PixlBit

Mickey stars in a game that is both vast in scope and creative in design

The full title of this game is Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse. It was released for Super NES, Genesis, and later Playstation; I'm reviewing the Super NES version. It was released in 1994, being developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Sony Imagesoft. This platformer is very creative and very fun.

The reason for that subtitle above is the fact that in the game Mickey must somehow go back in time and rescue other Mickeys. The premise of the game is very cool. The developers take six Mickey Mouse cartoons from the past and make them the different levels in the game; they even give you the year these cartoons originally aired. Here are the six levels in the game: Steamboat Willie (Nov. 18, 1928), the Mad Doctor (1933), Moose Hunters (1937), the Lonesome Ghosts (1937), Mickey and the Beanstalk (1947), and the Prince and the Pauper (1990). Sadly, the Super NES version leaves out an entire level (the Band Concert) that is in the Genesis version. But still, what an awesome idea, and as we will see, Traveller's Tales executed this idea perfectly.

Before each level starts, a pencil draws the Mickey of that level (Steamboat Willie Mickey, Mad Doctor Mickey, etc.) and a little animation ensues, which is neat. I especially enjoyed the one of Lonesome Ghost Mickey; he runs to the right, then gets scared by a ghost, runs to the left, and smacks into an invisible wall a couple times before he keeps running. I laughed out loud at that. After these animations the title comes together to tell you name and date of the level. The strangest thing about this game is the fact that there are loading screens! Between levels, and even between sections in the levels, Mickey will stand there and look at his watch for about five seconds. Whoa, loading screens in a cartridge game? I didn't even know that was possible!

As Mickey, you can jump and throw projectiles. These projectiles are limited, so you have to keep collecting them. You can set the amount of lives you want in the options (3-5). Mickey can get hit 5 times before he dies. Collecting stars will give Mickey more health, and this is displayed by the hand in the top left corner; the five fingers will go down one by one with each hit. Mickey's health will also carry over to the next level. The controls were tight, never giving me problems. Also, Mickey has to be the happiest character I've ever seen in a video game; every time he moves, he waltzes along with a big smile on his face.

Each level is broken up into sections. These sections are very short, but there's usually about 4 or 5 of them, making for a good length for the level. The levels really shine in this game. There's so much variety! The first stage alone is extremely creative. Mickey first treks across Steamboat Willie's ship; he can't jump to the dock, so he has to wait for a crane to come along and take a box from the ship and place it on the dock. The entire level is in black & white at first, but as Mickey progresses, the scenery slowly begins to turn color, until everything is in blooming color. In order to get over a tall stack of crates, Mickey has to lure Pete over, then throw about four projectiles at him to make him fall down; then Mickey can jump on Pete and bounce over the crates.

Every level gives you more variety. Simple puzzles can be found in the levels, such as pushing a pot under a water spout to grow the plant so Mickey can jump on it and reach his next jump. But don't think that this game is all simple platforming; there are plenty of unique parts in the game that stand out, such as riding on lab beds avoiding deadly razor saws, putting a chemical combination together to blow up a door, running from a rampaging moose (in Mode 7!), riding a jet-fast ladybug to escape a giant spider, running on a giant's table full of food, swinging on chandeliers, and running up a tower that's on fire. There is no lack of creativity in this game.

The enemies are never recycled in the levels, which I think is amazing! Each level has unique enemies. In the Mad Doctor level, watch out for bats and skeletons; the Lonesome Ghosts level has the ghosts (who appear and disappear) as the only enemies; the Beanstalk level has you facing giant bugs; and the Prince and Pauper level has you fighting two kinds of weasel enemies, one with a bow, another with a knife. The scenery, enemies, and music are never recycled, and I find that astounding.

The music is fantastic! It so perfectly captures the feel of the level. Some themes are used for just one short section in the game, and that is all. Some themes are very catchy, others are quite beautiful. The game has a sound test, and this is one game in which you will spend some time there enjoying the creative tunes. Of course, the SNES has superior sound to the Genesis, so that is one thing lacking in the Genesis version. Props to the musicians for not doing the lazy thing that could easily have happened for VG music.

This game doesn't really have problems, but I suppose I could atleast admit that the Moose Chase is probably the trickiest and most frustrating part of the game. You have to collect the green apples to keep your speed up, and it's hard to see what's coming up next. If you hit a rock, Micky stumbles, and the Moose catches up very quickly. Also, in the first section of the Lonesome Ghosts level, Mickey tends to fall through the seesaw platforms, which is annoying. But seriously, these gripes are very minor. The game overall is awesome.

Final Verdict--4.5 Stars: Highly Recommended

It's obvious that this game was a labor of love by the developers, not a simple cash-in, and that is a relief to see. The game is not long; you can beat it in about 30 minutes. The game is also untypical in some ways, such as the fact that there are only two bosses in the whole game (Mad Doctor and Pete at the end). They did not think it necessary to have a boss at the end of each level, and they were right. It's great to see Mickey star in such a fantastic game (and I know that he's in many other great retro games). The graphics are also very detailed, full of vibrant animation and personality. The overall presentation is charming, fun, and will take you back to some of Mickey's greatest adventures. If you ever get the chance to play this game, don't pass it up (unless you hate Mickey or something, but who would do that?).

Join me every Saturday as we take a look back at all kinds of retro games, good and bad.