At its lowest points, as you scramble around uninspiring environments hunting for items, you might as well be playing Gex: Enter the Gecko. That's not really a criticism, since some of the best examples of the genre hail from that era, but it sits awkwardly with the bold claims of innovation made on the game's behalf.Īt its best, Epic Mickey plays like a Disneyfied spin on Banjo Kazooie, offering multiple pathways through an interconnected world. What you actually get is the Mickey you expect in a 3D platformer that feels very much like it belongs in 1999. Two vintage cartoons can be unlocked by collecting film reels.Īs Flavor Flav so sagely advised us, don't believe the hype. This is a game that has arrived on the back a year of hype, promising the ultimate Disney game, the most important third-party Wii game, the most radical reinvention of Mickey that fans have ever seen. It's curious, then, that so much of Epic Mickey feels overly familiar and not particularly memorable. Certainly, Disney Epic Mickey has apparently benefited from the most laissez-faire use of the Mickey brand that Disney has endorsed.
#EPIC MICKEY TV#
But if it doesn't work, games are still distant enough from movies and TV that the result can be swept under the rug as a failed experiment. If it works, Disney looks innovative and forward thinking, and Mickey Mouse becomes a vibrant, active character again, not just a face on a t-shirt. That Disney has chosen to reintroduce Mickey Mouse to the world through videogames rather than movies or TV should feel like a welcome validation of our beloved medium, but I can't shake the suspicion that it's also the safest route to take. Reinvigorating the most widely recognised pop culture icon in the world is no mean feat.