In a way, the plot for Epic Mickey was at risk of changing into a metaphor for the sport itself.
The 3D platformer, which was a Wii unique again in 2010, advised the story of Mickey Mouse visiting the Wasteland, a darkish different world the place all of Walt Disney’s forgotten creations dwell (together with Oswald the Fortunate Rabbit, the rights to whom had simply been reacquired by Disney after almost 80 years).
Whereas the sport did effectively – I used to be advised at the moment that the overall gross sales ended up coming near 4 million – the sport’s potential was arguably held again by the truth that it was unique to the Wii at a time within the console’s life, 4 years in, when quite a few followers of ‘core’ video games had left it behind in favour of the HD platforms.
It’s now been almost a decade and a half since then, and for a time it regarded like Epic Mickey – which has remained a Wii unique in spite of everything this time – was itself changing into a forgotten Disney creation just like the characters within the recreation’s Wasteland. Because of Austrian studio Purple Lamp, nonetheless, that can now not be the case.
Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, set for launch subsequent month, is an entire remake of the Wii recreation, with all its belongings rebuilt from scratch. As somebody who reviewed the Wii authentic again within the day and nonetheless thinks fondly of it, the distinction is evident from the second Mickey seems on-screen.
For these not conversant in the sport, Mickey is armed with a magical paintbrush which he can use to govern objects and characters within the Wasteland. The comb can be utilized to fireside both paint or paint thinner, with every clearly affecting his goal differently.
Each may also be mixed to get previous some obstacles. If there’s a bridge in entrance of you that’s blocked by an enormous pile of boulders, for instance, you should utilize thinner on the bridge to make it disappear, inflicting the boulders to tumble down under. You may then use paint on the empty area the place the bridge as soon as was, to carry it again into existence and cross it merrily with a skip in your step.
The unique recreation was developed by Junction Level studios and directed by Deus Ex creator Warren Spector. Whereas Spector isn’t working instantly on the remake on a day-to-day foundation, Purple Lamp has been delivering common builds to him to ensure he was proud of its interpretation of the unique.
I used to be advised by one of many builders displaying off the sport that Spector notably loved enjoying the brand new builds on his Steam Deck, and claimed that that they had made “a greater model” of his recreation. “It’s not a greater model”, they harassed. “It’s only a model made 14 years later”.
I used to be advised by one of many builders displaying off the sport that Warren Spector loved enjoying the brand new builds on his Steam Deck, and claimed that that they had made ‘a greater model’ of his recreation. ‘It’s not a greater model’, they harassed. ‘It’s only a model made 14 years later’.
Though Rebrushed is clearly a recreation of the Wii recreation, it’s not an entire 1:1 facsimile. Probably the most instantly apparent examples of this are the controls and the digicam. As a result of the Wii model was performed with a Wii Distant and Nunchuk gamers didn’t have a lot management over the digicam, which in the end turned one of many largest points critics had with the sport.
This has now clearly been changed with a typical twin-stick system giving the participant full management of the digicam, making the sport much more intuitive for contemporary audiences.
The adjustments transcend widespread sense quality-of-life enhancements, nonetheless. The sport’s ‘Projector’ ranges, that are the side-scrolling platformer levels that be a part of every of the primary 3D areas collectively, did an important job of delivering nostalgia to Wii gamers again in 2010, with every primarily based on a traditional Mickey cartoon.
That nostalgia apart, nonetheless, the Projector ranges have been criticised for being fairly fundamental, one thing Purple Lamp has tried to treatment. These levels now have extra interactive parts – elevator platforms now must be manually activated, there are extra hidden collectibles, and the like – that guarantee they’re now not simply “bear in mind this” moments between the ‘essential’ recreation however extra fleshed-out sections.
Different little tweaks we have been proven included a brand new cinema hub the place gamers can choose and replay these 2D levels (in case they missed any collectibles the primary time round), an improved menu display screen with missions break up into higher classes, and a bigger Bonus menu with thrice as a lot idea artwork to unlock than earlier than.
With round a month to go till launch, we gained’t have lengthy to see whether or not Epic Mickey: Rebrushed goes to ship a second wind for a recreation that actually deserved extra love the primary time round, however missed out attributable to platform exclusivity, waning enthusiasm for the Wii and aggravating niggles like the sport’s digicam.
One factor’s for sure, nonetheless – if Rebrushed sells effectively sufficient and demonstrates that an viewers stays for this darker tackle Mickey Mouse, Purple Lamp tells me it’s preserving the whole lot crossed that it’ll get the inexperienced mild to start out on a remake of Epic Mickey 2. Primarily based on what I’ve performed of Rebrushed, if Purple Lamp is eager to do the sequel then – should you’ll pardon the inevitable Mickey pun – I hope THQ is all ears.
