Boss battle at all. But then, it's also been close to 15 years since I last put in a real solid effort regarding this game. I recall throwing it in my Genesis a couple years back out of nostalgic reasons yet other than the Toy Palace, I remembered next to nothing, which made me question whether or not I was even thinking of the same game. I can only imagine this to be nothing more than a mass confusion of hypothetical gaming elements from a vast collection of illusionary games that only exist within my own faded memory of platformers from the forgotten past. Needless to say, although there's the real possibility I may have beaten the game as a kid, I somehow doubt it.
Whatever the verdict, the game is now beaten on all three difficulties - well, I'm not sure Practice even counts as a difficulty here. Practice, unlike most games in which it would be dubbed Easy, is just that: practice - think Training Mode from Starfox. Although all of the traditional gameplay elements are present, including death, practice is a far more appropriate term than the typical "easy" or "novice." The levels are basically flat, boring swaths devoid of anything truly dangerous, with each stage (of which only three of the five are represented) consisting of only a single area. Because of this, and how long it had been since I put a genuine effort into the game, I half expected the same increase in gameplay between Normal and Hard mode (eg an increase from five stages to seven). But no - just extra sprites placed with deadly precision, less starting energy, and a total lack of harvestable ammunition - the coup de grâce of game mode mechanics.
Anyways, much like its Disney contemporaries, Castle of Illusion has some great music, such as the Enchanted Forest Substage, which incidentally is my favorite area in the game - I only wish they had expanded on that area a little more. Other notable tracks include the Title Theme and Dessert Factory. Graphically, the levels are fantastic, again having to point fingers at the Enchanted Forest Substage. And then, as far as level gimmicks, I have to make mention of the gravity switch in the Toy Palace. Of course, nothing new, so I suspect - not sure which game first showcased such a gimmick - it's cool nonetheless. I do have to point out my dismay over the Clock Tower area though. As awesome as that area is - second favorite area in the game - it feels unfinished at times. I'm disappointed that the horizontal rotating gears don't affect movement as well as confused and frustrated over some of the spinning gears in which the physical movement doesn't seem to match the animation. I don't know how many times I got thrown over the wrong side of the gear because it looked like it was spinning one way only to throw me the other. :(
Rating: 3 jumping A's out of 5
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