A New Coat of Paint – Epic Mickey Demo Impressions

In 2010, the gaming industry was shocked to see the reveal of Disney’s Epic Mickey. The title, developed by Junction Point and industry legend Warren Spector, was a 3D action/platformer drawing inspiration from various iconic video games.

The focus on your choices mattering, invoking design elements from Warren’s Deus Ex, adventure games like the 3D Zelda titles, to even using paint and thinner not unlike Super Mario Sunshine’s F.L.O.O.D. device. Epic Mickey swung hard and despite mixed reception, was a big success for Disney.

Over 10 years later, the series returns with Epic Mickey Rebrushed, developed by the talented team at Purple Lamp Studios, makers of the recent THQ Spongebob titles. After completing the demo, which is out on all platforms as of this writing, I came away impressed.

Read more: A New Coat of Paint – Epic Mickey Demo Impressions

Once Upon a Mouse

The demo starts where the retail game will begin, with Mickey waking up in the Wasteland and learning about his newfound abilities with Yen Sid’s magic brush. The brush can paint objects in the world using paint, or use thinner to destroy the color from an already ravaged world.

Through these mechanics, combined with Mickey’s platforming skills, the player makes their way through two areas. One of the first is Dark Beauty Castle, being a somber reflection of the iconic castles seen in many Disney Parks. But the eagle-eyed fan can spot Mickey’s long-lost brother Oswald the Lucky Rabbit spread throughout, with statues and stained glass featuring him where Mickey would otherwise be in the Disney Parks.

The demo continues with a 2D level, with each one taking place in one of Mickey’s many shorts. The main game covers a wide gambit of these, ranging from the original black-and-white cartoons, all the way to the iconic Fantasia film. In the demo, I ran through Mickey & the Beanstalk, using double jumps and careful spins to reach the end goal, being a film projector.

The last portion of the demo was The Gremlin Village, separated into a few sections. The first had Mickey use Paint or Thinner to make a path into the main area, surrounding broken-down Disney rides. If you explore the upper paths of the area, you can help restore them and get some rewards.

Or, you could continue through a small platforming romp across a thinner lake. The demo ended soon after this, but what impressed me was the significantly tightened-up mechanics and controls.

A Fresh Coat of Paint – Gameplay

The original Epic Mickey is considered a flawed gem. While the core mechanics were present, due to the game’s nature as a Wii exclusive, it suffered greatly in the control department. In the original, you used the Wii Remote to aim your paint/thinner, which functioned similarly to the F.L.O.O.D. from Mario Sunshine.

However, it wasn’t always the most responsive, and the lack of a real lock-on ability made combat encounters more annoying than fun. Mickey’s moveset in combat is very limited, having a spin-attack that does no damage and the genuinely awful camera made aiming your brush harder than it should’ve been.

With Rebrushed, Purple Lamp is redesigning the game with modern control schemes in mind. I noticed that with the demo, there was a night-and-day difference from the original. It followed Mickey’s movements without issue, and aiming it felt responsive.

The right stick, which controls the camera, also doubles as your cursor for aiming the brush, not unlike the multiplatform sequel Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. The difference is that this remake was designed for traditional controls first, not second. During the limited combat encounters in the demo, I had no issue aiming my brush, and having a fantastic lock-on function helps greatly too.

Avoiding damage is easier with Mickey gaining the ability to run faster through clicking the left stick and having a dedicated dash ability. These changes remove major issues with the original game, making me excited to see how the later levels are enhanced with these changes.

Stroke of the Brush – Presentation

The original Epic Mickey had a striking look and a stellar score that would not feel out of place in a proper Disney film. Thankfully, not only are both maintained but the visuals specifically are improved as well.

On Xbox Series X (and I would assume PC and PS5), the game runs at a native 4K resolution at a near-locked 60FPS. I also tried the demo on the Switch, running at native resolution in portable play with a visual look similar to the Wii original, running at 30FPS.

The small visual difference I noticed, was how objects in the world looked that can be interacted with. In the original, it was a see-through ‘object’, that could be filled in with Paint or erased with Thinner. In Rebrushed, additional detail is given to these objects, making them stand out a little bit more with sparkle-like effects. On Switch, the sparkle effect looked more static-like, though I would chalk that up to the lower resolution.

Closing Thoughts

I may be dubbed Lord Sonic, but one of my first loves as a kid was Disney, with the first film I ever saw being Lion King. To this day, I have a huge soft spot for Disney’s classics, and seeing one of their biggest investments into gaming return puts a smile on my face.

Not only does Epic Mickey return but it’s significantly improved in many areas. This game, truly, is the embodiment of a diamond in the rough. Seeing Purple Lamp respectfully improve upon the original while maintaining its iconic look, makes this an exciting release on September 23rd.

Expect Lords of Gaming to have more coverage on this Disney adventure and other upcoming releases! Are you excited to pick up the brush? And what are your favorite Mickey or Oswald shorts? Let us know in the comments below!