Epic Mickey

[hisak]

Back in July, concept art for a Disney-related video game codenamed "Epic Mickey" was leaked. It featured a postapocalyptic (and, in some cases, steampunk) rendition of Disney characters, locations, and theme parks. It was also some of the most shockingly dark Disney art ever seen. Here are two of the more memorable pieces:




Thanks to the wonders of the internet, we soon found out that it was a Wii game being designed by Warren Spector, designer of Deus Ex and producer of System Shock. This month's GameInformer (which is available next week, and the full wraparound cover can be seen here) features the first solid information on the game. The magazine's website will also have many features this month, which when revealed can be found here. The final update is on October 28th, which coincides with an event being held by Disney Interactive in London related to the game. I wouldn't at all be surprised if we saw a trailer there.

Eurogamer also has some plot and gameplay-related information, though I'm not sure how reliable it is.

The game is currently slated for launch in late 2010. If the gameplay can live up to the artistic prowess shown by the game so far, I think it could easily be one of the best games of the year, and maybe even the best third-party game on Wii.

[K-64]

I'm definitely interested about this one, but not hyped. Because with hype comes disappointment, so I'm going to leave it at that

[Be_yourself]

I dislike mickey mouse and disney but this game sounds quite interesting judging from the story details in eurogamer.  the painting and erasing aspects have a lot of potential because they can be used at anytime and anyplace, not just in scripted events.

[Rew]

I have a feeling this is going to be one of those games where the visuals far outweigh the actual gameplay--style over substance, that sort of thing. :

[hisak]

I have a feeling this is going to be one of those games where the visuals far outweigh the actual gameplay--style over substance, that sort of thing. :

I'm not too worried. People love Warren Spector. From what I've heard, he definitely has the talent to make something like this work.

[Witless]

I'm not psyched until I see some actual gameplay.

[VideoGameGoddess]

I am very excited despite the lack of details. I just can't help myself, the concept art looks lovely and I'm a sucker for Disney. I'm going to remain optimistic until I've seen signs that I should think otherwise. :D

[hisak]

GameInformer updated their site with a pretty interesting retrospective on Mickey Mouse. There's not a whole lot of information about the new game (though some hints are made), but it's still a great read. There's also a brilliant piece of old art featuring Oswald and Mickey.

[The_Human_Cyborg]

Well, the art certainly LOOKS awesome. And who knows? You saw what they did with kingdom hearts. Hopefully this will be just as epic.

[hisak]

So, we didn't get any screenshots today (I'd expect those later in the week when scans start popping up), but we did get this time-lapse video of a piece of concept art being drawn. The art is nice, but what I'm more interested in is that it features the first piece of music we've gotten from the game. It's wonderful.

http://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2009/10/12/sketching-mickey-the-time-lapse-video.aspx

[Shin Illuminated]

"This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by GameInformer."

[hisak]

I updated the link. Also, GameInformer is claiming today's update (in a few hours) to be their "biggest update yet!". We'll see.

It's strange that no one's seemed to get the magazine yet. It was supposed to ship on Monday (although that was Columbus day, so it wouldn't have shipped then).

[hisak]

- Mickey's appearance is much, much closer to his original debut style
- Disney was the one to approach Spector
- Spector originally was against the idea of creating a Mickey game, because he said that he didn't do kids games
- Spector changed his mind when Disney said that they were looking for someone to 'reinvigorate' Mickey
- Disney had to get back the rights to Oswald before he could be used in this game
- the sorcerer Yensid creates a pen-and-paper world for his forgotten creations, which is where Oswald lives
- this world is similar to Walt Disney World
- Mickey enters this world through a magic mirror, and accidentally spills paint and paint thinner on the drawing of this world. Mickey escapes before Yensid finds out.
- The spill that Mickey caused ends up turning the drawing into a twisted version of what was originally created.
- the Phantom Blot ends up taking over this world
- many years later, after Mickey becomes successful, he re-enters the mirror and sees what has happened to the world. The Phantom Blot drags Mickey into the world, which is where your adventure begins
- use the Wiimote to paint in buildings, platforms and more
- swipe away enemies with the Wiimote when using paint thinner
- create/destroy the world as you go along
- Junction Point took hundreds of photos while at Disney World in order to capture the essence of the park, and translate ideas into the game
- play the game as you like, either destroying everything in sight, or taking the hero's route. It's completely up to you, and you can mix-and-match play styles
- Gremlin Village is reminiscent of 'It's a Small World'
- Mickey's appearance and stance will change based on the way you play the game
- trade some items for health
- Pete returns, and at one point attacks you with a huge zepplin
- Donald Duck animatronic pieces are scattered throughout one portion of the game. Collect them to put him back together.
- Spector wants this game to scare kids, in some ways
- the game will also have funny parts
- Spector calls the game world's visuals 'the bastard child of Tim Burton and Disney'
- elements of platforming, exploration and role-playing
- go into the inner-workings of some levels and rides
- visit the gears and mechanics underneath the 'It's a Small World' ride, complete with an eerie re-imagining of the music
- enter movie screens to move from in-game island to island
- movie screen transitions put you into a 2d world, where you'll revisit some of Mickey's old cartoons
- find sketches, and bring them to life with your paintbrush
- sketches can be activated to give you new powers (clock sketch to slow time, TV sketch to distract enemies, and more)
- collect 'E-Tickets' to enter rides, and use as a form of currency to buy power-ups
- Jim Dooley 'Pushing Daises' is doing the soundtrack

Warren Spector on Mickey

"I want him to be a hero...and I want to remind him that it's okay to behave badly."

Warren on Oswald

"All he really wants is to be loved by Walt Disney. In the end, the Blot won the war and pushed Oswald into hiding and exile."

Warren on the Gremlins

"The Gremlins are the only forces of good in the world that can continue to fight against the Blot.

Warren on the Bunny Kids

"These are going to be the breakout stars of the game. Mark my words."

Warren on the Buddies (Donald, Goofy, ect.)

"Oswald is trying to recreate Mickey's life, so he has the Mad Doctor build these animatronic versions of his buddies."

Warren on the Mad Doctor

"He's from an early 30's cartoon that is pretty swell."

Warren on the Phantom Blot

"The Phantom Blot has been a consistent villain since 1939. He's just been lame."

Warren on the Blotlings

"They're the popcorn unit. You need something that the player can just swat away. They're supposed to be funny, silly and stupid."

Warren on the Beetleworx

"In order to deal with these guys, you have to erase their painted bits to get to the vulnerable inert spots underneath."

Scans:
http://i34.tinypic.com/142dm5s.jpg
http://i33.tinypic.com/r08aqx.jpg
http://i38.tinypic.com/dnlrg2.jpg
http://i35.tinypic.com/29v1cn.jpg
http://i37.tinypic.com/o85cti.jpg
http://i34.tinypic.com/2luukpj.jpg
http://i38.tinypic.com/2j5zxc6.jpg

This game is going to be so crazy. Consider me excited.

[Scott Shelby]

Meh, the final product doesn't look as compelling or as dark as the concept art. As of right now it looks like a quirky platformer, but I'm going to wait until I see actual gameplay to make further judgment.

[Witless]

Concept art -> Scans.

More dark elements please. This looks like a retarde d mickey pltarformer.

[hupla]

Looks very Psychonauts-esque, Im excited.

[hisak]

I understand why a lot of people aren't happy with the screens. It's pretty far from what we saw with the concept art. I do think it's important, however, that most of the screens were from one level and it might not carry that style throughout the entire game. Just look at the clockwork level. I also think it's possible that the morality system (which sounds really interesting) could factor into the way the world looks.

Also, it sounds like it's not a platformer. Warren Spector claims that it defies a genre label, which can be done (look at Little King's Story), but I think it's looking more like an action-adventure.

At least we know the soundtrack is going to be amazing.

[Ezlo's Apprentice]

At last, there's enough to go on on to actually get a little bit excited for.

The screens are definitely different to the ideas presented in the concept art, but I'd imagine there needs to be some balance between the desire for steampunk and the classic Disney feel. I'm okay whichever way it goes, but would p-robably welcome the slightly less bleak style on offer now. I'm depressed enough already, thanks.

[hisak]

Today's update: five-second animations! They look great.

http://media1.gameinformer.com/media/video/2009/EpicMickey/ani-1/ani-1.mp4
http://media1.gameinformer.com/media/video/2009/EpicMickey/ani-2/ani-2.mp4
http://media1.gameinformer.com/media/video/2009/EpicMickey/ani-3/ani-3.mp4
http://media1.gameinformer.com/media/video/2009/EpicMickey/ani-4/ani-4.mp4
http://media1.gameinformer.com/media/video/2009/EpicMickey/ani-5/ani-5.mp4

They all perfectly capture a "Disney" feel. I'll be fine with the cheerier art style if they can make the entire game look as smooth and fluid as this.

[Ezlo's Apprentice]

Not worth starting a new thread. New trailer! Warren Spector reveals further details of the plot as we see more of the game in action. The cutscenes are beautiful. I know it's not the steampunk-heavy game that everyone expected after the original concept art, but I think it's better being more traditional.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWHbIkcYhE0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWHbIkcYhE0</a>