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Follow me on Twitter @ Get Great Retro Scene News @ Developed by Infogrames and published by Sega in 1991 Released in 1940, Fantasia is considered one of Disney's greatest artistic achievements. The combination of peerless hand-drawn animation and art direction, coupled with the classical soundtrack, was quite unlike anything released at the time, or indeed anything since. The $2 million budget nearly bankrupted the company, yet remains a shining example of true, artistic vision. The same cannot be said for this video game adaptation, which was a bit of a dud for games associated with the “house of mouse“. Fancy visuals can only get a game so far, especially if, underneath the veneer, it's all a bit of a dog's breakfast. The game is based somewhat loosely on the famous “Sorcerer's Apprentice“ segment of the film, with Mickey Mouse reprising his role as the neophyte spellcaster, attempting to locate lost musical notes strewn across a series of fantastical lands. Only when sufficient notes have been accrued - either by finding them, or through earning enough points - can Mickey leave the level, moving on to the next; it's a curious premise for a game, one that might at first seem somewhat innovative, yet is really just another platformer with Disney branding. To earn points, Mickey must defeat various enemies by butt-stomping them, or by zapping them with a limited number of magic spells. Certain adversaries may trigger the appearance of hidden platforms, bonus items, or even musical notes when beaten, although there's nothing to identify exactly which foes could be hiding special loot. The only option is to fight as many of them as possible, a task that proves to be a real chore, thanks to the fact most require at least 2 stomps to be defeated, increasing to 4 on the harder difficulty. The fact that bouncing on the heads of enemies propels Mickey into the air means it's virtually impossible not to collide with other roaming adversaries, which makes for a particularly frustrating experience. As you might have gathered, I wasn't a massive fan of the game. It's a frustrating and bland experience easily bested by the likes of World of Illusion, which is a much better game in every respect. Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:38 Level 1: The Water World 08:13 Level 2: The Earth World 14:05 Level 3: The Air World 23:18 Level 4: The Fire World 30:40 Ending #segagenesis #mickeymouse #retrogaming
