Disney’s Epic Mickey Rebrushed Review

Reserved for Wii only audiences only back in 2010, Epic Mickey was a delightful platformer starring Disney’s beloved and iconic mouse, as he must paint over his mistakes on an adventure that truly celebrates this whimsically-spirited mouse. As a consequence for his cockups, Mickey is sucked into a whirlpool-like portal that spits him out and into a grimy wasteland, where he has to repaint the world in a cheery image while thinning out all the undesirable monstrosities and obstacles impeding his path.

Fourteen years later, Epic Mickey has returned in a newly minted “Rebrushed” form, and has landed on Xbox Series S and X to introduce itself to a new audience of gamers. Is Epic Mickey as magical on current-gen systems as it was on the Nintendo Wii a decade and a half ago, or did this rebrush need a rethink instead? 

Epic Mickey was an outstanding platformer back in the day because it was a celebration of Mickey Mouse’s legacy. All these years later, the splendour of undertaking this acclaimed adventure has remained largely intact, making it a jolly and colourful journey through not only this distinctive and unique adventure, but also the decorative history of this charming rodent sorcerer. Warren Spector, along with developer Purple Lamp and publisher THQ Nordic have reawakened Epic Mickey in a dazzling way that rejuvenates the original game for newer audiences. 

On the Wii with its motion controller gimmickry and lack of graphical grunt, the vision of Epic Mickey appeared stuck. Sure, it was on a family-friendly system that aligns beautifully with Disney’s family values, but its true majesty was limited by the limitations of the hardware. Rebrushed aptly paints over the Wii version, and the results are sparkling and elegant. Visually, Rebrushed gives Epic Mickey an outstanding facelift where environments feel alive and brimming in a twisted atmosphere you must recolour. 

The lighting in particular allows Mickey to shine like he never has before, and the environments have been lovingly resurrected, blooming with vitality and a crisp sharp image that is really beautiful to gaze at. The areas you visit are like towering all-encompassing dioramas to witness, reinvigorated as a bunch of dreamscapes that truly put the ‘Epic’ in Epic Mickey. Grand Epic Mickey settings like The Clock Tower and Gremlin Village have been restored meticulously, along with all of the jolly and inspired 2D levels from the original version. Altogether, Epic Mickey Rebrushed updates the artistry of this surly platformer to a glorious and majestic level that supplants the now-archaic Wii version.

No worries about motion control gimmicks and awkward gyrations in Rebrushed – all the actions take place solely using an Xbox pad. This transition from Nintendo control-flicking to Xbox controller button-pressing is justified as the best way to play Epic Mickey, as it no longer feels constrained by the limitations of old hardware.  

 In addition, Rebrushed allows Mickey to finally dash and sprint, bringing it in-line with platform videogame standards and allowing the gameplay to be much more pleasurable to play now than ever before. Furthermore, the pad-only controls allow for smoother wielding of Mickey’s paintbrush, so you are no longer flicking paint in unpredictable directions like a four year-old with a bedroom full of paper and a crayon. 

The camera controls are taut and manageable too, elevating the platforming and gameplay to modern standards, no longer getting stuck on objects and generally being finnicky and awkward in an unwelcoming way.

 All of the improvements made in this sensationally faithful remake helps Rebrushed to sparkle magnificently. The devs at Purple Lab have reworked every aspect of the original Epic Mickey, ensuring that it is completely pristine and compatible with technical expectations in the year 2024.

Epic Mickey was lauded back in the day for its use of paint and thinner to solve light headscratchers. The paint is used to bring life back to structures and can help Mickey cross otherwise unreachable paths, and can magically coax gears to start moving again. Thinner meanwhile is used to erase objects and pieces of environment, which can come in handy when you’re contending with a gaggle of blotling monsters because you can use thinner to erase the very ground they’re rolling about on, and it is really satisfying when you do manage to take out a group this way when they fall into a green river of gunk.

Painting and thinning the environment are glorious mechanics in Epic Mickey, and you’ll no doubt want to massage your curiosity by painting and thinning everything to see if you can unveil secrets or open up secret passageways. Playfulness and experimentation is encouraged to see what you can find, although there are prescribed paths forward that keep you on the straight and narrow. These paths often include main objectives where you need to fix mechanical issues using your paint and thinner, or otherwise find your way to an exit.

There is a morality system tied to painting and thinning objects, which does change the kind of rewards you get from certain characters upon completing tasks for them, but even though it’s an interesting idea, the morality system doesn’t make sense within the context of the story because Mickey has been unexpectedly sucked into the wasteland screaming, so why would he run about trying to twist his surroundings into malevolence? The mechanic can be forgiven because when Epic Mickey came out in 2010, many games tried their hand at morality systems, but they just don’t belong in here. 

 Along the way you’ll engage in lovely 2D levels that are either hand-drawn black and white retro sprites inspired by classic Disney shows like Steamboat Mickey, or platform-hopping and jumping levels where you’re trying to ascend to the next area to advance the story. During these jolly 2D levels you can find film reels that are collectible unlockables you can view in the video gallery in the main menu, and they’re generally lovely to bask in, as they can truly bolster your appreciation for Disney and Mickey Mouse’s history.   

Side missions are where Epic Mickey allows you to really interact with the citizens you come across on your travels through the magical wasteland. Some of them require particular items from you that you’ll need to hunt for, and other requests may be more intricate or playful, like when you have to participate in a time attack-style race so you can win a doodad to complete a quest. Completing side quests also nets you rewards like pins in treasure chests, although this particular collectible is pointless and can’t be exchanged for rewards unlike the plentiful e-tickets you’ll find throughout Epic Mickey that can contribute to health, paint and thinner tool upgrades.

Bosses in Epic Mickey are as sparkly and whimsical as the game itself, with an assortment of encounters that force Mickey to put his paint and platforming panache to the test. There are only a small handful of them, but they are memorable due to how compelling and diverse they are. Squaring off with Captain Hook, a mad scientist and a clocktower with facial features seems bonkers, but Rebrushed ensures that these jousts are as epic as possible, and they certainly live up to the game’s namesake that’s for sure. 

The soundtrack in Epic Mickey perfectly captures the sense and unease of the darkness that engulfs The Wasteland, but there are plucky tunes as well that give you that vintage Mickey Mouse sensation. The original game’s soundtrack was so well compiled that Rebrushed manages to retain those classic vibes effortlessly, and ensures your experience of Epic is as audibly stunning as it is visually striking. 

Conclusion

This “Rebrush” of Epic Mickey paints a successful picture for the iconic mouse, simultaneously celebrating the brilliance of the original game, whilst lifting it up to modern videogame standards in what is a really beautiful remake that is delicious to look at. If you squint, you may find undesirable remnants from its original existence on the Wii, but otherwise Epic Mickey is preserved and improved lovingly here. The reworked controls, revamped visuals, and the numerous ways Purple Lamp have refurbished Epic Mickey shows you the true love the developers have for what they’ve created, and it shines through in just about every way. Platforming can be a tad stodgy at times, and the morality system is a bust, but otherwise this is a real treat for fans of the original game, and an even bigger treat for new audiences, so go and give this gem a shot and you should fall in love with its painterly aesthetic without it wearing thin.

This game was reviewed based on Xbox S|X review code, using an Xbox S|X console. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by publisher.

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Good
  • Excellent restoration of a 14 year-old game
  • An insatiably tainted but gorgeous Wasteland to explore
  • An accessible treat for newcomers and a delightful showpiece for Mickey Mouse's history
Bad
  • Morality system wasn't necessary
  • Platforming can be a bit iffy at times
  • Not many bosses
8.9
Great
Written by
Although the genesis of my videogame addiction began with a PS1 and an N64 in the mid-late 90s as a widdle boy, Xbox has managed to hook me in and consume most of my videogame time thanks to its hardcore multiplayer fanaticism and consistency. I tend to play anything from shooters and action adventures to genres I'm not so good at like sports, RTS and puzzle games.

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