Disney Epic Mickey Rebrushed Review: Gameplay Impressions, Videos and Top Features

Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed from developer Purple Lamp has a chance to introduce an entire generation to one of the forgotten classic hits of the Wii era.

A remake of a 2010 Wii exclusive, Rebrushed comes to a variety of consoles with completely retooled graphics and animations, plus some critical gameplay modernization to bring it up to speed with the current video game landscape.

Now a modern-feeling and looking game, minus some of the issues that plagued the first, Rebrushed appears to be an unexpected, complete and best version of a classic that deserved far more attention than what it originally received.

Graphics and Gameplay

Players can be forgiven for thinking Rebrushed is simply a 2024 game that is sheerly a standalone title—it looks that good, either snapshot or in motion.

The game is simply a visual feast for the eyes with its stunningly colorful environments, expressive characters and depth to locales with recognizable themes. Little details, like accurate shadow work and the inky goodness of most movements and actions is both unique and captivating.

It helps that the whimsical sound design and tunes pumping throughout the experience add to the immersion level.

As veterans of the first game might recall, wonky controls and the classic the camera is also your enemy, if not the biggest outright problem brought down the otherwise magical experience.

Those issues, thankfully, have been left in the past. The camera isn't often in the way now, and is a background detail, as it should be. And the controls are a little more grounded, mostly because the Wii's odd motion controls are gone. They are, otherwise, snappy and responsive.

Good thing, too—Rebrushed has totally revamped and rebalanced movement that feels more fluid for modern times. Mickey can now pull off new moves like dashes and ground pounds while navigating the world. Given the faster pace at which Mickey moves, it's also easier to avoid taking hits from enemies, another point of frustration left behind in the original game.

Abilities feel more fluid, too. Beyond simple platforming, players still use paint and thinner, with the former creating, the latter altering. The creative approach isn't so unique and standalone these days, but it looks and feels great and the puzzles within the game have largely stood the test of time.

And do we ever need to talk about those side-scrolling, 2D projector stage levels.

Those throwback levels were controversial in the original game. Now, they have been extended with palpable love poured into them as their own thing. It's simply a blast to test one's skill against those when given the chance.

While it's a small thing compared to something as important as a camera overhaul, the user interface (UI) also modernized the Guardian-Meter System, which helps players understand choices.

Story and More

Epic Mickey's backdrop and story were always as engrossing as it gets—one of the most iconic characters in human history worked his way through the Wasteland, a space occupied by some of Disney's long-forgotten characters. That included Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, the first creation of Walt Disney himself.

That's keeping things light for spoilers or enjoyment's sake, but as one can probably expect from a game featuring the Mouse and Friends, it's an earnestly heartfelt tale that leaves a mark.

While this isn't so groundbreaking in 2024, Epic Mickey still boasts choices that can impact the multiple endings, too, offering yet another reason to replay the game more than once.

For veterans of the first game, some locales are clearly reimagined or expanded upon, including new secrets and areas. Not only has love and effort gone into this expansion, it feels like this version has beefed up the number of collectibles and secrets to uncover, which is a good thing.

Keeping with the trend of satisfying fans and promoting replayability, players can replay the amazing, side-scrolling projector stage levels in the Cinema.

Even with all of the new-age stuff going on under the hood and out in front, Rebrushed runs at a very fluid pace and doesn't encounter much in the way of technical hiccups, if any.

Conclusion

Rebrushed recaptures the magic of the family-friendly original, then expands upon it in must-have ways.

Modern movement that makes gameplay more fluid and the lack of camera issues all these years later was mandatory and is refreshing to experience. The careful inclusion of those side-scrolling levels is a huge feat for the package, too.

The result is easily the best version of the classic to date. These upgrades pair impeccably well with what was already a fantastic idea and tale that can withstand the test of time.

While Disney movies and other media aren't always unquestioned hits across its global fanbase, Reburshed is a unanimous one all should experience.