Rating: Rent It!

Over the past 80 years, Mickey Mouse has become one of the most recognizable characters in the world. He has made appearances in countless cartoons and movies but has yet to be given a video game incarnation worthy of his iconic status. Disney sought to remedy this with “Epic Mickey,” a new, Mickey-centric game for the Wii. In Mickey’s latest virtual outing, you are given control of the mouse himself as he explores the Wasteland, a magical painted world steadily being corrupted by a creature known as the Shadow Blot. Don’t let the fact that this is a Disney game fool you; it was designed to appeal to any age demographic. The story is a deep, touching and occasionally, humorous tale of redemption and healing.

The world is hauntingly beautiful, with designs based on classic cartoon shorts and a graphical style similar to a Disney movie. The Wasteland is a world for the forgotten, with the majority of the characters and levels based on early or obscure Disney works. A feeling of sadness and decay plagues the game’s soundtrack, reinforcing the player’s motivation to heal the broken world.

Gameplay is based around the concept of using paint and thinner to alter the world by either creating new areas or erasing obstacles. Combat can be approached in two ways: using thinner to destroy the opponent or paint to purify them. A morality system is included; Mickey’s reputation with the denizens of Wasteland and the overall difficulty of the game changes based on his use of paint or thinner to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. These aspects, while creative, get old after a while and tend to be extremely simplistic and straightforward. The platforming aspects of the game can also become frustrating due to Mickey’s awkward and occasionally unresponsive jump mechanic. Overall, the game’s story merits a rental, but beyond that, the repetitive game play and frustrating controls make “Epic Mickey” a bit of a disappointment.