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[Lijik]

I find the controls to be responsive personally, still hoping the framerate cap gets unlocked regardless

Played through the first world and a bit of the second and man this remake is swell, saw each stage has a time trial in the loading screen as I was closing out and that sounds amazing.
Having a lot of fun!! Going to dig into it more tonight after some errands

 

[Bladenic]

Final boss was harder than the original final boss.

 

[MaLDo]

PC version locked at 30 fps.

 

[Data West]

uhhhh

Does this game have a save bug? I just lost a whole lot of progress. I finished the second world and exited from the castle last night. Came in and the second world acted like it just unlocked. What the fuck?

 

[ThreeSixty]

I totally caved and got this regardless of the mixed reviews and primarily based on the positive GAF consensus. To my surprise and delight Castle of Illusion runs silky smooth on my "definitely not intended for gaming" laptop. I have an ATI Radeon HD 7520G with an AMD A6 4400M dual-core processor. It sounds more amazing than it is given that whilst 2D platformers run like heaven the laptop seems to choke whenever it is given anything in 3D to render. It runs well for say ten minutes and then the strain of a graphically intensive 3D game causes the laptop to fail to keep up and hence game-breaking slow down.

Games like Rayman Origins/Legends run fine as do most graphically modest indie games but I was a little worried when I watched some previews for Castle of Illusion and saw that it had some pretty heavy 3D elements. As previously stated surprisingly the game runs extremely well on this machine. The laptop even managed to render that early scene when Mickey moves forward into the castle (when the game shifts from 2.5D to actual 3D). So yeah I'm happy with the performance. Kudos to Sega for programming a decently optimised game. Thanks to them I now have a good game I'm interested in completing that runs on this computer.

I'll plug some hours into the game and then report back with some impressions.

FAKE EDIT: I am saving for an Xbox 360. Just can't afford one yet.

 

[Dice]

PC version locked at 30 fps.

DA FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK????

 

[Tohsaka]

I finished the game earlier, it's a really well-done remake. It's a shame that Sega Australia is closing, I'd have loved to see their take on Quackshot or World of Illusion.

 

[ThreeSixty]

I finished the game earlier, it's a really well-done remake. It's a shame that Sega Australia is closing, I'd have loved to see their take on Quackshot or World of Illusion.

Sega gets a serious WTF for that. Sega Australia pitched Golden Axe and Streets of Rage remakes with the interesting concept of placing them "all in the same universe" which would have been completely awesome. Sega then rejects their pitch and shuts them down? After they develop such a well-crafted remake with this game? All these years go by and Sega still seems to be haunted by a team of managers with zero business sense that just make blinding decision after blinding decision.

Anyone with a heart would have kept Sega Australia open and green-lit their projects.

 

[Data West]

Anyone know where the statue in the first world second level is?

 

[Lijik]

On world 4, game is still fantastic. The Disney feel is pouring out of every orifice with this game. I love the scurrying As that just repeated shout A in the library level. I also loved the narrators quip of "Looking at the duck statue, Mickey remembered Donald's advice for adventures - Dont" Checked out the time trial stuff, kinda bummed out theres no set times to beat and its all leaderboards based from what I can tell.

 

[Data West]

'He remembered Donald's advice on adventures.

Spoiler

never have 'em'

 

[Chiaroscuro]

I wanted to buy the 360 version (US$ 14.95) but I checked Steam, and it is US$ 8 here. Tought decision.

 

[masud]

Wii U version is very unlikely considering SEGA killed off the development team behind this remake last month.

That's too bad, would have been nice on the game pad.

I hope they remake the magical quest too. I always thought it was the better game.

 

[Penguin nerd]

Just got 100% collectibles. Amazing game.

 

[DaBargainHunta]

Adored the original as a child. I just finished playing through all of the first castle and part of the second in the new version (PS3). It's actually a fantastic remake. More of a re-imagining, really. Hard as hell, but very satisfying.

Looks really nice too. Not crappy like those first screens were.

I'm surprised, honestly. I wasn't expecting much, but it's a truly great game.

Edit: After reading through the thread, I can't say I've experienced any input lag. There was one framerate dip so far, but no big deal. Seems to be locked in pretty solid for the most part.

 

[ChamplooJones]

So what exactly are the complaints about the controls?

Playing through the demo and Mickey controls fine, quite well even.

 

[Jonnyram]

Megadrive version was one of the first console games I fell in love with.
Positive impressions in here so I'm all over this.

 

[dark10x]

pc version is pretty much unplayable for me, its doesn't feel smooth :\

If you use the 1/2 refresh rate option combined with Afterburner OSD with the 30 fps limit, the game actually smooths out.

PC games that limit themselves to 30 fps *NEVER* do it properly so you actually end up with a jittery 30 fps that looks much MUCH worse than a proper 30 fps ever did. It still sucks that it doesn't run at a higher framerate but at least it now feels playable. It could use some motion blur to smooth things out, though.

 

[ShinobiFist]

WTF, this is lock on 30fps?...Man, I was this close on buying it. I'll wait for a Steam sale.

 

[ViviOggi]

Playing through the demo and Mickey controls fine, quite well even.

He does on PS3, I just checked the demo for comparison's sake. The scrolling also feels way smoother than on PC.
This port is an all-around disgrace.

was the 60 fps even confirmed or just an assumption?

You don't announce unlocked fps on PC since it is considered as standard, there's no reason besides laziness for a newly developed game to not have an unlocked framerate. If we want an fps lock we're a few clicks away from putting it in ourselves.

 

[dark10x]

He does on PS3, I just checked the demo for comparison's sake. The scrolling also feels way smoother than on PC.
This port is an all-around disgrace.

You can fix it using the method I suggested.

Most PC games do a terrible job with framerate limits and the end result is microstuttering. You need to use external tools.

 

[ViviOggi]

You can fix it using the method I suggested.

Most PC games do a terrible job with framerate limits and the end result is microstuttering. You need to use external tools.

I'll give it a shot, what do you mean by 1/2 refresh rate option?

€: I forced Triple Buffering through D3DO and limited the fps to 30 using nvidiaInspector which I think matches your solution, and now it runs pretty much the same as the PS3 demo. Input lag is gone as well, looks like that resulted from the shoddy way SSA implemented the original fps lock.
So at least my game is now actually playable. Thanks!

 

[ChryZ]

Locked at 30 fps on PC is such a disappointment :\

 

[MaverickHunterX]

I wanted to buy the 360 version (US$ 14.95) but I checked Steam, and it is US$ 8 here. Tought decision.

8 bucks on the steam store front?

 

[thebigmanjosh]

That's too bad, would have been nice on the game pad.

I hope they remake the magical quest too. I always thought it was the better game.

I played the hell out of that game as a kid. One of my favorites on SNES.

 

[NeoGaffer]

Being an avid fan of platformers in general, I was looking forward to playing this but somehow I have mixed feelings of the game - the graphics are very nice and charming, soft and colourful to look at. The music is good, Mickey's voice slightly annoying (I guess they got that right, then). I feel like the pacing of the checkpoints are off, and wouldn't have minded a few more inbetween. Dying at awkward moments and then being put back at the start. It's as if its the game's way of trying to be harder in order to feel like the original; this also goes hand-in-hand with the controls and movements of Mickey himself, where I feel the controls are too loose and a bit floaty. I would have liked if it was a bit tighter; I find myself plumitting to my death when I really shouldn't be, as far as me and platformers are concerned. The animation is nice and fluid. I'm not keen on there being a narrator in the game, and feel like less is more, here; I would prefer it without a story and just let the gameplay and/or text do the talking (like the original). Being in a 2.5D perspective, the game reminds me of Klonoa, which I like very much. I could possibly become more used to the controls and feel of the game, but it's early days yet (I need to play more to have a better judgment of the game). So far from what I've played, I like and for the most part, is a solid game.

 

[JaseC]

8 bucks on the steam store front?

I'm guessing he lives in Eastern Europe, where Steam games are, more often than not, significantly cheaper.

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

Being an avid fan of platformers in general, I was looking forward to playing this but somehow I have mixed feelings of the game - the graphics are very nice and charming, soft and colourful to look at. The music is good, Mickey's voice slightly annoying (I guess they got that right, then). I feel like the pacing of the checkpoints are off, and wouldn't have minded a few more inbetween. Dying at awkward moments and then being put back at the start. It's as if its the game's way of trying to be harder in order to feel like the original; this also goes hand-in-hand with the controls and movements of Mickey himself, where I feel the controls are too loose and a bit floaty. I would have liked if it was a bit tighter; I find myself plumitting to my death when I really shouldn't be, as far as me and platformers are concerned. The animation is nice and fluid. I'm not keen on there being a narrator in the game, and feel like less is more, here; I would prefer it without a story and just let the gameplay and/or text do the talking (like the original). Being in a 2.5D perspective, the game reminds me of Klonoa, which I like very much. I could possibly become more used to the controls and feel of the game, but it's early days yet (I need to play more to have a better judgment of the game). So far from what I've played, I like and for the most part, is a solid game.

Ok I'm just gonna say it. You just suck. Anybody complaining about missing a jump because of the controls is just blaming the game for their own mistakes. Care to explain how I always land exactly where I want to? Controls are absolutely fine and allow for perfect precision. If you're not landing where you want to then you're doing something wrong. Stop blaming the game. As for the checkpoints complaint I'm going to beat the game before I call you out on that. But after beating the first 3 worlds I can safely assume you can't be referring to those stages.

 

[Bladenic]

I'm honestly unsure how people are even finding this game that hard. I don't even play or like platformers that much. Yet this game was still rather easy, especially with how many lives they throw at you.

 

[tornjaw]

I'm honestly unsure how people are even finding this game that hard. I don't even play or like platformers that much. Yet this game was still rather easy, especially with how many lives they throw at you.

Absolutely. I ran through this game and the only portions I had any difficulty with was the

Spoiler

Licorice Dragon

and

Spoiler

Mizrabel

. Even with that I only died 4-5 times total.

 

[NeoGaffer]

Ok I'm just gonna say it. You just suck. Anybody complaining about missing a jump because of the controls is just blaming the game for their own mistakes. Care to explain how I always land exactly where I want to? Controls are absolutely fine and allow for perfect precision. If you're not landing where you want to then you're doing something wrong. Stop blaming the game. As for the checkpoints complaint I'm going to beat the game before I call you out on that. But after beating the first 3 worlds I can safely assume you can't be referring to those stages.

I was thinking of replying to what you wrote. Then I read your user name and the thought soon passed.

 

[TheLegendOfMart]

Wondered why it was running like crap, thought it was because of crossfire so I disabled it and messed with frame pacing on/off then come here to find out what the deal was.

30fps lock on PC, double-u tee eff?

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

I was thinking of replying to what you wrote. Then I read your user name and the thought soon passed.

Yeah I can see why my username would intimidate you. I clearly know a platformer with great controls when I see one.

 

[didamangi]

After playing Rayman Origins I just breeze through this game in ~2 hours. Not sure why anyone call this game hard, it's pretty much standard fare platformer with tight controls even with the awful 30fps lock on PC.

Game is solid fun filled with Disney charm and takes me back to my Mega Drive playing days for sure. Too bad Sega don't give us the original game on steam as well, it'll be easy just to add it too since they'already have the Megadrive/Genesis emulator on Steam.

 

[Majora]

Finished this today and thought it was a really nice little game. Much better than the original in fact. It controls fine and it really isn't that hard. It almost makes me wonder what game some of the reviewers were playing.

 

[Lord British]

OK, I just finished the Castle of Illusion remake: it's still a firm 10/10. I've got a little more to do before it's 100% clear, but it's yet another candidate for my Game of the Year.

Castle of Illusion (the Master System version) is a game I counted as my favourite since I was around five or six years old until recently when The Binding of Isaac challenged it, but Castle of Illusion is rock-solid and Binding is buggy as heck; it's still great, but Castle pips it by virtue of being faultless, basically.

So this remake was a long time coming and something I had a lot of nostalgic and, frankly, emotional stake in. The remake is actually of the Mega Drive version of the game (which I don't like as much but is still a good crack), but the principle is thus; the "...of Illusion" series is very dear to me, and this remake is more than worthy. It take the basic elements of both versions of the original game and expands upon them sensibly and non-intrusively. The spirit, the feel of the game is bang on. It's incredible just how charming this remake is, and how perfectly it nails the Illusion magic. It makes the recent 3DS Epic Mickey: The Power of Illusion look even more like the insult it was. Screw Dreamrift for daring to put the word "Illusion" on their piece of shit game.

This remake is perfect. Sure, it's taken me just shy of two hours to finish it, but those were two hours where at no point did I say "for fuck's sake", two hours I spent grinning like a loon, completely enraptured by the sheer friendliness of the game. Ten out of ten, everyone should play this. The studio have disbanded so there will not be a sequel and if there is it's a risky proposition. This was a once-in-a-lifetime thing and Sega Studios Australia pulled it off with incredible fucking skill. Props to them and I hope their staff all find success at whatever they do.

Castle of Illusion (2013) reminded me that video games can be as fun, charming and engaging as they were when I was ten, playing cartridges my uncle brought me home from the market. So, bless it for that.

 

[Winnie the Pimp]

So unless the PC version gets patched (and there's noone left TO patch it if i understood this correctly?) the PS3/360 ones are the definite versions to get then right?

 

[Exile20]

Beat. Amazing. Last boss fight felt a bit tough. Old school trial and error.

How long did it take you?

 

[Shotgun Kiss]

Wait, so there's an achievement for collecting all of the small white gems/diamonds in the game?

Please tell me there's a way of tracking how many there are/how many you collected in each level, because I'm not seeing it.

 

[Lord British]

I beat her first time. Very reminiscent of the final boss from Crash Bandicoot 3.

 

[didamangi]

So unless the PC version gets patched (and there's noone left TO patch it if i understood this correctly?) the PS3/360 ones are the definite versions to get then right?

I dunno, the PC still has AA on it's side.

My 4xSSAA screenshot:

Wait, so there's an achievement for collecting all of the small white gems/diamonds in the game?

Please tell me there's a way of tracking how many there are/how many you collected in each level, because I'm not seeing it.

Stand next to the door on each act and a stats page will pop up, also every diamond/items that you have collected on previous run will turn gold, so not that hard.

 

[halfbeast]

Wait, so there's an achievement for collecting all of the small white gems/diamonds in the game?

Please tell me there's a way of tracking how many there are/how many you collected in each level, because I'm not seeing it.

before you go through a door, there's a summary of things you collected (diamonds/chili pepper/statue/card), when you're in the world, all the things you already got has a golden tint.

 

[Chiaroscuro]

8 bucks on the steam store front?

I'm guessing he lives in Eastern Europe, where Steam games are, more often than not, significantly cheaper.

Yes, on Steam storefront. I am in Brazil, by the way. Some months ago Steam started to accept local currency (R$) instead of US$ as was the norm. Some prices really changed.

But Castle of Illusion is priced here R$ 20 (full price, no discount, I did not checked when it was on pre-order). With the current exchange rate going like US$ 1 = R$ 2.50 its price here is like US$ 8.

 

[ViviOggi]

So unless the PC version gets patched (and there's noone left TO patch it if i understood this correctly?) the PS3/360 ones are the definite versions to get then right?

With the workaround discussed above you should get the exact same 30 fps experience like on PS360 in 1080p and with much better IQ.
There's some other workarounds here and here, the borderless windows trick should fix the game spazzing out on displays connected via HDMI, but I haven't tested it myself yet.

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

Ok after beating this game I can safely say that anyone that thinks this game is hard sucks at videogames. I can count the amount of times I died in the entire game on one hand. I'm not joking. I didn't even lose a single life until I reached the castle stage. Only lost 2 or 3 lives in act 1. Lost 1 life on act 2. Lost 1 life on the final boss. The game is easy.

Oh and for the guy complaining about checkpoints, lol. I was nice before and gave you the benefit of the doubt that maybe the game got hard later on and the checkpoints became unforgiving. Nope. Granted I died so few times that checkpoints rarely mattered, but still. When I died in Castle act 1 I didn't have to repeat large sections. It appears you had to beat the entire castle act 2 in one go, but that level was short enough and really wasn't that hard so I'd say it didn't need a checkpoint.

But now on to my thoughts on the game in general. It's very good. It's fun all the way through and perfectly balances familiarity with new ideas. I was constantly impressed with how the game came up with new twists. It's certainly not a by the numbers remake. The game is very short just like the original but unlike the original there's very little challenge here. That's a bit disappointing but nevertheless the game is very fun, looks great, sounds great, has perfect controls, tickles the nostalgia bone and has good level design with plenty of creativity. The 3D sections were done pretty well and the transition between 2D and 3D was always seamless. This is a game just about anyone can enjoy but obviously fans of the original will get the most out of it. Short and easy but oh so sweet. Money well spent.

 

[Shotgun Kiss]

Stand next to the door on each act and a stats page will pop up, also every diamond/items that you have collected on previous run will turn gold, so not that hard.

That's great; thanks. Though it's irritating how many gems are placed in such a way that if you miss them, you have to do the while level over. For example, scattered about a steep slope, so you have to jump at precisely the right times.

 

[ViviOggi]

That borderless window fix I mentioned made it work on my TV as well, 1080p glory now with at least fluent 30 fps and no input lag. Still hoping someone finds a way to unlock the framerate, but it's bearable for now.

 

[DJ Lushious]

Ok after beating this game I can safely say that anyone that thinks this game is hard sucks at videogames. I can count the amount of times I died in the entire game on one hand. I'm not joking. I didn't even lose a single life until I reached the castle stage. Only lost 2 or 3 lives in act 1. Lost 1 life on act 2. Lost 1 life on the final boss. The game is easy.

Oh and for the guy complaining about checkpoints, lol. I was nice before and gave you the benefit of the doubt that maybe the game got hard later on and the checkpoints became unforgiving. Nope. Granted I died so few times that checkpoints rarely mattered, but still. When I died in Castle act 1 I didn't have to repeat large sections. It appears you had to beat the entire castle act 2 in one go, but that level was short enough and really wasn't that hard so I'd say it didn't need a checkpoint.

Is it a hard concept for you to understand that maybe people have varying degrees of skill in video games?

 

[halfbeast]

Oh and for the guy complaining about checkpoints, lol. I was nice before and gave you the benefit of the doubt that maybe the game got hard later on and the checkpoints became unforgiving. Nope.

no need to be harsh. yes, I thought it a bit weird suggesting there should be more checkpoints, the game's almost kirby epic yarn easy.

 

[Lord British]

Is it a hard concept for you to understand that maybe people have varying degrees of skill in video games?

I Wanna Be The Guy
Member
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