Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed has gotten some good buzz for its release.
Disney Epic Mickey is a 3D platformer, utilizing a unique gameplay mechanic in the magic paintbrush. Using either thinner or paint, Mickey Mouse can erase or restore items in the world. It also featured a somewhat revisionist storyline that flips everything we know about the original theatrical Disney animation shorts. With such a high concept idea, and high profile characters, Disney Epic Mickey is one of the biggest third party games on the Wii.
While it sold 2 million copies as of June 2011, it received two less successful sequels, and had seemed to be abandoned for over a decade. So it was a genuine surprise when THQ Nordic revealed that their studio Purple Lamp got tapped to make Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed.
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed officially releases today, on the Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows. While critic reviews are still coming in, we can safely say that Purple Lamp was able to do the game justice and then some.
As reported by NintendoLife, and also featured in this subreddit, most reviewers are satisfied with how this remake has turned out. Purple Lamp had to rebuild the game from its original Gamebryo Engine, to Unreal, and that allowed them to increase the graphic resolution and performance.
Now, most reviews also noted that this remake has some performance issues, but they are not game breaking, and are a minor quibble compared to everything else they got right. NintendoLife refers to the game looking so good that it is ‘as good as you remember it,’ alluding to nostalgia blinding us to how SD games may seem better in our minds because of our suspension of disbelief.
The bigger improvement, however, is found in the gameplay improvements. Yes, Purple Lamp has finally given the game a movable camera, so you no longer feel like you have to fight it like a persistent second boss.
There are some reviewers, such as in Analog Stick Gaming, who points out that it does feel like a product of its time. So this may be a satisfying release for gamers who played its original release, but it may not be one for newer gamers.
But that puts Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed squarely in the middle of Metroid Prime Remastered and Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP as far as these remakes and remasters come and go. If this information isn’t enough for you to decide to buy the game or not, we’re happy to say you can download a demo on your preferred platform and decide for yourself.
