Before we start, a quick history lesson – before Mickey Mouse, before Disney became the most important cartoon producer in the world and way before Pixar and 3D, Walt Disney created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit; a happy go lucky anthropomorphic who finds himself in the middle of wacky hijinx and mischievous situations.
With Oswald’s massive success, Disney asked Universal Studios for better pay and larger budgets, only to be shot down when the movie giant reminded Walt that Oswald was their property and they could go on creating cartoons without Disney’s help. Angry and wanting to create a new character that Universal couldn’t own, Disney went and made, with the help of Ub Iwerks, a little guy named Mickey Mouse.
You don’t need me to tell you which talking animal hero became one of the most recognisable symbols and famous characters in the world, and which one fell out of relevance and importance entirely.
This sets the stage for Epic Mickey; a post modern, self aware and fourth wall shattering experience that pits the famous Mickey Mouse against his embittered, resentful older brother, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (now back in Disney’s grasp thanks to the magic of contract negotiations, some 70 years later). Set within the pages of Disney’s packrat archives, the entire world features slightly twisted and warped takes on Disney’s history of cartoons, theme park rides and all the unfinished cells and unused concept art that Disney couldn’t bear to discard.
This is the Cartoon Wasteland, a post apocalyptic Disney collage that is overseen by two very distinct and imperious entities – the world creating sorcerer, Yen Sid and the game’s creative director, Warren Spector.
Best known for genre blending and progressive PC games like Deus Ex and Thief, Spector has collected a cult like following of devout hardcore gamers. But he’s also an absolute animation buff, whose love for all things Disney is both alarmingly apparent and absolutely infectious. At a crowded studio hall in London, Spector gushes over Disney’s scribbled notes and speaks of pawing over storyboards and cells in the Disney archives like an archaeologist recounting a famous expedition.
Paint and Thinner, Hero and Scrapper
The core concept behind Epic Mickey, which blends platforming and adventure with RPG elements, is the difference between using Paint to create and bloom, and using Thinner to destroy and eradicate. By sweeping the Wii Remote like a paint brush, Mickey can restore broken bridges and help friends, or destroy obstacles and eliminate giant parts of the world.
Alongside his magic paintbrush, Mickey also has the power to sketch a number of tools that can help him solve puzzles and deal with tricky situations. “There are exploration tools and ones that modify the situation,” explains Spector, “they all have multiple uses and there are all sorts of emergent behaviour that happens when you use them together.” We are shown a TV that can “distract any living thing” and a watch that can “slow down time.” With this rich palette of tools, Mickey hearkens back to Deus Ex and is given multiple ways to solve every single puzzle, down to avoiding combat altogether and even choosing not to fight the game’s bosses.
But like the heroes of Fable and Spector’s previous games, Mickey will have to contend with his ever changing morality and reputation as he continues his adventure and makes decisions. “I don’t want to make Mickey evil” ensured Spector, “but I want a Mickey that can go after his own goals and be really focussed on what he needs, or a Mickey who’s really about helpfulness, friends and family.”
So on one end of the spectrum, Hero, Mickey creates more than he destroys and relies on the powers of his friends and allies for strength and direction. Conversely, “Scrapper” Mickey is destructive and mischievous – he’ll have more personal strength, but won’t have the friendship of the world’s helpful inhabitants. “A character might have told you about a secret entrance, given you a map of the area or told you about a mission, but now they just won’t tell you – they’ll run from you,” explains Spector.
You won’t lose anything though, “I’m not a big believer in taking things away – I think that’s a bad thing,” says Spector, “so it’s not that you lose things, in terms of your core abilities, but you do gain new skills.” Scrapper Mickey will be more powerful and destructive than ever, allowing you to move further down that path and at a faster clip.
Mickey is always able to redeem himself though – able to swing from Scrapper to Hero as the adventure progresses. “I’ve gone both ways,” says Spector, “there are times where I’ve said ‘once you pick your faction you’re done’ and there are times where I’ve let you gone back and forth whenever you want – neither of those really works.” This time it’s possible, but you’re going to have to make a strong commitment to change; “You’ll have to really make a decision, but you’ll be able to recover – the later in the game the tougher it’s going to be because you’re going to have gone further and further towards whichever side you prefer.”
Making sure Mickey is always a hero is important for Spector’s narrative goals. A firm believer in linear narrative, Spector has the story arc figured out, but wants to tell a story with you, not to you – “players tend not to be very good storytellers, but they can shape the narrative in their own personal and significant ways.
“I’ve never done the Grand Theft Warren game and I don’t make Will Wright Sandboxes,” explains Spector, “every player is going to accomplish the same mission goals, but it’s how you get to that goal that’s unique to you. I think that’s the more interesting thing for players.” This is true to the very end of the story; “The world will be saved and Oswald will be redeemed to some extent,” promises Spector, “but who’s there with you at the end? How do they feel about you? Are you going to go out the conquering hero or the guy who rings civilisation to the wilderness but there’s no room for him any more. Are you the lone hero or the beloved saviour?”
“The story is very much about how important family and friend are to you, and do you believe in the possibility of redemption for all things – not to get too pretentious,“ says Spector, “I told myself I was never going to say that publicly.”
Promising an epic tale worthy of Disney’s rich and storied lineage, Warren Spector ensures players “there’s more going on here than ‘save the princess.’”
Epic Mickey is a Wii Exclusive, and will launch in late 2010
Post a Comment