Mickey Mouse is a cartoon icon and is loved by almost everyone. Yet his success came with a cost as he had to step over some other unsuccessful cartoon characters to make his way to the top. Characters like Mickey’s half-brother Oswald the Lucky Rabbit were quickly forgotten about to the public eye and aside from being known by major Disney fans, these forgotten characters would not see a revamp until 2010 with the release of the Wii game titled Epic Mickey
Mickey Mouse stumbles upon a magical mirror in his own room and discovers a secret passageway that leads to a sorcerer putting the final touches on his magical creation, A world for cartoon characters and stories that have been forgotten. When the sorcerer puts down his magic brush and leaves the area, Mickey eagerly plays around with the magic brush but he inadvertently creates a monster in the process. Mickey tries to get rid of the monster with thinner paint but ends up making a mess of the sorcerer’s project. Mickey hurries back to his room before the sorcerer could catch him in the act. Years pass and Mickey has become a famed cartoon icon having won many awards and being cherished by everyone. Then one day, a thinner monster comes out of nowhere and drags mickey through the magic mirror and into the Wasteland. Mickey discovers the land of all things forgotten and even comes across his supposed to be big star half brother, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Mickey will need the help of many allies as well as his magic brush in order to get home safely.
The Story is like a time capsule of everything classic Disney as there are many references to old cartoons that are remembered and those that have been forgotten. There is a good story about how mickey rose to fame while leaving other cartoon characters in the dust. It can lead to some poignant moments that ring true for any hardcore Disney fan. What more is that the way the story pans out can vary depending on how you play the game. There are many given tasks that can change the outcome of how the story pans out. Certain choices like completing or failing an objective or using paint or thinner to stop enemies can have an impact on the overall story especially when the game ends. This makes the replay value even more necessary for any player. Throughout the journey, you’ll come across many characters both familiar and forgotten. Gus guides you on your adventure and acts as your mentor when teaching you new abilities. Oswald gets a decent story arc when it comes to his acceptance of Mickey being more famed than he ever was. There are also the people of mean street who have interesting personalities depending on which character you interact with.
The environments of the strange new land Mickey visits have the eerie feeling of darkness but also the feeling of there being a lot of history that many people have tended to forget about but is quite interesting to learn about when it comes to old Disney cartoons. The style of the character designs is reminiscent of old 30’s and 40’s rubber hose cartoon characters as both Mickey and the characters of the wasteland have that unique style that was popular back in the old days. There are even some cutscenes that are completely done in beautiful 2D Animation and they are mainly used to show important story beats or tutorials from Gus on how to use your newfound powers. Occasionally from time to time, you will be able to play through short 2D side-scrolling segments that are recreations of old Mickey Mouse and Oswald cartoons which are beautifully crafted and serve as great transitions from one world to the next. Even despite being a 480p Wii Game, there is a lot of personalities and grim details in the way the game presents itself as a historical piece of Disney History
In terms of the gameplay, you’ll be equipped with using a magical paintbrush that can paint in missing toon material or thin out toon material to reveal secrets and prizes. The reliance on the paintbrush is useful for solving puzzles, defeating enemies, and even getting to areas you couldn’t get to with your regular moves. The characters you interact with will most likely give you many quests and side challenges that are either optional or crucial to progressing through the game’s story. There are many collectibles you can buy or find and in return, they will show you unique features like concept art and clips of old cartoons. The only thing holding the gameplay back from being masterful is the controls as they can be rather annoying and confusing from time to time. The camera is hard to position when you’re trying to paint or thin out a certain object, Sometimes the controls of Mickey feel stiff especially when making a jump, and having the 2 button being the pause menu which is a rather odd choice as I found myself mistaking the plus or minus button for the pause menu because I’m used to most Wii games functioning like that.
While this game isn’t quite the masterpiece it sets out to be, there is no denying that Epic Mickey is still a game that is much more impressive than it had any right to be, and that’s all thanks to its flawed but unique gameplay, a well-crafted storyline that feels like a historical insist to Disney’s past, and visuals that are hauntingly atmospheric with a lot of nods to past Disney cartoons. I would still recommend this game for any Disney fan as it’s both insightful and really fun to play at the same time.
(Final Grade: B+)