Epic Mickey Rebrushed review

I never played the original, Wii-exclusive Epic Mickey. I’m not sure why: a Disney adventure game is very much my bag (see: the 250+ hours I’ve spent in Disney Dreamlight Valley). And so jumping into Epic Mickey Rebrushed is an all-new experience for me. Despite being a remake, it looks and feels every bit as fresh as I’d expect a AA game made in 2024 to.

Putting you in the shoes of the titular mouse, it begins how many a video game begins: with the protagonist messing with something they don’t understand. (And if there’s one rule to live by, it’s “don’t mess with things you don’t understand”.) Ending up somehow in sorcerer Yen Sid’s laboratory, Mickey sees some magical paints, messes around and… spills them everywhere. Well done, Mickey. What he doesn’t realise for quite some time is that he’s unleashed terror into the world of Wasteland, a place where forgotten Disney characters go to live out their lives in peace.

Eventually, Mickey Mouse ends up in the ruined Wasteland he’s helped to create. Unsurprisingly, it becomes Mickey’s job to rid the world of its monsters — along with finding a way for him to get back to his own home. Piece of cake, right? Well, sort of. But it’s not going to be a speedy process.

Being a world based on magical paints, it should be no real surprise that Mickey doesn’t so much wield a weapon in Epic Mickey Rebrushed. Rather, he has a paintbrush which can be used either with paint or with thinner. Paint makes areas appear in the world, while thinner can remove them. Both paint and thinner can also be used to tackle enemies, and they’re both a key tool for exploring the world around you.

Epic Mickey Rebrushed is a surprisingly rich game — and if you want to do everything it has to offer, it’s lengthy too. Even if you stick to the main story you’re looking at around 15 hours, but you can probably double that. The game is split over several different areas, but rather than being based on Disney IPs, they’re based on Disneyland park zones. There’s the World of Gremlins, essentially one big ride based on It’s a Small World; Mean Street based on Main Street, an area that’s typically the entrance zone to many of Disney’s park; Tomorrow City, based on Tomorrowland; Ventureland, based on Adventureland; and Lonesome Manor, based on The Haunted Mansion, amongst others.

If you’re a frequent Disneyland (or World) visitor, then, you may well get a kick out of this. But if you’ve never stepped foot in one of them it doesn’t matter; there’s no real resemblance to the real thing, other than some ruined rides that might look vaguely familiar. Rather than being linear, each separate area acts as a hub for Mickey to explore. He’ll move through some of them one by one, but others, like Mean Street, he’ll have to visit multiple times to complete quests, talk to characters and otherwise progress his journey.

There are straightforward platforming sections in Epic Mickey Rebrushed, of course. When you’re transitioning from one area to another, you’ll pass through a projector screen, taking you to a 2D platforming level that’s based on a classic Disney cartoon. Steamboat Willie is amongst them, of course, but also some lesser known cartoons such as Thru the Mirror and Trolley Troubles, starring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. They’re nice little nods to the long-running history of Disney, and the short platforming levels are enjoyable to complete (and, like everywhere in the game, have plenty of collectibles hidden within them if you care to find them).

Epic Mickey’s narrative revolves around Oswald, actually. If you’re a stalwart Disney fan, you’ll undoubtedly be familiar with Oswald, a cartoon rabbit who predates the creation of Mickey Mouse. But unlike Mickey, Oswald was forgotten about — both in real life and in the world of Epic Mickey. The Wasteland, in fact, is run by Oswald, the most famous of all forgotten characters, and he’s less than pleased about Mickey Mouse showing up, seeing as he’s the one who ruined everything for him.

As I’ve mentioned, every area of Epic Mickey Rebrushed is absolutely loaded with secrets. Some of them you’ll need to seek out over the course of the game. Using your thinner, you might uncover secret passageways leading to hidden treasure chests, secrets or side quests. And painting in certain parts of the environment might reveal new pathways, allowing you to reach new areas, for example. It’s well worth exploring, because you never know what you might find.

What’s particularly neat is that, along with sidequests, Epic Mickey Rebrushed has some branching quest lines. One side quest, for example, has you retrieve someone’s lost axe. But in the area you’ve found the axe, there’s a locked door. You can choose to prise it open to see what lays beyond — but it’ll mean using the axe so you can’t return it, thus failing the side quest. But maybe whatever you find behind the door will be worth it. That’s your call.

There are several of these quandaries to make while you’re playing and, ultimately, there’s no real right or wrong. It means it’s technically impossible to fully 100% the game in one playthrough, but they’re a nice touch, requiring you to give some thought to your actions rather than mindlessly going through the motions. Those, along with the sheer number of collectibles on offer throughout Epic Mickey, make it feel deeper than your usual platforming adventure game.

There ares lots of different collectible types, but primarily you’ll be hunting down pins, which you’ll find in chests or be given for completing side quests, and pieces of art. Those are particularly nice because they’ll unlock some real concept art in the menu. No in-game value, then, but you get something out of it as a player. In-game collectibles include light orbs, which you’ll need to progress through the story, and currency, which can be spent on a variety of things including more concept art.

As for what’s new in Epic Mickey Rebrushed, I think its beautiful facelift speaks for itself. It isn’t until you see side-by-side comparisons that you realise just how much work has been done in remaking Epic Mickey for modern consoles. It’s not just a visual remake either: Mickey has new moves he never had before, such as the ability to dash, sprint and pound the ground. Some of the concept art collectibles are brand new too, and enhanced level design means there are new areas and secrets. Exactly what, I’m not sure — but it’s safe to say that this is a worthwhile experience, even if you’re very familiar with the original.

Obviously, Epic Mickey Rebrushed is going to appeal most to Disney fans, but this is a solid platforming-adventure game in its own right. It’s beautifully designed, loaded with worthwhile content and its unique paint-based combat and exploration makes it stand out from the crowd. Even if you don’t want to get bogged down in the collectathon, there’s a sizeable and worthwhile adventure to step into here.

This review of Epic Mickey Rebrushed is based on the PS5 version of the game, via a code provided by the publisher. It’s available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch and PC.