Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse

It is the first game in Sega's Illusion video game series starring Mickey. Castle of Illusion was very well received by critics, especially the original 16-bit version. It was re-released in 1998 in Japan as part of Sega Ages: Mickey Mouse & Donald Duck for the Sega Saturn, which features both Castle of Illusion and QuackShot. A remake of the game by Sega Studios Australia was released for PlayStation Network, Windows, and Xbox Live Arcade in September 2013. The game was also included on the Sega Genesis Mini in 2019.

• Title — Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse • Developer — Sega • Publisher — Sega • Director — * Emiko Yamamoto (Genesis) • Yoshio Yoshida (Master System, Game Gear) • Producer — Stephan L. Butler • Designer — * Emiko Yamamoto • Yoshio Yoshida (Genesis) • Tomozō Endō • Michel Koba • Emiko Yamamoto (Master System, Game Gear) • Artist — * Takashi Yuda • Mikarin Nishida (Genesis) • Takako Kawaguchi • Kyuuzou F. (Master System, Game Gear) • Composer — * Tokuhiko Uwabo • Shigenori Kamiya • Platforms — Sega Genesis, Master System, Game Gear, Saturn • Released — Sega Genesis'Master SystemFebruary 1990Game Gear'SaturnOctober 15, 1998 • Genre — Platform • Modes — Single-player • Series — Illusion

Castle of Illusion is a side-scrolling platformer in which the player takes control of Mickey Mouse as he goes inside the Castle of Illusion in order to rescue Minnie Mouse from the evil witch named Mizrabel, who wants to steal Minnie's youth and beauty. Upon meeting and conversing with the castle's true owner and king, Mickey is told that in order to defeat Mizrabel he must find the Seven Gems of the Rainbow. The majority of the seven gems are kept within various illusion-filled worlds (known in the game as levels) and are being guarded by Mizrabel's henchmen – which are known as the Masters of Illusion. Alongside the Masters of Illusion is Mizrabel's army. The army consists of bizarre creatures, such as enchanted mushrooms, toy soldiers, ball-juggling, unicycle-riding clowns, spiders and armored knights. After thanking the castellan and hurrying into the castle hallway, Mickey begins to search through five doors that each leads different levels. The levels are The Enchanted Forest, Toyland, The Storm, Dessert Factory, The Library, and finally, The Castle.

• Illustration — Mickey Mouse in Level 2: Toyland Mickey's main method of attack is to perform a "bounce" whilst jumping, which can be used to defeat enemies or to bounce upwards towards higher areas. Mickey can collect projectiles such as apples and marbles to throw at his opponents. There are various items that earn bonus points, increase the player's health and grant extra tries. Clearing a level also rewards the player with additional points, including a "Technical Bonus" based on how much health the level was completed with and a "Secret Bonus" based on how many projectiles Mickey has left. Every level ends in a boss battle against each Master of Illusion (Mizrabel's henchmen) where Mickey can earn a gem, although the final two levels award a gem halfway through. After clearing all five levels, obtaining all gems will open up the route to the witch's tower. There, the player faces the final boss: a giant and youthful version of Mizrabel. There is an easy mode available where players play through truncated versions of the first three levels, with no boss fights. The Master System and Game Gear versions of the game have different game mechanics, enemies, items, levels and graphics.

The game was included on a cartridge entitled Disney Collection, bundled with QuackShot, in 1996. An emulated version of Castle of Illusion was included in a bundle for those who preordered its remake on PSN, this bundle was offered again for PlayStation Plus subscribers in April 2014. An 8-bit version of the game was released in 1991 for the Master System and Game Gear.

At the time of its release, Castle of Illusion received positive reviews. Mean Machines gave the Sega Genesis version of the game a positive review, awarding it a score of 95% while specifically praising the game's graphics and playability. Console XS gave an overall score of 96% and praised the graphics, sound, and dynamic gameplay. Mega Action gave a review score of 90% and described the game as "a classic game with a massive playing area". They also praised the graphics and sound, concluding: "We guarantee that you will be not disappointed". MegaTech opined the game is one of the best platform games on the MegaDrive and praised the game for combining superlative graphics and excellent gameplay, making Castle of Illusion addictive and an enjoyable challenge. Entertainment Weekly picked the game as the #19 greatest game available in 1990, saying: "Perfect for younger players, but challenging enough to satisfy adults, too. A superbly animated Mickey bops through three different worlds—the Enchanted Forest, Toyland, and the Dessert Factory—in a quest to save Minnie from the evil witch Mizrabel". Mega placed it at the 21st spot on their 1990 list of top Mega Drive games of all time. According to GameSpot in 2010, "it wasn't just the levels that made this game so good. The music, the controls, and Mickey's superb animation all contributed to one of the very best Disney games that would heavily influence those to follow". In 2017, Gamesradar placed the game 35th on its "Best Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games of all time".

The Master System version also received positive reviews. Sega Power magazine in 1990 rated it the best Master System game of all time. ACE called the Game Gear version "basically an unadulterated Mario clone—and not a bad one at that", giving it a score of eight out of ten. Console XS called the Castle of Illusion one of best games on the Master System writing: "Brilliant animation and sprite definition make this a joy to watch". They also praised the Game Gear version saying that it contains most of the levels from the other versions and Mickey looking superb because of the shrunken graphics.

A remake of the game, developed by Sega Studios Australia, was released for the PlayStation Network, Windows, and Xbox Live Arcade in September 2013. The game features 2.5D gameplay with 3D graphics and was developed under the supervision of the original game's director, Emiko Yamamoto, with a reimagined soundtrack by Grant Kirkhope. The original game was made available as a pre-order bonus for the PSN version.