Line #30 YMMV/EpicMickey


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2	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: ''In SPADES.''
3	** WesternAnimation/OswaldTheLuckyRabbit, former {{mascot}} of Disney with a similar personality to WesternAnimation/{{Mickey\|Mouse}}, is now a bitter and distrusting fellow.
4	** Also, in the comics and cartoons, the Phantom Blot was just a thief dressed in all black (or the Doctor Doom of Disney in his early appearances and European comics): here, as the "Shadow Blot", he's been upgraded into a monstrosity made out of ink. That said, one later comic released in 2018 reveals the Shadow Blot is actually a different character from the Phantom Blot, explaining the difference InUniverse.
5	** [[IntendedAudienceReaction Deliberately invoked with Mickey]], who, depending on [[KarmaMeter your usage of paint and thinner]], can either be the mischievous AntiHero he was back in his early years or the straight-laced and humble hero that he became later on.
6	* AntiClimaxBoss: [[spoiler:The final boss.]] You shine some lights in his face, then go inside him and perform surgery. It's challenging, but not really the fight you'd expect, especially after the epic build-up in Dark Beauty Castle just before it.
7	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic:
8	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR4uDmelYSc Oswald's theme]], is a piece that perfectly sums up Oswald's history in music form, with the theme starting off happy and cheerful representing his days as a star, before becoming sadder by the end, representing him becoming forgotten in favor of Mickey Mouse.
9	** The [[https://youtu.be/VeZDP0o__I4 main theme]] is the perfect intro to the game as it feels both heroic and dark at points, which perfectly represents the game.
10	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i22TOFyOreI Dark Beauty Castle]].
11	** [[https://youtu.be/-h7kQn82Clg An Epic Finale]] is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin just that]]; perfectly fitting the final cutscene, along with an awesome rendition of the Epic Mickey tune when the final boss is defeated.
12	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7CHELyD0rk This beta theme]] [[WhatCouldHaveBeen which sadly didn't make it to the final product]].
13	* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: The UFO challenge. Gremlin Roger tells you to go to the UFO and "face your destiny". Once you do, spatters seem to teleport in, at which point Gus will say this isn't part of the ride and he thinks the UFO came from space. Once you beat the spatters you get a pin from a chest with a slightly different design than the rest, which also seemed to be teleported onto the platform, then you leave with no explanation.
14	* CharacterRerailment: The game aims to bring Mickey (who has been characterized into a smiling TheEveryman) back into the courageous, mischievous, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero semi-hero who doesn't know when to quit messing with things]] from UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation.
15	* CommonKnowledge: The Shadow Blot is often assumed to be an incarnation of the Phantom Blot. This was true during early development, as the Shadow Blot was [[WhatCouldHaveBeen originally]] conceived as a reimagining of the Phantom Blot. However, this idea was scrapped and in the final game, he has no relation to the Phantom Blot outside of the "blot" title. The 2018 comic ''The Blot and the Blob'' would confirm that they're two different characters.
16	* DirectorDisplacement: Ironically, this is a case where the game's own ''director'' is doing the displacing, as the game is well known for being the work of creative director Warren Spector and his studio Junction Point. However, the idea for ''Epic Mickey'' started back in 2003-04 by Matthew Stringer and Chris Takami as well as seven other interns from Disney Interactive Studios (credited as the "Epic Mickey Think Tank 2004" in the game's credits).[[note]]The credited interns in question are Erin Reynolds, Jasser Membreno, Justin Hunt, Sean Jimenez, and Sean Vanaman. The seventh is uncredited.[[/note]] Warren Spector and Junction Point didn't get involved with the project until 2007 after Disney started development on the game.
17	* EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame: Much of the praise towards the game comes from its emotional story that practically serves as a love letter to some of Disney's lesser known characters. The gameplay on the other hand is viewed as a decent but nothing unique platformer, and the things it does try to make it stand out were often criticized for being clunky or confusing.
18	* FanPreferredCutContent: The game has become notorious for this, as many found the dark and twisted concept art and the scrapped ideas contained within them to be far cooler and more well, "epic", compared to the game proper, which many have found to be a disappointment due to the final game not living up to what was initially promised by its concept art.
19	* GatewaySeries: If you haven't been following Oswald's history before, you sure will now. Many newer fans of the character and his franchise can trace their source of interest to this game.
20	* GrowingTheBeard: The whole game is pretty much this for video games made by Disney without outside help.
21	* HarsherInHindsight:
22	** While the game world is based on Disneyland, the fact that the Disney World's Toontown is gone as of February 2011 means it has been consigned to the Wasteland.
23	** When encountering Clarabelle in Os Town, one of the cartoons she mentions starring in is ''Mickey's Mellerdrammer''. If you know your cartoon history, there is a [[BlackfaceStyleCaricature very good and very unfortunate reason why THAT cartoon is largely forgotten.]]
24	** While the series would indeed make Oswald remembered again, aside from the [[VideoGame/EpicMickey2ThePowerOfTwo game's]] [[VideoGame/EpicMickeyPowerOfIllusion sequels]], Oswald would barely be used in the next decade outside of a few cameos and his 100th anniversary short. In an ironic twist, he is remembered for being forgotten until he entered public domain in 2023.
25	* HeartwarmingInHindsight:
26	** All Oswald wanted was to be remembered and beloved again. Thanks to this game, he is.
27	** And now, thanks to the 2017 ''WesternAnimation/{{DuckTales\|2017}}'' series, Della Duck would follow on his footsteps as a little-known-and-remembered longtime Disney character who would arise to stardom. And others in that very series would follow too.
28	* HilariousInHindsight: The mechanic of befriending enemies vs destroying them is very reminiscent of ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', which would later be released in 2015.
29	** This wouldn't be the last time [[WebVideo/TheMonumentMythos Mickey Mouse would go through a magic mirror and get eaten by a warped version of himself.]]
30	** The game was released on Wii to avoid it being PortOverdosed, with the planned Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 releases being cancelled, even though ''VideoGame/EpicMickey2ThePowerOfTwo'' was released on all platforms. The 2024 rerelease ''is'' for all current platforms.
31	* IAmNotShazam: WesternAnimation/TheMadDoctor is named after the original short he starred in, rather than his actual name, Dr. XXX. Given that XXX is [[HaveAGayOldTime commonly known to stand for porn these days]], however, this is probably for the best.
32	* MemeticMutation: During the time period it was thought Oswald was going to be the BigBad, [[Website/FourChan /co/]] made him out to be either the Disney counterpart to [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid Liquid Snake]] or an insanely creepy and jealous EldritchAbomination constantly running with ink and blood. Also TheVirus.
33	** [[MadnessMantra KILL THE MOUSE, TAKE HIS HOUSE. KILL THE MOUSE TAKE HIS HOUSE, KILLTHEMOUSETAKEHISHOUSE]].
34	** This right after hearing "It's a Small World" backwards.
35	---> [=It'S A WoRLD oF PAiN....iT's A WoRLD oF TeARS....=]\
36	[=iT's A WoRLD oF SiN AnD YoUR PriMAL FeARs.....=]\
37	[=iT's A WoRLD MaDe oUt Of YoUr BrOkEn DrEaMs.....=]\
38	[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gzh8TuYDIcI iT's A SmAll...SmAll WoRLD]][[note]]Original comment on [[https://www.youtube.com/comment?lc=wFBEpQ_eSSV3xjjSXYKJN5C_hC5JK_Tukz5jm4P75gE this video]], which has since been removed by the user.[[/note]]
39	** A less scary one includes depicting Oswald with a wooden mallet. It seems to have spanned from a fan-artist referencing the "Little Bunny Foo Foo" nursery rhyme (what with the bunny picking up field mice and "bopping them on the head"). It often includes Oswald attempting to "bop" Mickey with his wooden mallet only for another character (usually Ortensia) to stop him. The mallet even shows up in Oswald fanarts where Mickey is nowhere to be seen.
40	* NauseaFuel: In the latter half of the game, [[spoiler:[[EldritchAbomination the Blot's]] Bloticles are destroyed by ''drenching their blisters with thinner'', with an overall effect like pus]].
41	** Also, the effects of using thinner on the Small World Clock Tower. [[spoiler:Once you make it break its arms, the streams of green fluid that gush out of small pipes in its arm look almost exactly like [[HighPressureBlood uncontrolled arterial bleeding]].]]
42	* SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames: Though few would call the game perfect, it's still generally regarded as a solid 3D platformer. It even proved popular enough to warrant an HD remake, which is extremely rare for a LicensedGame.
43	* OlderThanTheyThink:
44	** First, this wasn't the Mad Doctor's [[VideoGame/MickeyMania first appearance in a Mickey Mouse video game or even as a boss in one]]. Second, the concept of Mickey being TrappedInAnotherWorld and needing to find a way to escape from it and return home has been used in ''VideoGame/WorldOfIllusion''. Third, this is the third Mickey game to feature the Lonesome Ghosts, the first two being ''The Magical Quest 2''/Great Circus Mystery and ''VideoGame/MickeyMania''.
45	** This isn't the first time Oswald had been portrayed as a bitter and angry individual towards Mickey Mouse, as [[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/74/90/91/74909160d4590ab3fd83c3093c6ae497.jpg one piece of artwork done by Disney back in 1935]] (done as a gift for Universal's Carl Laemmle) has him scowling in anger towards the approaching Mickey. In fact, the artwork is what inspired Oswald's personality in the game.
46	* ShockingMoments: While desired for the longest time, a VideoGameRemake of the original ''Epic Mickey'' was seen as a long shot for several major reasons, and most thought it would never happen due to the series having long been forgotten about. The original game's developers had long gone defunct, the poor reception of its sequel, Disney shying away from video games in the decade since its release, and the general neglect of Oswald in proper media made a return to the series seem unlikely, which is why the announcement of its remake took everyone by surprise when it was revealed in 2024.
47	* SoOkayItsAverage: ''Epic Mickey'' is seen in this light by critics and fans. It's a decent and fun love letter to old-school and forgotten Disney media, with an engaging story, a uniquely dark visual presentation, and some interesting concepts. However, the game is held back by questionable level design, underbaked mechanics, and clunky camera controls.
48	* ThatOneAttack: The fake Shadow Blot's thinner [[Franchise/StreetFighter hadouken]] is massive, and is practically impossible to dodge if you are close to him. And he loves to use it when you are.
49	* ThatOneBoss: The fight with the Mad Doctor and his [[MechaMooks Beetleworx]].
50	** Especially trying to figure out how to beat him the "nice" way.
51	** Robot Captain Hook, especially if you're trying to get the thinner upgrade.
52	** The Shadow Blot atop Mickeyjunk Mountain WILL kill you several times in your first playthrough, and when you think you know him. It doesn't help that you can fall off the arena while you're trying to dodge his attacks.
53	* ThatOneLevel: The Asia Boat Ride is unbelievably frustrating, mostly because there's practically nowhere safe to jump thanks to you being surrounded by an ocean of thinner.
54	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: The game has a tendency to use different versions (e.g. animatronics) of popular characters rather than using actual forgotten characters. Ones that are forgotten tend to be changed so they're more powerful rather than working with their original concepts.
55	* UnpopularPopularCharacter: Deliberately {{invoked\|Trope}} by Creator/WarrenSpector, who loved Oswald and wanted to make him more popular. Sure enough, the more the game showed that Oswald was forgotten, lonely and desperate for recognition, the more fans loved him and swore that he was as good as or better than Mickey.
56	* ValuesDissonance: Clarabelle and Horace are far from forgotten in Europe, where they often appear in Disney comic books. So the way they're classified as forgotten toons here is harder to relate to for European players.
57	* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: Some people are rather disappointed that the game only got an E rating, despite the fact that it's Disney and, y'know, it stars Mickey Mouse. On the other hand, it seems quite clear that it's chock full of NightmareFuel in general. In fact, the game's creator, Warren Spector, says that he ''wants'' kids to play this and be ''terrified.''
58	* WinBackTheCrowd: The whole "angle" of this game, and we don't mean "putting Mickey into a current trend" in this case.
59	* TheWoobie: '''OSWALD.''' He could very well be the poster boy example of the WesternAnimation [[TheWoobie Woobie]] in this game. Life sucks when your half-brother usurped your popularity and became a major icon, while you became a footnote in history books, only known or cared about by the most dedicated animation fans.
60	** First, he was abandoned by his own father over a dispute with [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Charles Mintz]], and when Walter Lantz took over the cartoons, Walt ''openly approved'' of Lantz using Ozzie -- even though Lantz would [[SeasonalRot eventually derail Oswald from his cartoony roots]] and turn him into a cutesy FunnyAnimal in an attempt to cash in on Disney (ironically). And it only got worse when his half-brother Mickey Mouse usurped Oswald's original popularity, which, coupled with Lantz's derailment of the character, as well as the gradual rise of "screwy" characters over cute funny animals in the early 40's (including Universal's own new character, WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker) sent Oswald to his grave in 1943, after limping by for the last several years. You would think that in the world for forgotten Disney characters he would have ''[[ThrowTheDogABone finally]]'' gotten [[EarnYourHappyEnding the happy ending he deserved]] - [[YankTheDogsChain but no]], [[FromBadToWorse things got even]] '''[[SerialEscalation WORSE]]''' [[FromBadToWorse for him]]. Said half-brother just ''happened'' to [[NiceJobBreakingItHero accidentally spill a jug of paint thinner onto Yen Sid's world]], which wound up ruining the whole place by turning it into a [[CrapsackWorld savage wasteland]], as well as unleashing the [[EldritchAbomination Shadow Blot]] upon the place, which would lead the entire world into even more mayhem and ruin, forcing Oswald and any remaining resistance underground. And by the time Mickey is dragged there by the [[WoobieDestroyerofWorlds Shadow Blot]] itself, Oswald has built robotic copies of Mickey's friends to accompany him ''just to keep himself from going'' '''completely insane'''. And on top of that, he becomes jealous and hateful of WesternAnimation/{{Mickey\|Mouse}} so as to be an active obstacle. So much for him being a "lucky rabbit."
61	** Also [[spoiler:Ortensia. This apparently runs in the family, considering their bunny children that are looking at her picture inside her house and are crying over her portrait and waiting for their mom to come home]].
62	** Interestingly, though, the comics and the game seem to take the view that Oswald really ''is'' quite lucky; he has a loving family, friends who admire him, and a land made in his own image. If he could only put his jealousy of Mickey behind him (as he seems to do by the end of the game), he'd be happy.

Context YMMV / EpicMickey