Review 100 (Final Review)
Disney Epic Mickey (Nintendo Wii)
Rated “E” For “Everyone”
Mickey makes his return to being the star of his own game after many many years. While he hasn't had the best role in games over the years, he'll try once again...in an epic way. Will the combination of Disney, Warren Spector, and the Wii give the famed mouse the spotlight once again?
=====Story=====
After stepping through the looking glass, Mickey plays around with Yesnid's creation. Mickey accidentally spills a combination of paint and thinner all over the created world. He tries to clean it up, but runs back through the mirror before getting caught.
Years have gone by and Mickey reaches the heights of fame while Yesnid's ruined work has been stirring and gone awry. From the mess comes the evil Blot monster that continues to ruin the now called Wasteland. It then pulls Mickey through the looking glass and traps him in the diluted world he accidentally created. Armed with the magical paint brush, it's up to Mickey to find his way home.
=====Gameplay=====
Mickey has only a few abilities to use. He can jump, double jump, spin, and use his paint brush. Now his paint brush has the choice of using green thinner or blue paint. Thinner will dissolve your enemies and selective surroundings while paint can charm your enemies to help you fight and fill in selective surroundings. Just aim your reticule at your target and fire away. Choosing which method you want to use more of is up to you and there are benefits to using one over the other and is the base on the morality system for this game. Using one over the other will effect how characters react to you, how characters might or might not help you, and even determine whether you end up having to fight or not.
=====Difficulty=====
Mickey has never had the toughest adventures in his game history. This epic adventure is pretty much lukewarm in the challenge area. Again, the morality system can also help tip the scales of difficulty since fights can be avoided or more challenging depending on what you do. Overall, there are only a handful of blot monsters and puzzles that will give anyone a real challenge. Mickey doesn't have to try to hard to complete the majority of the quests that he may embark on.
Add in the fact that Mickey has infinite lives, it's almost impossible to not complete this game no matter what your gaming level is.
=====Content=====
While there isn't much to the game itself, there is a lot in the game. Warren Spector and his team did a terrific job of putting tons of nostalgia and Disney iconography in every inch of the Wasteland.
While settings aren't exactly how they are (due to Mickey ruining them), you can still find everything be familiar. Mean Street is an homage to Main Street in Disneyland and serves as Mickey's central hub between worlds. All worlds are crafted and have tons of Disney in them (crates you brake are crates you can actually find in areas of Disneyland). It's A Small World ride might like different, but you'll most likely know what it is. Despite its name, there's a lot of things pleasing to the eye in Wasteland. Even the music will sound familiar yet warped.
The 2D platforming levels are almost exactly played out like the actual cartoons. If you remember watching them, part of your brain might know what's just beyond the screen. Or you might know how enemies and environments will behave.
Everyone you encounter has been pulled from Mickey's past lore of cartoons. They might not have been the biggest characters ever made by Disney, but some stand out more than others like Pete and all his incarnations. Horace Horsecollar, the Gremlins, the Mad Doctor, and others are old school favorites that you will see throughout Mickey's quest.
And if you really want tons of content, spend some time around Mickey Junk Mountain. You'll find heaps of old Mickey Mouse merchandise piled together including old video games, pins, lunch boxes, and even some Mickey Mouse Club paraphernalia.
For more, check out GamesRadar article on 50 Disney References in Epic Mickey. 50 is such a small number as there are tons of Disney references in this game.
=====Final Thoughts=====
Anyone that has played this game will tell you (whether they liked the game or not) that the biggest offender is the camera. It's manageable, but it definitely can hinder your progress at times.
The 2D platform levels are great to playthrough and get the nostalgia feeling from having seen the past cartoons, but going through a few over and over to get from one place to another does get tiring.
The cut scenes are done in a great style. The game itself has many different styles as you play. The main game looks a certain way, the 2D levels have their own style and look, the cut scenes have their own style, and the CG is different so that all these things look like they're done by multiple artists.
The morality system is a big part of the game. It warrants multiple playthroughs especially since there are multiple endings depending on what you do throughout the game. Just think that with almost every item and almost every enemy that there are 2 ways to go about it. The added touch of the game auto-saving makes it so you can't go back on the choices you've made. Once it's done, it's done. New Game + will also help in wanting to see what else you could've done differently in the Wasteland.
The return of Oswald The Lucky Rabbit is just a big thing in itself. Seeing Walt Disney's first creation back in new content and being a main part of the story was great to see.
This game is NOT for everyone. There are a lot of things to like about it, but it helps if you are a cartoon enthusiast, a Disney fan, and even more so if you're a Mickey Mouse fan. And if you are a big Mickey Mouse fan, get the Collector's Edition for the Mickey figure and more.
Disney Epic Mickey is not the greatest game and definitely not Mickey's worst. Disney Epic Mickey is a great display of love to the mouse that stars in it and to the wonderful world of Disney.
Rated 3 out of 5
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