REVIEW: ‘Epic Mickey Rebrushed’ Is Historic And Unrefined (PC)

It all started with a mouse. That’s been one of Disney’s slogans for almost 100 years, as Mickey Mouse, its mascot, has led the company to become one of the giants of animation and entertainment. But what if it didn’t actually start with a mouse? What if Mickey and the rest of the Fab Five have a long-lost relative? One lost to the annals of time? That’s the premise of the remastered Epic Mickey Rebrushed.

It started as a 2010 Wii-exclusive point-and-paint platformer, Epic Mickey. Fourteen years later, this game that deserves its own history class for Disney and animation fans alike has been touched up for modern consoles. As a piece of Disney history, it’s good to see this be re-introduced for contemporary audiences as Epic Mickey Rebrushed by Purple Lamp and THQ Nordic, even if some updates felt lacking.

Epic Mickey Rebrushed kicks off with a more classical version of Mickey Mouse. He’s mischievous and curious. One day, this younger Mickey finds his mirror is actually a portal to a magical realm, home of the wizard Yen Sid. Mickey, being his rambunctious self, messes with a piece of art Yen Sid was working on. But before he gets caught, Mickey panics and spills a big tub of paint thinner on it, creating not only a portal but summoning a massive blot monster and escaping.

Many years later, a more kind and understanding Mickey awakens from that same blot monster from many years ago and is brought into that painting he ruined. Only to find a lucky rabbit named Oswald and many other forgotten classic Disney characters in a world slowly ruined by paint thinner that Mickey needs to save before everything is destroyed.

The story of Epic Mickey Rebrushed all depends on how much you put into the game. Its charm comes from humanizing classic characters and using several who have rarely or not been seen for a long time. There is no better way to tell that story than with Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks’ original character from before creating the company we know today, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. A character who was first created for Universal and couldn’t be saved until 2006 in a landmark deal that traded an actual human, NBC Announcer Al Michaels, for Oswald’s trademark.

Exploring the feeling of being abandoned and forgotten in the context of Mickey Mouse, one of the most well-known mascots in the world, is a winning formula. It also puts Mickey in a new light, allowing players to explore different paths, from caring about those characters and making them feel loved and wanted again to having Mickey stand on top of them all at the end of the day.

Ultimately, that story does come across well when the credits roll. But again, the story all depends on how much you put into the game. The fate of this alternate universe Disneyland can drastically change through different choices made at junctions and even by the sheer number of side quests you complete.

In my good playthrough, I was ecstatic to see numerous characters I have come to love throughout my thirty-plus years of being a Disney fan end up okay in this world. But if I played the bad ending, I wouldn’t have been as high on it because of the differences in what happens to the beloved characters by the end.

The story is helped by the unique classical cartoon art style. Every cutscene, except the first and very last, plays like an afternoon Disney cartoon. They’re beautifully animated, with one downside: They’re not voiced. Voiced cutscenes would have elevated them to a greater height and let players enjoy the updated animations even more. These are some good changes, but they could have been elevated further in this remake.

Many portions of Epic Mickey Rebrushed, like the cutscenes, 2D levels, and controls, were advertised as redone for modern consoles. The 2D levels are still quite fun platforming breaks from exploring the world of Wasteland. They’re like pathways between each area inspired by classic Mickey Mouse cartoons. But dear god, the creatures in these levels look horrifying. The faces on these creatures are like nightmare fuel and move in odd ways that do not match any other quality aspect of the game. Thankfully, they are a minor part that gives fun rewards, like watching the shorts in their glory once you collect enough clips.

The controls, on the other hand, feel so much better than the Wii version. Instead of a point-and-paint platformer, it’s now a third-person paint platformer and feels great with a controller. Something Epic Mickey‘s sequel failed to do. Platforming itself is fun while jumping around areas inspired by Adventureland, Tomorrowland, and a mountain of old Mickey memorabilia. The painting, though, the real core of Epic Mickey Rebrushed, feels much better. Yet, it still has parts that need some major touch-ups.

A significant part of the gameplay uses a mix of paint and thinner to add or remove platforms, damage or befriend enemies, and build or destroy the world. You can also create different elements to drop, like a TV or anvil. Plus, there are new gameplay additions, like running and a body slam ability. Everything makes Epic Mickey Rebrushed feel more fleshed out for consoles beyond the Wii. Its simple style makes the game accessible to less experienced players. But remnants of the game’s history annoyingly mess with the controls.

If aiming the wrong way, paint/thinner can shoot off in odd directions and ruin your work. Or miss completely, which can be frustrating when your supplies are low. This gets worse during the otherwise fun and unique boss fights. Here, you control Mickey separately from aiming the paint. It’s not refined at all. Fights like the Small World clocktower took minutes longer because wild flying thinner resulted in missing windows to deal damage.

Ultimately, Epic Mickey Rebrushed is a warm welcome, even if several aspects leave you wanting more improvements. This game deserves to be played by more people and beyond the confines of a multi-generation-old game system with an awful control scheme. Particularly with this game’s historical significance to a massive company like Disney, Epic Mickey Rebrushed does Mickey Mouse justice in a light that we rarely see the famous mouse. But, instead of being a modern classic, it just feels like a fun piece of Disney history.

Epic Mickey Rebrushed is available September 23rd on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.