Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed Review – A Nostalgic Drip

Amidst the countless forays of Disney’s IPs into the realm of video games, a particularly distinctive one that isn’t Kingdom Hearts is Epic Mickey, a 2010 3D Wii platformer. This uniquely presented adventure stood out for a myriad of reasons, stemming from its art style to its premise. Alas, I never got the chance to experience it myself, save for a few glances over the past decade.

So, the announcement of a remake in Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed was a thrilling notion. Still, despite being glad to finally have had the opportunity to experience this noteworthy relic from the past, it hasn’t quite stood the test of time.

Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed follows the titular mascot exploring the nostalgic venue of Wasteland, a world crafted by the powerful sorcerer Yen Sid comprising countless forgotten and obscure Disney properties. However, Mickey’s carelessness harms the world from the outside. Then, Mickey’s mistake haunts him suddenly, abducting him to the Wasteland. Consequently, he aims to escape this mess while striving to save the denizens of this realm—well, potentially.

A Platformer with Morality Choices

One of the most memorable facets of Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is its morality system. Depending on your actions throughout the game, such as following an NPC’s directives or endangering a character’s life, Mickey will be perceived differently, altering events somewhat. For instance, the ending and the fates of certain characters are influenced by your actions. Conceptually, this system appears compelling, encouraging replayability. Yet, the consequences of your choices and the different endings you can attain often come across as half-baked and not fully realized, with the acknowledgments of what you have wrought being superficially and swiftly portrayed.

The paintbrush mechanic offers potential but quickly becomes repetitive.

Admittedly, these frail incorporations are moreso disappointing in hindsight since you likely won’t be consciously paying attention to your choices. In fact, it’s simple to overlook a section of the environment accidentally and ruin what outcome you were trying to achieve, lessening the attachment to these scenarios. It’s a shame since if these choices had been emphasized far more in-game, clearly forcing you to confront your plight through two methods or ignoring them entirely, then the morality could have been legitimately stellar.

Gameplay and Combat Mechanics

Regardless, the core of the gameplay here is, of course, 3D platforming, and it’s… just kind of there. To be entirely candid, I became indescribably bored with my playthrough of Epic Mickey; the premise is captivating, and the presentation is stylistically gorgeous, but everything about moving forward just never quite clicked with me. The title tries to form this pseudo-open-world structure with vast areas and sidequests. Still, similar to the morality dilemma, these facets come across as tacked on or obligatory for the sake of it. The quests, in particular, are meaninglessly drawn out.

While Mickey himself controls solidly with intuitive movement responses and a rather high double jump that takes little time to get used to, the actual areas you traverse are never thought-provoking and are just a bit too simple to warrant memorability. At the very least, collectibles and currency are tucked away in corners of the map and highly elevated locales I wasn’t expecting to find anything in, so that was appreciated. But progression can feel like a slog due to how by the books and uninspired these platforming sequences are, especially throughout the game’s first half.

Exploring Nostalgic Disney References

The only instances where the platforming really shone were in the special 2D sidescrolling scenarios based on significant shorts from the protagonist’s history. While these compact sections are admittedly nothing groundbreaking, the more frequent arrival of obstacles and consequences made completing them genuinely satisfying. Yet, they’re few and far between compared to the bulk of the bland 3D gameplay.

The other avenue of gameplay regards Mickey’s paintbrush, which serves multiple purposes. For one, it’s a combative tool, as shooting thinner from the brush essentially vanishes foes entirely. Alternatively, shooting paint or thinner can give rise to guardians who battle for you. This choice ties into the ultimately uninteresting and aforementioned morality system, so take that as you will. Other uses of the paintbrush regard the environment, as you can create platforms or other notable objects to move forward with.

Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed shines with its unique premise, though its execution falters.

The environmental manipulation has evident potential to be a compelling gimmick, but it’s one of those incorporations that feels the same for basically the entire game. Simply put, the first time you use the brush to paint or thin objects out, you know exactly how it will go for the rest of the experience. Save for a handful of standout moments, nothing satisfactorily inventive or memorable is done with the paintbrush other than being a neat idea.

One final factor worth noting is performance since, on PC, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is a slight mess. Often, the game performed well and smoothly with no detectable frame drops or the like. However, it would sometimes randomly drop frames immensely and be unplayable for around ten to twenty seconds. Saying it that way, I suppose this issue is more than slight. I’m unsure if this is a PC-only problem, so it’s best to wait on news post-launch.

Performance and Technical Issues

On paper, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is a 3D platforming adventure I should have enjoyed. The distinctive premise and presentation are truly one-of-a-kind, and the soundtrack is endearingly haunting. Sadly, between the bland platforming for the bulk of the journey and the half-baked systems, this classic hasn’t aged as well as some may have been hoping for. Ultimately, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed wasn’t quite for me, but it definitely has its crowd, so assuming the performance issues clear up, it’s worth giving a whirl if you’re still interested due to the sheer novelty this title embodies.