Mouse on the move

GAME OF THE WEEK: Epic mickey7 cert, Disney, Wii ****

Disney has been around for a long time, so it’s inevitable that along the way there have been some cartoon casualties. But what to do with them?

Epic Mickey revolves around a world created by the sorcerer Yen Sid for “things that have been forgotten”. Mickey Mouse enters the sorcerer’s workshop and accidentally creates an ominous looking inkblot, which takes over the magical world after Mickey flees the mess he’s made. It’s only after he gets pulled back into the world that he realises what he has done and decides to put it right, armed only with a magic paintbrush.

Mickey has two weapons at his disposal: paint to restore parts of the world and thinner to eliminate it. Along the way, he’ll encounter little known or long forgotten characters, including Gremlin Gus and Oswald the Luck Rabbit.

Epic Mickey is more than your average superficial Disney game. Mickey has choices that lead to consequences, which impact on how your game goes. And it’s not all about getting from A to B. There are side quests to complete and hidden levels to discover, leading to a more interesting and ultimately more involving game.

Epic Mickey also looks great. It makes the most of the Wii’s strengths and doesn’t try to take on too much, although it can slow a bit at times. The cut scenes are done in retro animation.

The camera control suffers from some glitches. At times it gets stuck in the wrong position, meaning you’ll end up dying while being attacked because you can’t see where the enemies are coming from.

But overall, this is a great game regardless of your age. Disney has offered up another side of its favourite mouse, and while describing it as “epic” might be over the top it, it’s certainly memorable.