Epic Mickey 2 (open brainstorming)

[mharrington]

I've been thinking of a sequel of sorts to "Epic Mickey". This game would bring back the Wasteland and some brand new areas to it. However, I would have no idea what to do, really. We should have a few different cartoon shorts linking the lands. And maybe we should switch out some of the lands. Perhaps we could have Pluto accompany Mickey here.

The only thing I know for certain is that Mickey and Oswald will return here.

 

[JEANYLASER]

good idea mharrington!

 

[FigmentJedi]

I've gotten several ideas for such a game
* Wasteland's been getting various visitors from the regular cartoon world after word of Mickey's adventure spread around. Looking for possible friends and family that never were or have long departed, they end up providing a source of conflict as with all of these new hearts coming in, the Mad Doctor and other villains are coming out of hiding to take advantage of all of these hearts coming in. This is why Mickey goes back to Wasteland, at Oswald's request, to act as extra security.

*Oswald has been busying himself with building his own Epcot, a hybrid of Walt's city idea and extinct Future World attractions, with Dreamfinder working as an assistant. Figment's one of the visitors from the outside world and he's determined to bring Dreamfinder and other Epcot characters back with him. But his reckless side puts him into trouble.

*The classic version of the Phantom Blot is brought into the story as a primary villain and as a hook for a third game. He wants to take advantage of magic paint and thinner after hearing the stories of the monstrous Shadow Blot and enters Wasteland to rile up the Mad Doctor and his animatronic bretheren as he explains projection over-use in the parks. The Blot is also determined to take a hold of the brush, knowing that with it's power, he could essentially be a cartoon deity, with him succeeding in stealing the Brush and conquering the real cartoon world, bringing numerous characters under his control being the conflict of a third game. When the brush is stolen, Mickey takes up the Sorcerer's Hat and utilizes it's power for another means of paint/thinner manipulation

*New areas include the already mentioned Epcot area, the Wonderland, Monstro and Beanstalk areas cut from the first game, and a Frontierland that serves as a hybrid of Nature's Wonderland and Thunder Mesa. Wonderland would be an early level, introducing Julius from the Alice Comedies as a depressed former sidekick that Oswald wants to put in charge of Wasteland when he gets his heart back.

*The Mad Doctor has been busy constructing a series of powerful Beetleworx units based on Disney Villains to act as the "Robot Masters" to his expanded army. Among the most powerful would be a transforming mecha-Maleficent.

 

[mharrington]

I don't know about the inclusion of the Mad Doctor in the game. In the first game, it is revealed that he is an animatronic himself and destroyed.

 

[FigmentJedi]

I don't know about the inclusion of the Mad Doctor in the game. In the first game, it is revealed that he is an animatronic himself and destroyed.

He was never destroyed, his pod was only launched very far away. And the idea of exposing him to the fact of digital projections becoming utilized more would give him some righteous anger to fuel his venting against animated beings.

 

[mharrington]

He was never destroyed, his pod was only launched very far away. And the idea of exposing him to the fact of digital projections becoming utilized more would give him some righteous anger to fuel his venting against animated beings.

You know what? You're absolutely right. I just found out on YouTube, which was where I had based my thought on of the destruction of the Mad Doctor.

But now, I have something else to discuss here: here's a list of all the cartoon shorts featured as sidescrolling areas between levels in the original game:

Mickey cartoons:

• Mickey and the Beanstalk (links Dark Beauty Castle and Slalom)
• Steamboat Willie (links Slalom and World of Gremlins + Ventureland and Skull Island)
• Clock Cleaners (links Gremlin Village and Village Tower)
• Thru the Mirror (links Mean Street and OsTown)
• Mickey's Steamroller (links OsTown and Mickeyjunk Mountain)
• Alpine Climbers (links within Mickeyjunk Mountain)
• Plutopia (links Mean Street and Tomorrow City)
• Mickey's Mechanical Man (links within Tomorrow City)
• Jungle Rhythm (links Tortooga and Captain Hook's Ship)
• The Castaway (as a cutscene)
• The Whalers (links The Jungle and Tortooga)
• Shanghaied (links Tortooga and Skull Island)
• Lonesome Ghosts (links to Bog Easy)
• The Mad Doctor (links within Lonesome Manor)
• Ye Olden Days (links Oswald's Fortress and Mickeyjunk Mountain Summit)
• The Haunted House (links to Lonesome Manor Attic)

Oswald cartoons:

• Trolley Troubles (as one of the three Oswald trials)
• Great Guns (as one of the three Oswald trials)
• Oh, What a Knight (as one of the three Oswald trials)

Feature films:

• Fantasia
• Sleeping Beauty

So how should we do things for the new game, especially considering the additional areas to explore here? I like the ideas of Wasteland versions of Epcot and Frontierland.

 

[JEANYLASER]

yeah me too! I love Epcot idea as well!

 

[FigmentJedi]

Well, Epcot, as a hybrid of the city and the park, would probably include some representation of the central tower as a hub area, with the projector screen linking it to the main part of Wasteland being set-up in a Monorail Station in a refurbished Tomorrow City. From the central complex, Peoplemovers lead out to different parts of the city and locations of the park's past such as the Futureport of Horizons, the Dreamport, and International Street (based partly on the rejected Disneyland concept and a planned shopping complex in Walt's city which of course, evolved into World Showcase).

The primary conflict in Rainbow Mesa (Frontierland) pits Mickey up against the gang of bandits from Western River Expedition. The Hub area is a hybrid of the town of Rainbow Ridge and the town from the Western River Expedition plans. Transition levels would include Pioneer Days, The Gallopin Gaucho, Two-Gun Mickey, and the Klondike Kid. Story of the area has Mickey being deputized by the town's sheriff, possibly a rejected version of Pecos Bill, and setting him off to track down the bandits to their hideout somewhere in Nature's Wonderland. And of course, the boss fight would take you back into town for a showdown with the leader, with the lead-in cutscenes taking on a Spaghetti Western feel.

 

[mharrington]

The primary conflict in Rainbow Mesa (Frontierland) pits Mickey up against the gang of bandits from Western River Expedition. The Hub area is a hybrid of the town of Rainbow Ridge and the town from the Western River Expedition plans. Transition levels would include Pioneer Days, The Gallopin Gaucho, Two-Gun Mickey, and the Klondike Kid. Story of the area has Mickey being deputized by the town's sheriff, possibly a rejected version of Pecos Bill, and setting him off to track down the bandits to their hideout somewhere in Nature's Wonderland. And of course, the boss fight would take you back into town for a showdown with the leader, with the lead-in cutscenes taking on a Spaghetti Western feel.

I'm also thinking of having a boss battle somewhere in a Wasteland version of Splash Mountain (possibly in Rainbow Mesa), where you battle animatronic versions of Brer Fox and Brer Bear, similar to the battle with Captain Hook in the first game. Maybe the boss could be some mutant mix of both fox and bear. It could have elements of both and have two heads, one being the fox and the other the bear.

 

[JEANYLASER]

awesome!

 

[kingofdreams]

epic mickey 2 open discussion

i loved epic mickey and actually did some low quality concept art for areas.

in addition to EPCOT, i was thinking of doing a version of Hollywood Studios called OsWood. If nothing else, it should be included because Fantasmic would be an almost perfect setting for an amazing final boss battle.

 

[mharrington]

i loved epic mickey and actually did some low quality concept art for areas.

in addition to EPCOT, i was thinking of doing a version of Hollywood Studios called OsWood. If nothing else, it should be included because Fantasmic would be an almost perfect setting for an amazing final boss battle.

Why couldn't Frontierland be the area for Fantasmic, however?

 

[kingofdreams]

i suppose it could work since frontierland has a mountain in it and that is one of the main features of the fantasmic stage/arena.

another thing that could be done is having test track in the epcot area, but it's all broken down and totally dangerous with cars flying down the track that you have to dodge and sections of track that you have to alternately thin and paint, i dunno. just brainstorming.

 

[kingofdreams]

plus with fantasmic, i was thinking that it would be fun to have to battle a giant animatronic dragon maleficent.

 

[tman2000]

One of my favorite aspects of Epic Mickey was the use of the old cartoons as gameplay. I learned through the game that the old Mickey cartoons were so animated, and that made for awesome platform jumping. It was neat to have theme-based transitions between worlds, but I think the formula should be changed.

The other aspect of Epic Mickey was the exploring of the lands. These are always fun. In particular, there should be more puzzles, more happenings - like the rising of the nautilus. Thinning paint should not only open holes, but cause more changes in the world - like columns falling and breaking new things and making new bridges. In fact, the order in which one thins and fills should affect the environment.

My ideal for Epic Mickey II is a remix. The outside 3D world should me more continuous - no transition levels. The cartoons should now be more elaborate and unlock powers to help you in the main world. For instance, the jungle level should unlock little coconut throwing monkeys, the haunted house unlocks ghosts - they help Mickey.

I would make the game more advanced for the better players, but include things to help less experienced players. I would do this by having lots of puzzles that are available, but not necessary. I would also have hints that you can purchase, as an example. Maybe you could use the magic mirror to reveal hints. Also, for battling enemies, I would make the enemies tougher and have more staged battles. This way, specific techniques can be used to attack the enemies (like using the ghosts to scare them so they are vulnerable). The large number of techniques will make the game exciting for experienced players, but the hint system will make it very easy to beat once you know the right technique.

One thing I didn't like about Epic Mickey was that it was full of rich worlds, and yet they felt rather empty. Maybe now that Wasteland has been saved, it can be more alive. More characters walking around and doing things.

IN FACT - perhaps the new enemy is sneaky and sinister, so you wouldn't find a wasteland plagued by open disaster. Instead, you find a world alive and robust, but with hints of bad things going on, rumors.

Or, you could have "Oswald's Waste World". Now you have Epcot basically, as someone mentioned. The 'monorail' system that connects them could appear to be obscenely high-tech, just for fun.

 

[fantasiafan]

maybe it could be 2 player and player 2 could be oswald. just thinking since me and my brother LOVE this game and have to fight over the wii remote to decide who plays first

 

[Jake Massoni]

I want to see Stitch in the next one. Maybe they could bring Hawaii to the mix and Baloo could be in the Jungle part

 

[mharrington]

maybe it could be 2 player and player 2 could be oswald. just thinking since me and my brother LOVE this game and have to fight over the wii remote to decide who plays first

I want to see Stitch in the next one. Maybe they could bring Hawaii to the mix and Baloo could be in the Jungle part

I really don't want to go overboard with the post-1966 character inclusions.