The 2024 recreation of 2010’s Wii-only Epic Mickey has a certain, well, magical quality. I’m more convinced than ever that this adventure, which has an impressive new coat of paint, will thankfully not be lost to the merciless hands of time, like some that sadly came before it, after playing a demo of Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed at D23. For those who haven’t played the original, the game is a quest through a realm of forgotten Disney characters and attractions called the Wasteland.
The thing about Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed that most impressed me was how much it feels and looks like a 2024 game. We gave the first Epic Mickey review an 8 out of 10 and said that the camera and control mechanism were “flawed to a point where the larger experience becomes damaged,” which prevented this “Great” game from reaching its full potential. What I played of the remake had none of those problems, and it was a complete pleasure to play. Oh, and it didn’t hurt its cause either to operate at a smooth 60 frames per second.
In the fourteen years that have passed since he first set foot in the Wasteland, Mickey has also grown; he can now run, jump, and throw himself around the stunning, yet eerily gloomy realm that resembles a warped version of Disneyland. These new traversal additions dance in a way that rivals the most exquisite midnight spectaculars at Disney Parks, and they are the Minnie to Mickey’s paintbrush skills.
I was jumping around Disney Epic Mickey’s first level with the biggest joy on my face. I could paint and thin with ease and felt so much more agile because I didn’t have to deal with the annoying motion and camera controls of the Wii version thanks to brushing. The best remakes incorporate modifications that are so absurd it’s almost hard to believe they never happened, and here is one example of those.
As for the visuals of Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, they are another highlight in large part to remake developer Purple Lamp’s decision to not only rebuild the whole game with the original assets so it was playable from start to finish but to then remake every asset from scratch and do it all over again. This dedication appears to have been worth it, as the Wasteland is now a place I wish I could explore forever.
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is set in a world where I can watch and listen to a subdued and eerie rendition of “Once Upon a Dream” and still feel like I had a worthwhile play session. From the inky black paint-like blot floating off Mickey as he runs and jumps to the colors and sharpness of the alternate flying elephant and teacup attractions.
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is a highly faithful remake, so there isn’t much new in it, but fans can expect three times as many items to find, including pins, film reels, artwork, and much more. I was also informed by the crew that there will be some new riddles to complete, but that’s about it.
I was only able to play the first level, so I’ll be extremely interested to see how the remainder of the game holds up, but what I went through stuck with me, making September 24 even harder to wait for.
Finally, I wanted to offer a few quotes from my conversation with the legendary game designer Warren Spector, who served as both the original’s creative director and a consultant on Rebrushed. He summarizes the reasons why he feels most proud of Epic Mickey. From the creator of System Shock and Deus Ex, high praise.
Furthermore, the longevity of things is another quality that Disney is known for. They are valuable in the long run. How many movies from 1937 are still in theaters now that weren’t produced by Walt Disney? It’s quite remarkable that a game could have such a lasting effect. The most significant thing, though, is when people approach me, as they have done at D23, and say, “I got to play this game with my kid now that I played it as a kid.” It makes me want to cry. It simply demonstrates the true potential and power of games, which I believe most of us are unaware of.
