Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed Review: Mickey’s Epic Adventures In Technicolor Gets A Dazzling New Coat Of Paint

Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is a remake of the 2010 Nintendo Wii exclusive, finally bringing it to other platforms in 2024. This remaster is just as impressive as one would expect, as developer Purple Lamp went above and beyond to banish the nightmares of its original release.

Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is perhaps one of the best and most faithful remakes to be released for this generation, and even amidst the dark, gothic themes, there is still light and magic that brings this remake to life. So how does Mickey’s magical adventure fair more than 14 years later with a fresh coat of paint and improved gameplay features?

Mickey’s “Compelling Story” Reimagined & Rebuilt in a New Frame-Worthy Adventure 

Diving into Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed was a daunting challenge. Video game remakes don’t necessarily add anything new or refreshing gameplay-wise, and sometimes, they forget what made the originals unique. Fourteen years have gone by for the Epic Mickey series, and while it seemed like it would fall to the wayside, the remake was announced during the Nintendo Direct presentation in February 2024.

While there are a few key changes to this remaster that make it one of the best we’ve seen in the last few years, the story remains the same. This action platformer game follows the titular character, Mickey Mouse, through a wonderfully designed world that was created by a sorcerer intended as a home for the lost and forgotten, with familiar and obscure Disney characters to be met along the way.

But when Mickey “interferes” by creating what initially looks like a character based on his image, things go awry, leading to Mickey turning the Wasteland into a desolate, post-apocalyptic world. This character that Mickey creates, the Phantom Blot, torments the characters that populate the Wasteland and drags Mickey into this world, which he must now navigate to save it from this elusive villain.

When the game was originally released, it was highly praised for its fourth-wall-breaking narrative, unique gameplay, and visual art style design, which still remains evident in the remake but wonderfully reimagined. The game became a cult classic in the years following its release, especially as it gave multiple forgotten Disney characters, like Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and Clarabelle Cow, more prominence in the game and its subsequent sequels.

Waving the Paintbrush to Bring a Splash of New Skills, Reworked Features for a Grand Masterpiece

Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed retains every bit of emotion and nostalgia, and is as deeply complex as the original. Not only did Purple Lamp give us a beautiful remake of Mickey’s epic adventures, but he also gained a few new tricks, starting with his primary “weapon.”

The magical paintbrush is what Mickey uses to paint bridges, doors, platforms, and more. It also thins or dissolves floors and obstacles, blocking his path to open up spaces and environments, revealing what's hiding behind them. This retooling of the magical paintbrush addresses one of the long-standing complaints of not giving players enough freedom of choice, as now players can fully carve out their direction by allowing them to decide how to approach puzzles and exploration best.

The game features a handful of these instances, which seem innocuous at first, but deciding whether to restore objects, reveal hidden treasures, or destroy structures has a direct effect more than ever on the game’s morality system. Deciding between claiming treasure, restoring objects, structures, and worlds, or saving our friends will impact the morality system and thus influence which outcome they’ll unlock.

Unfortunately, only one decision can be made, but luckily, there is a New Game Plus (NG+) mode for players to explore other in-game decisions and possibly get a different outcome. Retooling the magical paintbrush isn’t the only gameplay aspect that directly impacts the morality system; the game’s collectibles, specifically the Pins, are also impacted.

Players won’t collect every Pin to be found during their adventures in the Wasteland during their first playthrough, due to branching decisions. Saving a friend may reward them with a Pin, but it does mean losing out on another locked away in a treasure chest.

A new and welcoming addition to the remake is the new skills that Mickey gets to utilize. Mickey’s traversal abilities were non-existent in the original 2010 release but are present in the 2024 remake, meaning Mickey can “dash, ground pound, and sprint” to meet with character NPCs, complete quest objectives, quickly resolve time challenges or keep a distance from enemies.

The game’s overhaul to its visuals and gameplay mechanics was a decision made by the developer to completely rebuild the game from the ground up, which also included remaking the original game assets, according to a preview report from IGN. Did this complete overhaul pay off for Purple Lamp? Yes! The game is an absolute marvel to behold; the mechanics feel more intuitive as the game’s camera has been reworked, letting us gain a wider perspective of the areas but also zoning in on just how impressive the graphics and visuals are.

Mickey’s movement with the new skills present is more fluid, leaving the game’s controls fully in our hands, which is largely due to how much technology and software have vastly advanced over the 14 years. Regardless of whether players are using a mouse and keyboard, supported controllers, or the Nintendo Joy-Cons, controlling Mickey around the areas, especially the newly revamped levels and platforming mechanics within the 2D projector, plays wonderfully. It’s engaging to enjoy for new and returning players, and reexploring the Wasteland provides a new experience on the next playthrough.

A Marvelous, Big World Rebrushed for a Beautiful Trip Back to the Wasteland

Smoothing out Mickey Mouse’s rather rugged edges and less favorable mechanics not only adds more than a touch of wonder but also restores life to the original game that was once overlooked by the frustrating camera and absence of player choices.

Revisiting Epic Mickey was a long-anticipated project for many of its fans. Sure, there may not be much content that Purple Lamp has added to the game as a whole, but there are triple the number of collectibles (concept artwork, film reels, and Pins), revamped levels, and new replayable puzzles. Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is a magical love letter that will invoke much joy and nostalgia each time they step into the dark yet magnificent world.

It will certainly exceed diehard fans’ expectations, thanks to Purple Lamp’s reimagining of the game in all its color and glory. It’s wonderful knowing just how much longevity Epic Mickey will continue to have with the Rebrushed version, delivering something special to enjoy and remember for years to come.