Developer: Junction Point studios, Heavy Iron Studios, Blitz Games Studios
Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Platform: PS3, 360, Wii, Wii U, PC, Mac
Epic Mickey 2: The power of Two – Review
Mickey is back in the newest Disney adventure and he’s ready to ..paint.. some ass! This newest installment of the series is now available on Wii, Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and soon the Wii U and pretty much throws Mickey back in the wasteland. Will this be another ‘Epic’ adventure?
Story:
The mad professor who seemed defeated in the first Epic Mickey is back and claims to have changed his evil ways. Coincidentally he appears right in the middle of a series of earthquakes that are ripping Wasteland apart. He says he has the solution and tries to persuada Oswald the Lucky Rabbit that he needs his help to become to heroes of Wasteland, together. Ortensia, Oswald’s girlfriend, is not so convinced the mad professor has actually seen the light. This means there is only 1 thing to do and that’s call upon the help of our loveable friend Mickey Mouse. Who happens to be asleep in his cozy bed at the beginning of both games.
To get back to Wasteland, Mickey needs to recapture his magic brush so he can use his painting and thinning skills once more. This will also be the start of the game where you run through Mickey’s house to reclaim your lost powers. When getting back to Wasteland, Mickey decides to get to the bottom of the matter together with Oswald.
Graphics:
Epic Mickey 2 is like the first part a very vibrant game. Everywhere you look you see colorful environments with that little hint of a darker forgotten world. The game will be appealing with both younger and older gamers because of the style that appears to be right in the middle of both age groups. The environments have been created with an eye for detail and all the toons still look loveable as ever. We sometimes get a hint that the game has been created for multiple platforms which may result in some less smooth graphics than today’s standards but overall a game like this needs to be cartoonish to get the right mood going. (For some reason I still find a mechanical Goofy scary.)
As cutscenes we get presented with fairly old school cartoons which pretty much suit the game perfectly.
Overall our Mouse still has it’s fair share of class.
Sound:
Subtle tunes seem to be more in order when talking about the game’s overall soundtrack. Don’t get me wrong, when tension needs to be created it’s surely noticeable.
The voices in Epic Mickey are quite ‘Epic’. They make you feel like they’ve jumped right out of the cartoon and don’t feel forced at all.
Simply put no room for complaints here either.
Gameplay:
Just like the first installment of the game, Epic Mickey 2: The power of two is a puzzle based adventure/platforming game with loads of collectibles. The big change in this game is the option to play the entire mode in co-op. Your partner will then control Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, which unlike Mickey does not have the power to control the special powers of paint and thinner but can use electricity to his advantage, hover after jumping and he can throw his limbs as a boomerang to pick up items which are hard to reach. (Do not try this at home!) It’s very noticeable that this game revolves around co-op action because most of the puzzles you’ll need to solve need a 2 man team. Most of the time you will need to combine Mickey’s painting skills with Oswald’s special remote or when Mickey needs a lift over long distances ‘Air Oswald’ is the way to go.
Playing co-op has it’s merits and benefits to get certain tasks done easier but you will also get in the way of each other more than once which will cause a reasonable amount of annoyances. Especially when having to do jumping obstacles with 2 players you will surely feel the urge more than once to use ‘thinner’ on your co-op partner. Still it’s a more than appreciated feature in the game that will still make playing through the game an even more enjoyable experience.
The game revolves around Mickey and Oswald trying to get to investigate the cause of the sudden earthquakes, find out what the mad professor’s real motives are and help the rest of the forgotten toons of Wasteland. Wasteland is a fairly open world in which you are able to roam free with Oswald by your side to solve puzzles to reach the expected objectives or to try and get those collectibles. And believe me you will be able to find loads and loads of collectibles that will rewards you with ingame benefits or just simple artwork extra’s or cartoon clips. If you’re a fan of collecting all of the items in adventure games you’ll surely have your work cut out for you.
When moving through Wasteland you will regularly need to access an other area through the use of a projector. When entering the projector the game will switch from it’s regular 3D action to a 2D perspective, which results in some good old fashioned platforming action. When playing in the 2d mode you will not always be able to use your painting skills and will be limited to jumping and your spin attack.
Epic Mickey 2: The power of two will revolve a lot more around puzzling than actual boss fighting action. Don’t worry you will have quite ‘epic’ bossfights and you will be able to occasionally wipe out your enemies or turn them to the epic good side. This will be the same for many events in the game in which you are able to choose to either paint things the good way or use thinner to simply destroy it all. Unlike the first installment the game made me feel a little more as if my choices really mattered but in the long run it’s still pretty much the same whatever you do. Keep in mind though when completing key moments with paint you will receive more paint storage and same can be said for when you use thinner at those times.
Ingame mechanics will feel a little off at certain times. Aiming tends to be a little awkward when playing with a controller and the camera will end up in annoying angles more than once but overall the game is a solid and decent adventure game which is harder than it seems. However dying when playing alone will simply put you back at the last checkpoint and when playing co-op dying has no influence whatsoever and will simply respawn you closeby. When sticking to the story parts of the game it will not really last that long though but will still keep you occupied for several hours.
Conclusion:
Epic Mickey 2: The power of two is a solid and decent puzzle adventure game and will surely be liked by fans of the genre. For those who never had the chance to play the first game which was a Wii exclusive, it’s a great way to get emerged in the Epic Mickey universe and for those who already played the first game it’s pretty much more of the same with some added fun. Short and bluntly said, a decent game.
1 Comment
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
[…] Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two was an unabashed failure in terms of commercial success, the game sold a little over 270,000 units […]