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We caught up with Dlala Studios' CEO and creative director to talk about the upcoming platformer and what went into making it authentically Disney.
"Hello everyone and welcome back to Gamereactor.
We are in person at Summer Game Fest Play Days and as you can see from right behind me right now, I'm standing in front of the Disney Island Illusion, Illusion Island, sorry, booth."
"And right now I'm here with AJ here to talk about the game, the creative director at Dlala Studios.
And well, I've just had a chance to play it. It's really delightful, really fun, really pays homage to, you know, those classic sort of Disney sort of cartoons and animations.
And what has it been like working with Disney? You know, have they been very hands-on with the process?
It's been absolutely fantastic. And I'd love to pretend that's a marketing shill, but no, it's true."
"It's been this wonderful, like, caring, collaborative relationship because, you know, the whole thing from the start was we wanted to make a game that only Dlala and Disney could make together.
And so the Dlala part and the Disney part are both so important there.
And Disney really helped us to figure out the tone and the voices of these characters because, you know, these are iconic characters. They're four of the most famous cartoon characters ever created."
"So getting to work with them closely on that and figure out the tone of voice.
And, you know, when we're working on the new designs for the characters, understanding why they look like they do already. Yeah. And it's just been wonderful.
They've really supported us in just trying to make the vision of the game we wanted to."
"The weirdest thing is, I don't think I've heard the word no. Well, not yet, at least.
So, yeah, no, it's just been a wonderful collaboration.
Like when they told me, first of all, when they said we could do the fully voiced cut scenes, I was over the moon.
When they told me we'd get to use the authentic voice actors."
"Yeah. So I just had these surreal moments where I'd be like zooming into a recording session and it'd be Bill Farmer doing Goofy and Bill's been Goofy since like the mid 80s.
So like that's my Goofy. That's Goofy movie Goofy.
That's the Goofy I grew up with. And I got to watch my Goofy reading a script that I'd written."
"And you sit there and you're like, this is my job. Like someone has paid me money to do this.
Like I'd pay money to do it myself. So what's that been like?
And what was the sort of efforts that went into creating your own sort of Disney worlds and biomes?
Yeah, I mean, that's a fantastic question."
"It's, you know, you don't get many opportunities in life to create a new Disney world.
And we kind of knew from the get go that the Fab Four were the only thing we really wanted to take from like what existed.
We wanted to put Mickey and friends into an environment they've not been in before and introduce them to a brand new cast of characters."
"It's just been wonderful getting to create our own world and make these characters that Mickey Mouse is meeting characters I've made.
Yeah, it's just been great.
And Disney's for everyone, right? And Illusion Island has been developed in such a way where it's exciting.
It's fun for people who are more mature and older."
"But at the same time, there are efforts and gameplay mechanics in place that allow the game to really be accessible to those younger audiences as well.
So how does that work and what led you to wanting to do that from the get go?
So our goal was to create an experience that more mature players would enjoy, that platform fans would enjoy and give that level of challenge."
"But then provide the tools to make it a welcoming experience.
Like every time you go into the game and you go to character select, you can pick how much health you start with.
And that includes saying infinite health so you never die.
So we just had a lot of fun on two hearts."
"But if I played with my nieces and nephews, I'd probably set them to infinite so I didn't have to hear them moaning at me the whole time.
A collectible called Mickey Memorabilia.
So Mickey Memorabilia are these little bindles you'll find throughout the world.
And each one contains an item and an homage to Mickey's past."
"So there's stuff in there that goes all the way back to Steamboat Willie and all the way to modern day stuff like Potato Land and things like this.
And then also, we've tried to pay homage to the classic games.
So we've got a rope drop mechanic in multiplayer, which is very World of Illusion inspired.
But yeah, we love Disney."
"We've lived and breathed Disney.
So it was important for us to make sure that there were those nods in the game.
And then there's a final question then.
Tell everyone about when Disney Illusion Island is set to release and on what platforms."
"Yeah, this is the most exciting part for me.
So the game comes out on July 28th.
So not long now.
And it's debuting exclusively on Nintendo Switch."
"It is available now for pre-order on the eShop, the eStore and retail.
Well, there you have it.
For more Disney Illusion Island impressions and previews and whatnot, be sure to take a look at your local Game Rep to read.
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