00:00I'm Warren Spector, I'm the creative director on Disney Epic Mickey, and I was pleased when
00:12Disney asked me to work with the talented folks at THQ Nordic and Purple Lamp in remastering
00:19the game and bringing it back to a new generation of players.
00:23The re-release of Epic Mickey now is important for a couple of reasons.
00:28One is, there's a new generation of platforms, of consoles, and there's an opportunity to
00:36upgrade the graphics, rework the UI, and a variety of other things that we could just
00:42frankly improve.
00:43But the real reason I think it's important is that one of our goals with the original
00:49game was to make something that was timeless.
00:53Disney is known for that, for making things that stand the test of time and are still
00:57relevant years after the original release.
01:00And when I started thinking about this project, I thought, well, why can't a game do that too?
01:06I think players will be excited to play the remastered version for a variety of reasons.
01:12One is simply that the game looks amazing thanks to the work of the talented and dedicated
01:18folks at Purple Lamp.
01:21So graphics upgraded, user interface upgraded, the camera's been improved, but the heart
01:29of the game is still there.
01:30The storyline and the unique gameplay, that's the thing that I'm most proud of.
01:36That we made a game, and we still have a game now in the remaster, in rebirth, that offers
01:45players the opportunity to decide how to solve problems.
01:49We're not forcing them down a particular path.
01:52They decide how to solve problems.
01:54Do they erase things?
01:55Do they paint things?
01:57And when they make their choice, they have to deal with the consequences of their choices.
02:03So there are a variety of reasons why players should be excited.
02:06And I'm most excited that now a larger audience can play it, because instead of being on a
02:12single platform, we're available everywhere.
02:20I always said that we made games about players moving through spaces.
02:24And what better way to do that than with a 3D platformer?
02:27In Disney Epic Mickey Rebrushed, you play as Mickey Mouse.
02:303D platforming with jumping, dashing, spin attacking, and interacting with the world
02:35in different ways.
02:36With the power of Yen Sid's brush, Mickey's able to use a magical substance, paint and
02:41thinner.
02:42He's able to fill in elements of the world, but also able to erase them.
02:45And through this interactive medium, he's able to bring life to the world.
02:49We spent a really long time exploring new mechanics, new gameplay elements, and additional
02:55motions and interactions that Mickey could have with the world.
02:58Eventually we realized that the original game actually had a very pure core moveset.
03:03We found out of the many prototypes that we made, that actually there was only three new
03:07abilities that actually made sense to complement the core of the original game.
03:12Mickey is now able to sprint through the world faster than ever before.
03:16We've adjusted the enemy AI so that Mickey may need to avoid more attacks.
03:20With the new dash ability, he's able to get out of the way quickly.
03:23My favorite ability in the game and what I see as a staple of the 3D platforming genre
03:28is the ground pound.
03:31The projector levels in the game provided us with a unique challenge.
03:34These levels were used as essentially interactive loading screens in the original game.
03:39These are lovingly restored from the reference material of original Disney movies.
03:45Movies such as Mickey and the Beanstalk, Clock Cleaners, and of course Steamboat Willie.
03:55In Disney Epic Mickey, you explore a lot of exciting places and they are connected by
04:01projector levels.
04:03Those are two and a half D platforming sections, but what is really interesting about them
04:09is that they are based on early Mickey Mouse movies.
04:13In the original game, projector levels were great, but you could play them only once.
04:18In Disney Epic Mickey Reprushed, we worked on them and we brought them to the next level.
04:25That's why we thought it's a good idea to let the players replay them and revisit them
04:30in the cinema.
04:31We worked on those levels according to three design principles, which is review, respect,
04:39and reprush.
04:40The review part was really nice because we gathered in the office and watched all those
04:46cartoons and we grew up with them.
04:49That's why it was a really nostalgic feeling for us.
04:54We loved the characters, the story, and the music, of course, and we looked in every detail
05:00to find good references for art and animation, but not only, we also were looking for things
05:07that we could turn into new gameplay mechanics.
05:11Then we realized that Mickey is a really active hero.
05:16In all those cartoons, he's pushing the story forward.
05:20He's not waiting for things to happen to him.
05:23He's making things happen.
05:25It's exactly the same in our game.
05:28You, as a Mickey Mouse player, you are pushing things forward.
05:33Your urgency, your decisions, your actions, making the game progress.
05:39We decided to add more options for the players to create their own paths through the project
05:47levels and also new areas to explore, maybe secrets to reveal, new collectibles to collect.
05:56I hope you will enjoy those levels as much as we enjoyed creating them.
06:02No matter who you are, where you are, or how old you are, Mickey was part of your life
06:07at some point.
06:09That's why we felt really responsible to provide you with the best Disney Epic Mickey Rebrush
06:16journey you can have.
06:19The stakes in Disney Epic Mickey are high for a variety of the characters.
06:26They are stuck in Wasteland and far from the real world, they're cartoon characters, but
06:34from the real world of cartoons, where they were loved and respected.
06:43And now they are in a world for characters that are no longer loved.
06:52Mickey has to save this world from a mistake that he made.
06:57Mickey is the cause of all the trouble in this game.
07:01And so he needs to save it so the characters in Wasteland can live their best lives.
07:08He's got a world to save.
07:10He's got a world to save.
07:11Those stakes are very high.
07:13The other thing is, he needs to reconnect with Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
07:20They are very similar in a variety of ways, very different in a variety of ways, and that
07:26connection has to be made for the world to be separate.
07:31Mickey and Oswald were necessary components of this game.
07:35They had to be the center of the game.
07:38They're two sides of the same coin.
07:42Oswald is impetuous and easily angered.
07:49Mickey is thoughtful and resolute and calm in the face of adversity.
07:56And them coming together is necessary to tell the story that we wanted to tell.
08:01I wanted it to be a story of redemption, of friendship, and of love.
08:08And that's what it's about.
08:10So the two were necessary or none of those things would have been possible.
08:15And the choice and consequence gameplay is important because I wanted the game to be
08:22about something more than just jumping and landing on platforms and fighting monsters.
08:30I wanted it to be about some questions.
08:35Is it more important to be powerful but alone?
08:39Or is it more important to be less powerful and have friends?
08:43The way you decide to play the game answers that question.
08:48So we ask the question, but players, through their choices and through seeing the consequences
08:54of their choices, answer it.
08:57The thing I'm most excited about seeing?
09:00Frankly, it's the entire game.
09:02It's been long enough since the original came out that I've forgotten all the secrets
09:05and I get to play it just like a normal player.
09:08Today I'm delighted to announce that Disney fans of all ages will be able to join Mickey
09:14and Oswald in their daring adventure in Wasteland.
09:17September 24th, 2024 for PC and console.
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