After four years in the making by the Junction Point Studios team lead by Warren Spector, the game that is set to revive the career of one of the greatest cartoon character, Mickey Mouse, is finally released. Warren Spector — visionary game designer with System Shock, Ultima Underworld and Deus Ex to his credit— seems a strange of a choice to make a Mickey Mouse game. But, once you realize that Epic Mickey, is a darkly written tribute to the earlier, and more sinister era of Disney cartoons, it all begins to make sense. Warren is a famous Disney buff and collector, so work on this game was a true heaven for him.
Epic Mickey is a dark twist on a classic platform game, where Mickey is pulled into a parallel universe of forgotten Disney characters dating back to 1928. Spector delved deep into the Disney archives for original storyboards and characters to feature in the game. Classic characters include Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow but Spector also needed villains. ‘An old favourite of mine from an early Mickey cartoon was the Mad Doctor,’ he says. ‘Then we did a little digging and discovered Roald Dahl and Walt Disney created the gremlins for a movie that never got made and you say: “I have to remind the world about this – they’re in.”’
Epic Mickey is a Wii exclusive title, meaning it will not be available on other gaming platforms. The Disney Epic Mickey Collector’s Edition for Nintendo Wii is now available, including the Epic Mickey game, bonus DVD, collectible vinyl figures and special Wii accessories.