Capcom’s Magical Quest series was one of the biggest surprises of the 16-bit era for me. I suppose I should have expected greatness coming off the back of their 8-bit output. But even with that in mind their creativity and polish rivaled some of the best games of that period. The second game suffered a little as it was more of the same but still good. The series still had a bright future but it would be relegated to Japan for almost a decade. Magical Quest 3 remained a Japan exclusive until 2004 which sucks. With new features and top notch production values we missed out on a great game.
Donald Duck’s bad temper finally crosses the line. After completely losing it after falling to his nephew’s pranks the boys hide to get away from him. There they find a magical book that transports them to Storybook land. When Mickey and Donald go in search of them they are informed by the fairy of Storybook land that they will need to overthrow King Pete to get the boys back and return home.
As surprising as it is I can see why Capcom didn’t localize Magical Quest 3. After the Super Street Fighter 2 debacle they were extremely conservative with their cartridge releases. By the time this would have released it would have been in 1996. At that point the N64 was on the horizon and the PlayStation on the rise. I don’t blame them although it still sucks as the game is excellent.
Magical Quest 3 continues the two player streak established by the second game. Both Mickey and Donald are playable and largely the same. However there are distinctions established with their costumes. Mickey dons a full suit of armor with the Knight costume. With this he has a shield that can block attacks and can use his pogo lance to attack in all directions. Meanwhile Donald wears a barrel that floats in water but also offers full body protection. The magic suit also has similar quirks. With Mickey his magic is fire instantly while Donald has to charge his attacks from the lamp first.
With their slightly different abilities there are at times alternate routes for both characters. Mickey will largely stick to the upper bridges of the Harvest Festival while Donald can fully explore its aquaducts thanks to his barrel. I wish this aspect of the game were explored further, as there coop moves you can perform with two characters. It reminds me of World of Illusion, except this game isn’t as strong in the level design department. Not only did that game have separate campaigns for both heroes it had a separate one for multiplayer. That would have put Magical Quest 3 over the top but alas.
While that is disappointing the pacing and strong level design makes up for it. This is a longer quest which gives each costume more room to shine. By stage three you have all three and from there each subsequent level will use all of them in some capacity. You have the option to slug it out with enemies on the airship. Or you can use the climbing gear to explore the ship mast for power-ups. This variety even factors into some of the boss battles. By the time you reach Pete’s castle every outfit will have seen significant use, something that the prior games did not manage.
Where Magical Quest 3 has made strides in tightening the gameplay it could have used help in others. Once again the game is incredibly easy. Life restoring hearts are everywhere and extra lives are extremely easy to find. Sometimes the game will even toss out two or three at once! If you find a bonus room its possible to play indefinitely and rack up extra lives, gold, and coins. It can be rough at first since your life bar is so small. But a few shop trips and you can theoretically hit the max of 10 before the end of the game. While boss battles are challenging as a whole most will breeze through the game.
Capcom have always spared no expense when it comes to this series and this is no exception. Magical Quest 3 is a beautiful game, full or the bright, expressive art that has made these games popular. Storybook land takes it cues from fairy tales and goes for a fantasy aesthetic. The numerous villages, forests, and outdoor environments look fantastic thanks to Capcom’s artists. The animation as well is still amazing as every sprite is very expressive. The game still has the terrible slowdown that plagued the other titles but luckily it is relegated to when coin blocks burst. Sadly the soundtrack isn’t as memorable; it isn’t bad but it kind of meanders in the background.
In Closing
Mickey to Donald: Magical Quest 3 is a great way to cap off the series and a fantastic platformer that should not be missed. While its sad that it was left in Japan at this point it doesn’t matter. There is a fan translation patch for the SNES version but more importantly it was re-released for the GBA in 2004. Either option is a great way to experience this classic game.
