A Nintendo consoleis, more often than not, the best place to enjoy a 3D mascot platformer. It makes little difference whether you’re talking about a licensed game or an original IP. Today’s subject not only fits that description perfectly, but also falls into one of my favorite categories of games to analyze: brand new Switch 2 ports of titles that simply couldn’t run properly on previous Nintendo hardware. With that out of the day, let’s talk about the latest version of Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, the remaster of the 2010 Wii title.

This game is darker than most Disney products, but it’s still as child-friendly as it gets.

I remember when Epic Mickey was first announced, and how people were excited about a brand new take on the seminal mascot, making him feel less like the overly cutesy goody two-shoes mouse we all know and love, and more of a mischievous hero set in a more “mature” (for Mickey standards, that is) setting. I remember people talking about it as if it was the “edgier” take on Mickey Mouse people had been claiming for a while, a chance for Disney to explore its main character in a different environment.

To me, that has always sounded a bit far fetched. First of all, if you want Mickey in an edgy setting, Kingdom Hearts already exists. Second, Epic Mickey, or its Rebrushed remaster, is far from edgy. Darker? Sure. Bolder? Absolutely. Edgy? Nah. This is about as edgy and mature as a Kidz Bop version of an Avril Lavigne song. The most family-friendly Tim Burton movie feels like Human Centipede in comparison. That doesn’t mean it isn’t an interesting game, though, or one that legitimately took the famous mouse into then uncharted territory, at least by 2010 standards.

The only reason this game has a story is because Mickey is a massive imbecile.

The intro cutscene is legitimately hilarious, even if unintentionally so. Mickey Mouse wakes up one day, notices a portal appearing inside his mirror, and naturally decides to venture through it. There, he discovers a miniature version of a fictional Disneyland, painted by the Sorcerer from Fantasia. Mickey’s immediate reaction is, apparently, to vandalize the entire thing with his own paintings. He eventually goes overboard, spills magical paint thinner all over the place, and accidentally causes a bunch of magical blob monsters to appear.

Mickey escapes back to his reality, proceeds to live his life normally for another year or so, and is eventually dragged back into the miniature park because of… well, reasons. It’s a confusing premise, but things become considerably more interesting once you start meeting its cast of characters. Most are ultra old school Disney mascots, including Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Clarabelle Cow, and Horace Horsecollar, giving the game a surprisingly deep appreciation for the company’s earliest history.

I mean, the name “Oswald” just doesn’t sound as appealing for a mascot.

I love Epic Mickey’s take on Disney history. Not only are most of the characters you meet pulled from the company’s earliest years, but the plot actually revolves around the fact that they have, for the most part, been forgotten by everyone. Oswald is even jealous of Mickey and initially resents him, essentially blaming the mouse for robbing him of the fame he once had. This game was actually responsible for basically relaunching Oswald into the spotlight back in the day.

Furthermore, most of the levels are, as previously mentioned, based on actual Disneyland attractions. The main hub is a twisted take on Main Street USA, while other areas draw inspiration from It’s a Small World, the Matterhorn, the Haunted Mansion, Adventureland, and so on. You get the gist: this is a subversive take on the Disney mythos, but one that never dares to go too far. You get a different side of Mickey, an exploration of how his fame affected lesser known characters, an intentionally uglier Disneyland to explore, and plenty of nostalgic, fanservicey goodies to boot.

This game looks great, be it on docked or portable mode.

At its core, Epic Mickey is a very traditional 3D platformer: you run, jump, explore sprawling levels, collect a crapton of currency, and search for collectible macguffins which are well-hidden in each course, requiring some clever exploring and trouble-solving. That said, this isn’t too generic. There are, in essence, three unique selling points that made the game feel unique back in the day, and fun to this day.

The first is Mickey’s main means of defense: a magical paintbrush. It’s your only real weapon and, conveniently enough, it works at range. Mickey can use it to fling either paint or thinner at enemies, bosses, and objects scattered throughout each level. The concept is pretty straightforward: paint creates or restores objects, while thinner removes them and can also be used to defeat enemies.

There’s the occasional 2D section set in older Disney cartoons, such as Steamboat Willie.

Tied to this dual “ammo” mechanic is a neat morality system of sorts. Mickey fights a handful of bosses throughout the game, but you’re actually given a choice in how to deal with them. You can take the mischievous route and use thinner to quite literally erase parts of them from existence, eventually killing them in the process. Well, its rated PG, cartoonish equivalent. This is still a Disney product, after all. Alternatively, you can use paint to, uh, “fix” these bosses, befriending them in the process. This adds some replayability, as your decisions can lead to different character interactions and unlockable quests. Furthermore, if your goody two shoes meter is high enough, you might even be able to skip a handful of battles.

Finally, the game forces you to play small 2D sections when you want to travel from an area to another. Think of them as mini roads you need to take in between destinations. The cool thing about them is that they are always based on a classic Disney animation from its earliest years, including, but not limited to, Trolley Troubles, Fantasia, and of course, the star of the show, Steamboat Willie. Those aren’t particularly hard levels, they are just there for spectacle. I can’t say it doesn’t work.

A morality system is tied to how you defeat bosses.

As for this particular Switch 2 port, you can expect pretty much the same level of visual fidelity seen in the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions. The game runs at a silky smooth 60fps, the controls are incredibly responsive, and it looks quite nice overall, thanks to its strong art style, high quality assets, and textures that look just as good as those found in other versions. Motion blur is quite noticeable during character animations, but everything still looks great in motion.

As you may know, Epic Mickey was originally released for the Wii, taking advantage of the wiimote to let you aim at enemies with greater precision. The cool thing about this Switch 2 port is that it lets you replicate those aiming mechanics, but only if you want to. Gyro aiming is available right from the get go, but you can also use the joycon’s mouse functionality for the same purpose. I wouldn’t particularly recommend the latter, as it feels more like a novelty than anything else. Still, I have to appreciate the fact that the developers actually tried to come up with a use for one of the Switch 2’s most distinctive features. I stuck to a normal twin-stick control system, and it worked like a charm.

Truly, a menacing and intimidating foe.

I don’t have a lot to complain about with Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed. It took the creative but unpolished ideas from the original Wii version, adapted them to modern console standards, and wrapped everything up with prettier visuals and better performance. This Switch 2 port, in particular, delivers what the previous Switch version couldn’t: smoother framerates, better textures, faster loading times, and one or two inventive, albeit gimmicky, uses of the joycons’ new features. It’s an easygoing but charming platformer that feels right at home on Nintendo’s new system. If you’re one of the three people on Earth who somehow haven’t played it already, this is absolutely worth a go.

Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC, Switch and Switch 2.

Reviewed on Switch 2.

A copy of Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed was provided by the publisher.