There’s one thing… effectively… magical about 2010’s Wii-exclusive Epic Mickey getting a remake in 2024. As those that performed the unique know, the sport itself is a quest by means of a realm of forgotten Disney characters and sights referred to as the Wasteland and, after enjoying a demo of Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed at D23, I’m extra assured than ever that this journey with a formidable new coat of paint will fortunately not be misplaced to the unforgiving fingers of time, like some that sadly got here earlier than it.
What impressed me probably the most about Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is how a lot it appears and, maybe most significantly, looks like a 2024 recreation. In our authentic Epic Mickey evaluate, we gave it an 8/10 and stated that this ‘Nice’ recreation was held again by a digital camera and management system that have been “flawed to a degree the place the bigger expertise turns into broken.” None of these points have been current in what I performed of the remake and it felt like an absolute pleasure to play. Oh, and it working at a clean 60FPS didn’t damage its case both.
Mickey himself has additionally improved within the 14 years since he first entered the Wasteland, as he can now dash, sprint, and floor pound across the gorgeous-yet-dark world that could be very very similar to a twisted model of Disneyland. These new traversal additions are the Minnie to Mickey’s paint brush talents, and so they dance in a means that’s simply as lovely as Disney Parks’ greatest nighttime spectaculars.
I simply had the largest smile on my face as I jumped across the opening stage of Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed and didn’t should take care of the irritating movement and digital camera controls of the Wii model, leaving me to color and skinny with ease whereas feeling a lot extra agile. One of the best remakes implement modifications that appear nearly preposterous to assume they have been by no means there, and these match that invoice.
A Remake in Each Sense of the Phrase
As for the visuals of Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, they’re one other spotlight largely to remake developer Purple Lamp’s choice to not solely rebuild the entire recreation with the unique belongings so it was playable from begin to end, however to then remake each asset from scratch and do it once more. This dedication seems to have been value it, because the Wasteland is now a spot I want I may discover ceaselessly.
From the inky black paint-like blot floating off Mickey as he runs and jumps to the colours and sharpness of the alternate flying elephant and tea cup sights, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed takes place in a world that I can simply watch and hearken to a delicate and haunting model of ‘As soon as Upon a Dream’ and nonetheless really feel like I had a worthy play session.
The side-scrolling, 2D projector phases that take Mickey from one stage to a different additionally look so a lot better and, in one of many new additions to Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, you’ll be able to return and play by means of them once more as you want within the recreation’s Foremost Avenue Cinema. This implies you’ll be able to replay ranges primarily based on such traditional Mickey cartoons as Steamboat Willie, Mickey and the Beanstalk, and extra as you please.
Now, there isn’t a ton new in Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed as it’s a very devoted remake, however followers will have the ability to sit up for 3 times as many collectibles to search out, from pins to movie reels to art work and a lot extra. The workforce additionally instructed me there might be some new puzzles to resolve, however that’s actually about it.
So, should you didn’t love the story or portray gameplay or the primary interplay between Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Fortunate Rabbit, these trendy upgrades will not be sufficient to sway you. Nonetheless, like me, should you noticed within the authentic one thing that was held again from greatness on the Wii – otherwise you by no means had a Wii and simply love Disney and Mickey – that is one journey you must regulate.
I’ll be very curious to see how the remainder of the sport holds up, as I used to be solely in a position to play that opening stage, however what I skilled left such an impression on me that it’s making September 24 an entire lot tougher to attend for.
To finish, I simply needed to share just a few phrases from my chat with recreation design legend Warren Spector, the inventive director on the unique who additionally consulted on Rebrushed, as he sums up why Epic Mickey is one the video games he’s “most pleased with.” Excessive reward from the creator of Deus Ex and System Shock.
“The factor that I really like probably the most about this recreation is that it touched folks emotionally,” Spector stated. “I needed to make a recreation for households that oldsters and youngsters may play collectively, that youngsters may train their mother and father easy methods to play as a result of that is the way in which it could work, not the opposite means round.
“Moreover, one of many issues that characterizes Disney is that issues final. They’ve lasting worth. What number of 1937 movies are folks nonetheless watching at this time that weren’t made by Walt Disney? So, the concept that a recreation had that form of affect and longevity is admittedly particular. However the greatest factor, actually the largest factor, is when folks come as much as me as they’ve at D23 and say, ‘I performed this recreation as a toddler and now I get to play it with my baby.’ That brings tears to my eyes. It simply reveals the true energy and potential of video games to do greater than I believe most of us understand.”
