Interview with Peter Ong, Disney Epic Mickey: Power Of Illusion
When I was a kid, I remember going to a friend’s house and being REALLY disappointed that he did not have his promised copy of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade for the Sega Genesis. I felt cheated….even angry when instead, he whipped out his copy of Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse.
Why the hell did I just walk across town to play THIS?
A few days later, I came to the conclusion that I had just played one of the best Disney themed games ever. Castle of Illusion holds a special place in my heart because short of your Marios and Sonics, it was one of my favorite platformers. Even later on in life as I was playing emulators on my computer, I always made sure I had a copy of CoI ready to go.
Imagine my delight, then, when I found out that DreamRift was creating a tribute to CoI in the form of Disney Epic Mickey: Power Of Illusion.
Gaming Examiner sits down with the co-founder and creative director of DreamRift, Peter Ong, to discuss the upcoming game.
Gaming Examiner – Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse was one of the best Disney games ever made. What led to the decision to pay tribute to Castle of Illusion through Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion as opposed to simply making a handheld port of Epic Mickey 2?
Peter Ong – We would certainly agree that Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse is one of the best Disney games as well. That’s precisely the reason why we wanted to bring Castle of Illusion back. As huge fans of the original game, the team at DreamRift has been waiting for a long time to see Castle of Illusion again.
When I first spoke to Warren Spector about bringing the Disney Epic Mickey universe to the Nintendo 3DS, one of the things that intrigued our team most was the idea of bringing back the Castle of Illusion while integrating it with the universe of Disney Epic Mickey. To my delight, Warren was also very receptive to the idea when I brought it up with him very early on.
GE – Power of Illusion is shaping up to be a tribute to past Disney games as well. What cameos can we expect to see in the game?
PO – We have a deep appreciation for all of Disney’s rich history at DreamRift. In Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion, the audience will experience the full spectrum of Disney’s amazing history of characters and beloved works. Players will see characters ranging from early Disney period films such as Peter Pan, Pinocchio, and Alice in Wonderland, moving on towards the Disney renaissance period with characters such as Beast and Belle from Beauty and the Beast and Ariel from The Little Mermaid…and on the far end of the spectrum, we have more contemporary Disney characters such as Rapunzel from Tangled. These are only a handful of the many, many characters that will be seen in the game. There are so many characters to find and rescue within each level with whom the player can interact with even further in a special game mode called The Fortress.
GE – How will you utilize the Nintendo 3DS’s unique 3D capabilities?
PO – We’re very excited to be using the 3D stereoscopic ability of the Nintendo 3DS on this game in a manner that is quite different than what is typically seen on the system. To begin, Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion is projecting stereoscopic 3D with traditionally illustrated 2D visuals. This gives players a different experience than what is normally seen on the Nintendo 3DS because the vast majority of 3DS games are simply polygonal 3D games that are projected in stereoscopic 3D. Our unusual blend of 2D illustrated visuals with stereoscopic 3D projection, allows players to see something that they don’t typically see. It isn’t simply trying to be a simulation of real life 3D. With this game we’ll actually see the famous 2D Disney images characters and players that we know and love come to life in stereoscopic 3D.
Additionally, we also have key moments where the stereoscopic 3D is shown off in a punctuated manner that brings out the contrast between normal 2D and stereoscopic 3D. For example, when objects are first painted by the player in the bottom screen, which by nature is 2D, the objects physically cross from the bottom screen to the top screen showing a transition in real-time from 2D on the bottom screen to stereoscopic 3D on the top screen. One can actually see an object spanning across both screens, displaying half in 2D and half in stereoscopic 3D at the same time.
GE – You will be able to utilize the touch screen to draw figures which will then be transformed into something in-game that can either help or hurt Mickey. Is this going to be a major gameplay mechanic where it will be necessary to use in order to complete certain stages?
PO – Objects that the player paints will change based on how well the player has painted the objects. If you paint the object with more accuracy, the object will be more helpful to Mickey when it becomes interactive during gameplay on the top screen. While it’s not completely necessary to obtain the best grade with certain objects, it’s highly valuable to the player in terms of the rewards that you will get, and also how effective the objects will be while interacting on the top screen.
GE – The quality of your drawing will also affect whether or not the object harms or helps you. Just how accurate does one need to be in order to avoid being harmed? I imagine many kids will be playing this game that may not be able to replicate a figure perfectly…
PO – Our aim with the grading system in this game is not to harm the player for performing worse in painting. Instead our goal is to provide rewards to the player if she/he paints well. Although players will have an easier time when painting well, a player will still able to use skill on the top screen to counter any shortcomings in painting on the bottom screen. At the same time, our goal is for the game not to penalize or harm players for performing worse in painting. We’d rather simply provide more benefits for painting better.
GE – It has been reported that a number of side quests will also be available via characters that you rescue throughout the game. Can you elaborate on what we can expect from these side quests? How will they affect the main quest?
PO – In between completed gameplay levels, the player is able to visit The Fortress, which is a totally different type of gameplay. Here, the player is able to interact with all of the famous Disney characters that they have rescued within the gameplay levels. The beloved Disney characters in The Fortress will provide Mickey with various quests throughout the game, based on the quests that Mickey has previously fulfilled, how he interacts with characters within The Fortress, and also which of the characters have been rescued. Performing Fortress quests for characters always gives Mickey a meaningful reward that helps him to be more effective toward his main quest within gameplay levels.
GE – Can you tell us what the plot of Power of Illusion will be? How will this tie in to the consoles Disney Epic Mickey franchise?
PO – This game’s storyline combines two universes that have never been put together before: The Disney Mickey Epic setting in Wasteland, and the Castle of Illusion from the original Sega Genesis/Megadrive videogame. Players may remember that the prior Disney Epic Mickey game took place in Wasteland, which is the place where forgotten things go when they are no longer as popular as they once were. Our story begins when the Castle of Illusion from the original game falls into Wasteland as a newly forgotten object, and with it comes the evil witch Mizrabel, who was the villain in the original game. Mickey hears that Minnie Mouse has been trapped within the Castle in Wasteland and quickly rushes off to save his beloved from Mizrabel’s clutches.
Thank you to Peter Ong for his time! Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion is shaping up to be one of the more unique offerings on the Nintendo 3DS, and has a pretty interesting touch screen and 3D mechanic at play. This looks like it could end up being one of the stronger games on the 3DS!
Keep your eyes peeled for more info on this game as it we get it!
