If you’re trying to set your game in a place people arealready familiar with, what better settingthan one that’s been visited by over 600 million guests over the last fifty years? Yep, even though most of us looking closely at the trailers and concept art already had a good feeling, Junction Point is finally putting it out there in the open:Epic Mickeyis set in Disneyland!*
*Okay, so it’s not actually Disneyland, but rather a nightmarish Bizzaro version Oswald the Lucky Rabbit has tasked himself with completing in Walt’s vision. The version you’ll find in Epic Mickey acts as a sanctuary for forgotten and/or partially completed Disney creations, yet that’s by no means limited to just animated characters.
Above: Forgotten characters board theMoonliner rocket, one of Tomorrowland's first exhibits
Many will also recognize unfinished Audio-Animatronics and dilapidated variations of rides like Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion mixed with a whole new layer of added menace. Disneyland’s already a somewhat mysterious place chock full of its own secrets, as well as an absolute marvel of design, so it’s hard to argue that it’s an almost perfect venue for a game given the right touches. Like say, a plague of paint-based horror, maybe?
Above: Somethin' wrong here?!
Honestly, even those who haven’t been to Disneyland have a rough idea of what’s contained there. However, gamers probably won’t expect many of the darker depths Epic Mickey’s version of The Happiest Place on Earth has succumbed to. Hell, Donald and Goofy only appear as cast aside animatronics with exposed skeletons and your first boss fight is with the clock tower of the "It’s a Small World" attraction! And oh, how I wish I could tell you some of the wicked joy that awaits you on the game’s version of the Matterhorn…
Above: Gremilin Village looks a lot like It's a Small World, doesn't it?
Having recently spent time with both Epic Mickey and in Disneyland, I can’t tell you how amazingly the two have synergized into one beautiful meta-package. The real-world inspiration has translated wonderfully to 3D platforming, and the attention to detail in presenting a legacy damn near a century old is all but sure to please the hell out of Disney purists. Something for gamers, something for Disney nerds. I happen to be both, so I’m pretty much out of my mind with excitement for Epic Mickey. Can’t wait to tell you more…Click hereto read our latest preview
Nov 9, 2010
