Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion is a 2D action platformer and a spin-off of the Epic Mickey series. It is a tribute to the Illusion series of Mickey Mouse games by Sega, and this game is mainly a tribute to 'Castle Of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse' for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis.
The gameplay consists of controlling Mickey Mouse in a 2D side-scrolling environment, mixing paint and thinner mechanics from Epic Mickey. Using the Nintendo 3DS touch screen, players can paint objects to bring them to life or use the thinner to erase them. This allows for creative solutions to overcome obstacles and advance forward.
The game is set across various films from the 'Walt Disney Animated Classics' canon, with each stage featuring a unique storyline and characters to rescue. These rescued toons are kept safe in a fortress, where they can be interacted with throughout the game.
Each stage's design features hand-drawn sprites and scrolling parallax backgrounds, adding a nostalgic touch reminiscent of 16-bit gaming.