Castle Of Illusion HD Now Available

Sega has announced today that their remake of the classic side-scrolling platform game from the 16-bit Sega Genesis era has officially released today, becoming available right now for PlayStation Network users and hitting digital store shelves tomorrow, September 4th, for the Xbox 360's Live Arcade and on Steam for PC.

John Cheng, President and COO, SEGA of America commented about the game's launch, saying...

“We enjoyed working closely with Disney Interactive to update this classic title,” ... “Whether they played the original on the SEGA Genesis or just discovering it for the first time, we really hope the fans will find our re-imagining of Castle of Illusion a magical experience.”

I really loved the original Sega title of Castle of Illusion, mostly because it had a very distinct tone to the way it was presented. It had elements of intrigue and horror given that Mickey starts off alone in this dark forest and the game offers up some very challenging moments as you make your progress toward the castle. It was a perfect mix of Disney's loveable aesthetic and dynamic storytelling wrapped in a classic 16-bit experience.

Sega is hoping to rekindle some of that nostalgia for today's generation of gamers (and isn't funny how hard some companies are reaching deep into the pockets of their past generation's history to win back some fan support?). The new Castle of Illusion remake sports all new HD graphics, animations and gameplay mechanics, but made entirely in the same vein as the original Sega Genesis outing.

Players will assume the role of Mickey as he attempts to thwart the evil witch and save Minnie from the dark and scary castle of illusion.

The new game still maintains a lot of the same classic platforming and challenges of the original, although I do wonder if the game will be as forgiving as the original? I mean, it wasn't like Castle of Illusion was a cakewalk and I spent many-a-days stumped on a single level trying to overcome either a platforming obstacle or peskily-placed NPC. Ah, the golden age of gaming.

Sega doesn't roll out anymore additional information than what's stated above, which is such a shame because I'm sure a lot of gamers may have more questions regarding the gameplay experience than what's listed here.

Hopefully, though, the game manages to sell enough to warrant Sega to branch off and maybe pump out a redo of World of Illusion, too? One can hope.

You can learn more about Castle of Illusion by paying a visit to the game's official website.

Will Usher

Staff Writer at CinemaBlend.