Test – Disney Epic Mickey Rebrushed: an effective remake of this Wii classic

Disney’s mascot has had many video games, but few have left as much of a mark as Epic Mickey and his unique identity. The first episode is back, more than ten years after its release on Wii.

Fourteen years after the release of the original game, the Epic Mickey license is back with a remake of the first episode. Originally released on Wii, this title had left its mark thanks to its successful gameplay and a memorable identity. This adventure of the Disney mascot was designed by Junction Point Studios, a studio now closed, but which had been founded by Warren Spector, a big name in the industry having worked on games like System Shock or Deus Ex. This remake was made by Purple Lamp, with the aim of recreating the original game identically while giving it a second lease of life and offering it HD visuals for the first time.

In Epic Mickey, we play as the world’s most famous mouse who is immersed in the world of toons. This world dedicated to forgotten things and characters, originally created by the wizard Yen Sid, is turned upside down by accident because of Mickey. The latter will be sucked into it and will have to find a way to return home and repair the harm he has caused in this world. On the way, he will meet many forgotten characters from Disney history, like Oswald the lucky rabbit who plays an important role in this adventure.

If the scenario is not incredibly rich, and the very beautiful animated cinematics would have needed a real dubbing, it nevertheless has the merit of taking place in a very successful universe. Epic Mickey takes place in a darker world, with sometimes slightly nightmarish visuals, but also fascinating and full of winks for fans of Disney history. A success that we owe to the very marked artistic direction of the original game, but also to the beautiful modernization that this redesign offers. Without being technically impressive, this “Rebrushed” version very effectively transforms the graphics of the Wii version by adding many details without losing the identity of the original game. The soundtrack, however, remains identical to that of the time, and is still as pleasant, allowing itself to pay some tributes there too.

Epic Mickey is a 3D platform game that is also inspired by many adventure games. We travel through environments where there are characters to talk to and who can give us quests, enemies to fight, platform challenges, several kinds of collectibles and even small puzzles to solve thanks to Mickey’s abilities. Indeed, the mouse has a magic brush that allows him to draw paint and thinner. In this world, paint allows you to bring back to life what has been erased, and thinner works the opposite way by erasing what is touched. If the entirety of the settings and characters do not obey these rules and the concept seems a little under-exploited all the same, the idea is nevertheless very ingenious and many elements can be altered with our powers.

This “adventure game” side is also felt through the title’s morality system. Whether during combat or in side quests, our way of playing and using the two types of shooting will impact Mickey’s reputation, the result can then change some elements of the game such as the unfolding of certain scenes. Between worlds, Mickey must also go through short 2D levels that pay homage to well-known films from the beginning of his career. In all cases, the gameplay is particularly effective and Mickey is controlled like a charm. This new version allows itself to alter the worlds a little, but also to erase the imprecisions linked to the gameplay with the wiimote of the original. Mickey also benefits from new movements such as a dodge and the ability to run, which makes the experience a little more dynamic.

Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is a fairly faithful remake that adds a few elements and fixes several issues from the original. This new version still lacks a little bit of overall polish (we encountered a few visual issues, or a few abrupt transitions between a cutscene and the gameplay), but none of these problems really spoil the experience. The title does not offer difficulty modes, so the adventure remains very accessible in order to be playable by the youngest as well. Completing the game takes a little over ten hours, but the morality system gives reasons to dive back in to see what we missed. This Rebrushed version is a successful modernization that allows us to rediscover this fun platformer on all current consoles.

Conclusion

Despite its good reputation, it is still surprising to see a real remake of Epic Mickey. This series of platform games featuring the Disney mascot had not given any news after its sequel and a spin-off released a little over 10 years ago now. However, this is the very first episode that returns in the form of an effective overhaul signed by the Purple Lamp studio. In this first game, we play as Mickey who explores the world of toons, a universe populated by characters forgotten from the history of Disney. A little darker than usual, this first title is a truly memorable adventure thanks to its charming and intriguing universe. A mix between a 3D platformer and an adventure game, Mickey has the ability to throw paint or thinner that gives life or erases different elements. The gameplay of the time is preserved even if this Rebrushed version corrects the flaws of the original and adds some movements that make the game a little more dynamic. Added to this is the morality system that is still present and that brings changes in the sequel. If the soundtrack does not change, all the visuals have been reworked to give a very satisfactory result. A real dubbing for the cutscenes would have made the staging more interesting, the title also suffers from some finishing issues, but this overhaul is a successful modernization.

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