Reviews// Disney: Epic Mickey

The B and Z triggers are used for paint and thinner respectively, while special ‘script’ power-ups are assigned to the + (plus) and - (minus) buttons (making the Pause screen an awkward thumb-bend to the 2 button). Combat is largely reliant on an auto lock-on mechanism as a result. It’s fine for the most part, but in the heat of a cartoon bundle you’ll be wishing for an enemy snap-switch option.

The rest of the controls are dedicated to the camera, which isn’t saying much because the screen positioning is really unfortunate. If you want to paint anywhere above Mickey’s head (which is a lot of the time, particularly if you’re just playing around), you’re going to need to have your thumb on the D-pad and tilt the camera upwards every time. Until it snaps back to a view that sits right behind Mickey and facing towards the floor.

The switch between a user-controllable camera and dynamic angles is frequent and irritating as well. The camera never gets to the point of sheer frustration, but it’s certainly an occasional irritant.

You can’t really be mischievous in the Wasteland either. From the very start of your adventure, there’s the chance to rescue a trapped fellow gremlin… or you can catapult him into the horizon in favour of getting treasure. I got a bit told off by Gus for flinging this poor chap across the world, but nothing else after that. It was like talking to a goldfish with a slightly more forgetful memory.

No Real Consequence
It doesn’t help that this scenario in the beginning was perhaps one of the more sinister things you could do to be ‘bad’. There’s no real consequence for what you do, and even the gremlins don’t seem really bothered.

“That wasn’t very nice, Mickey… Hey Mickey, do you want my help?” Your options here are to either be nice or slightly less nice, basically.

Level structure and mission objectives leave a lot to be desired - essentially you’re playing through a never-ending fetch quest, and it’s not much fun going out and collecting these because Gus will hold your hand throughout the entire game.

Before you’ve even attempted it, you’ll know how to defeat bosses, where to go for this and that, and what your paint and thinner options are. If not, Gus will just gas about something or other and you can’t shut him up. There doesn’t seem to be much brain power involved in playing Epic Mickey.

Boil Down
It’s not all doom and gloom though, as much as you want Mickey to be - there are some good gameplay features tucked away in the game.

Using paint and thinner too much will earn you Tints and Turps, little handy helpers that can be used against enemies and help you find where to go if you get stuck. Just having this feature would have sufficed without listening to a level select code from Gus or something.

2D platforming segments bridge the 3D worlds and remind me a lot of the excellent Mickey Mania. The use of old cartoons as a gateway to the main stages is a novel idea, and they’re pretty fun to play if not a little short… but when most missions in the 3D realm boil down to back-and-forth adventuring, these areas start to wear thin after a little while.

You will have some fun playing around with the paint and thinner as well, in terms of the effects it has on the nicely-decorated lands you explore - thin away chimneys to discover bonuses, or open back doors to shops. Paint over dull houses and missing landscapes to add colour and wonder to the surroundings.

Some of the areas Mickey travels through are quite inventive as well. Mickeyjunk Mountain is a rustic land full of Mickey Mouse lunchboxes, SNES cartridges and other merchandise, while you’ll recognise the Amusement Park stages as sections of the Small World ride at Disneyland.

Conclusion
Fun for kids, and an interesting concept, Epic Mickey falls down massively on its execution. The game’s creative importance will likely be lost on kids, and adults will find the gameplay too patronising. Ultimately, Epic Mickey was meant to be a bold, daring assertion of just who Mickey Mouse, the character, is. Instead we had an uninspiring, sub-par platformer that plays it safe with one of Disney’s most treasured icons. A shame.

SPOnG Score: 66%