14 years after the original Nintendo Wii release, the quite ambitious 3D platformer Epic Mickey is getting a second chance at success. A new remake by developer Purple Lamp called Epic Mickey: Rebrushed gives it a glossy new coat of paint while also making improvements to the gameplay as well. The Mickey Mouse platformer has always been beloved by fans due to its meta-narrative and great art style, but it’s now finally living up to its true potential.
If you’ve never played Epic Mickey before, it revolves around the ability to use paint and thinner on different objects. Mickey interacts with the world, either by helping bring objects to life or deconstructing them in order to progress through levels. Combat is the same way, as you can either use thinner to destroy enemies or paint to turn them to your side. Choices you make throughout the game and how you handle boss fights (which are quite fun to figure out) will lead to your paint or thinner amount being expanded, so there’s a nice element of player choice impacting both the story and the gameplay itself.
Most of the game is spent exploring 3D levels, which is where the freedom to use paint and thinner really shines, but some of my favorite moments were more traditional 2D stages that were based on classic cartoons, such as Steamboat Willie and Oh What a Knight starring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Walt Disney’s first creation actually plays a significant role in the plot, which gets wonderfully meta and is fun to see play out. The charming 2D animated cutscenes have been re-rendered in 4K and look great as well.
Epic Mickey: Rebrushed also features a ton of gameplay tweaks that really add up and make it a much better experience overall compared to the charming yet rather janky original version. Most importantly, Mickey has a few new moves in his arsenal, as he can dash, do a ground-pound attack, and sprint. These help the game feel a lot more like a proper 3D platformer and are paired with some level design changes that add in new areas and puzzles. The game also looks much better with every asset being remade and it looks great playing in 4K and running at 60 fps.
There are also some nice extras added in the Epic Mickey remake, as there are three times as many concept art collectibles. These are great to look at and show how much work and thought went into the game, and it’s great to see all of the individual artists credited (a rarity in special features). You can also replay the 2D levels from the new cinema section of Mean Street. It’s not often that a game gets such a lovingly constructed second chance at truly shining and it’s great to see this Disney game finally reaching its full potential 14 years later.
Epic Mickey: Rebrushed Review: Final Verdict
Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is a remake done the right way. Not only does it look and play better than the original, but the original creators were consulted and gave their input as well. This is truly the version of the game that they wanted to make in 2010 without any technical or time restraints and the way you should play Epic Mickey going forward.
SCORE: 8.5/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 8.5 equates to “Great.” While there are a few minor issues, this score means that the art succeeds at its goal and leaves a memorable impact.
Disclosure: The publisher provided a digital PS5 copy for our Epic Mickey: Rebrushed review. Reviewed on version 1.000.001.
