Epic Mickey: Rebrushed review: The call is coming from inside the house (of Mouse)

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As a long-time gaming enthusiast who has witnessed the rise and fall of many beloved franchises, I find myself both enchanted and cautious about Epic Mickey: Rebrushed. On one hand, it’s heartening to see Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, a character with such rich history, making a comeback. It reminds us that there’s still hope for forgotten characters from our past, even in these turbulent times of corporate consolidation and creative stagnation.

Released in 2010, following Disney’s acquisition of Marvel Entertainment the previous year, Epic Mickey presented a dark yet whimsical blend of puzzle-solving and platform gaming. This game takes us on a journey where Mickey Mouse, the iconic symbol of Disney, confronts the remnants of his past success that he left behind. In a twist of events, Mickey accidentally spills thinner onto a mystical map, revealing a world inhabited by discarded characters and creations from Disney’s past. The thinner also transforms into a monstrous entity. This forgotten world is steeped in sorrow and resentment, with Oswald the Rabbit constructing a throne room atop a mountain of decaying Mickey merchandise. However, as Mickey confronts the thinner menace with the help of a magical paintbrush, he learns humility, forms friendships with Oswald and other locals, and returns home with a heart full of newfound understanding. It’s worth noting that this game wouldn’t have been possible without Disney regaining the rights to Oswald a few years prior.

That quirky game from Warren Spector is back!

In the present day, Epic Mickey has returned on various modern gaming systems, including PC (like mine on Steam Deck), having been remastered or, as I would say, given a fresh coat of paint, even though its original development studio closed down a decade ago. The original Epic Mickey was a platformer on the Nintendo Wii that had some innovative concepts but was hindered by factors such as the prevalence of moral choices as a popular gimmick at the time and the challenges posed by the Wii’s unique hardware, particularly with regard to cameras. This remaster doesn’t resolve the quirky paint/thinner morality aspect, but it does improve controls and camera issues, resulting in a more visually appealing, modern, and playable version of Epic Mickey.

In essence, if you haven’t played the original game due to its age, it might be challenging to appreciate the differences between the original and the remastered version, Epic Mickey: Rebrushed. However, in terms of playing the revamped Mickey Mouse adventure, with his movements feeling fluid and responsive as he jumps, double-jumps, and shoots paint or thinner, it’s a significant improvement compared to the original game. If you revisit the original, you might find it somewhat stiff, struggling with camera control while trying to aim the Wii Remote for shooting. In essence, Epic Mickey: Rebrushed offers a more polished and modern gaming experience than the original.

Visually, it’s a no-brainer. Epic Mickey was a grainy, muddy experience on the Wii, albeit with some creative and enduring art direction that helped make it memorable. There’s something to be said about texture and grit that’s inevitably lost in these HD remasters, but it feels like less of a loss here compared to something like Persona 4 or Silent Hill 2.The colors are more pronounced, and perhaps most importantly the 2D textures strewn throughout are bright and clear. This especially makes moments when you dive into small, sidescrolling platforming sections based on old cartoons look a lot more representative of their inspirations. Sometimes Mickey himself feels a bit too bright and shiny, making him awkwardly pop out from his surroundings. But it’s fun to turn him around and watch his ears rotate around his head in that bizarre way it does in cartoons, except you can control it this time. Gross!

In simpler terms, this game may not have revolutionized the world then or now, but it’s enjoyable to play, especially on contemporary platforms, offering a more comfortable experience. In essence, it’s just fine – nothing groundbreaking, but it gets the job done, similar to the game itself.

Gawrsh!

As I delved into “Mickeyjunk Mountain,” a bitter tribute to a character whose fame is accused of neglecting an entire community, a wave of realization washed over me. This towering pile of decaying Mickey memorabilia – from vintage video game cartridges to lunchboxes, puzzles, posters, pins, badges, and even World War-era gas masks – serves as a stark reminder of the past, especially when enhanced in high definition. It’s undeniably designed to provoke unease in players as they navigate this desolate landscape for the first time, known as the “Wasteland.

Reflecting on it now, it seems quite ironic that the release of Epic Mickey coincided with Disney’s acquisition of Marvel, sparking endless discussions about which characters might join the Marvel Cinematic Universe or appear in a Kingdom Hearts sequel. Fast forward nearly 15 years, and we see the impact of consolidations and acquisitions across various industries, often leading to more harm than good. The world of blockbuster video games has become a whirlpool, with Fortnite acting like the drain, swallowing up everything else and leaving little room for anything that doesn’t instantly succeed. If a game fails to make an immediate impact, it gets buried, and the hardworking, underpaid developers are often let go. In retrospect, Epic Mickey’s narrative seems less about cherishing nostalgia and more about a cautionary tale of what might happen when we forget our past characters and stories.

Look who’s back! We can’t afford to ignore Oswald anymore; it would be such a shame!

It really is fine, though

Interestingly, the game Epic Mickey: Rebrushed includes an unexpected feature that challenges my usual cynicism. Unlike most games, when you view artwork in the gallery, the original artists are credited directly on the screen. This is something even renowned collections like those from Capcom and Konami don’t offer, as they typically do not credit individual assets within their galleries. It’s a small detail in Epic Mickey, but it’s heartening to see such recognition given to the creators who work on these games, especially for the parts that are outside the actual software. Kudos to them!

Purple Lamp has successfully enhanced a game that, while intriguing, has left players slightly underwhelmed in the past. Epic Mickey: Rebrushed offers a solid platforming experience with innovative concepts, focusing on an aesthetic that was quite unique when it was first introduced. Imagine Disney’s beloved, kid-friendly characters getting mixed up in some eerie situations! Although it doesn’t delve too deep into this concept (though exploring the old concept art used to test Disney’s boundaries is worth looking into), it manages to find a balance that creates an unsettling yet effective atmosphere. This game may not rival classics like Super Mario 64 or Banjo-Kazooie, but it holds its own against other licensed platformers of the same era.

If you’re fond of Mickey Mouse and are looking for an engaging video game featuring him, Epic Mickey: Rebrushed might not be your absolute best choice, but it’s certainly worth a try! While there are games from the past that could potentially offer a more satisfying experience if you have access to emulators or vintage gaming systems, Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is relatively new and designed for today’s platforms. If you finish this game and find yourself craving more Mickey adventures, the mysterious SNES cartridges in Mickeyjunk Mountain might point you in the right direction for your next quest! I personally found it quite enjoyable, even if some aspects of the story don’t age well due to historical context, making certain moments a bit awkward in 2024.

On September 24, 2024, you can find Epic Mickey: Rebrushed across various platforms including PC, PlayStation 4, 5, Xbox One, Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. For this review, I was given a PC access code by the publisher.

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2024-09-23 16:28