The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse
| The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse | |
|---|---|
 Front cover of North American SNES version | |
| Developer(s) | Capcom Co., Ltd. [1] |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom U.S.A. Inc. [1] Nintendo Disney Interactive |
| Producer(s) | Noah Dudley [2] |
| Composer(s) | Mari Yamaguchi (Credited as Mari) [2] |
| Platform(s) | Super NES Game Boy Advance |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single-player SNES Two players (Alternating turns) [6] GBA Two-player competitive |
The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse, the first game in the series, was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System during 1992 and 1993 and later re-released for the Game Boy Advance in 2002. Featuring six different levels with four different special outfits it stars Mickey Mouse on his journey to save his dog Pluto, who was dognapped by Emperor Pete during a game of catch with his friends Donald Duck and Goofy. [7] The game, and especially its outfit system and graphics, received mostly positive reviews, but was criticized for being relatively short. A port was originally planned for the Sega Mega Drive, but was abandoned. [8] [9] [10] [11]
Story
Mickey Mouse, Pluto, Goofy and Donald Duck are playing catch in the park. When it is Goofy's turn to throw the ball, he accidentally throws it too far. Pluto runs off chasing the ball and Goofy runs after Pluto, leaving Mickey alone. [12] Mickey goes searching for his friends after a while, but falls down a cliff into a strange magical land. Later, Mickey meets an old wizard who tells Mickey that Pluto has been dognapped by the land's ruler, Emperor Pete. After besting Pete, Mickey rescues Pluto, but in that moment he wakes up in his bed, revealing that the events of the game were merely a dream, and Donald suggests they play another game of catch. Mickey happily agrees and he, his friends and Pluto all live happily ever after. [6] [13]
Outfits
Mickey Mouse can wear four different outfits in The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse. Some outfits can be upgraded in the stores found throughout the game.
Mickey starts in his traditional clothing. It allows him to grab certain objects and spin-throw them. Mickey's first unlockable outfit, the magician outfit, is awarded to him in the beginning of the second level and allows Mickey to shoot magic blasts at enemies. The magic blasts fired are larger the longer they are charged. However, shooting magic drains Mickey's magic meter, which is refilled by collecting magical lamps. Additionally, Mickey can breathe underwater and control magic carpets while wearing it.
The firefighter uniform that Mickey finds in the third level allows him to spray water streams at enemies. In addition, the water stream can be used to put out fires, push blocks and form icicles. Similarly to the magician outfit, spraying water with the firefighter uniform drains Mickey's water meter which is refilled by collecting fire hydrant items.
In the fourth level of the game Goofy gives Mickey the mountain-climbing gear, which allows Mickey to use a grappling hook to attach to certain objects. He can then hoist or swing himself up on top of them. Moreover, his grappling hook can be used to grab items. The grappling hook can also be used as a weapon to grab enemies and spin-throw them. [6] [12] [14]
Game Boy Advance remake
The game was remade for the Game Boy Advance in 2002 with the name Disney's Magical Quest Starring Mickey and Minnie. It was developed by Capcom and published by Nintendo. In the GBA version Minnie Mouse was added to the game as a playable character, though she is identical in gameplay to Mickey. Additionally, four minigames for both single-player and multiplayer were added to the remake. The multiplayer mini-games were played with the GBA link cable and only one cartridge was needed to play with a friend. Notably, the GBA port also introduced a save feature and could connect to Disney's Magical Mirror Starring Mickey Mouse via the GameCube–Game Boy Advance link cable. [15]
Reception
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | 86% (SNES) [16] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 9 out of 10 (SNES) [7] |
| GameSpot | 6.6 out of 10 (GBA) [17] |
| IGN | 6 out of 10 (GBA) [15] |
| Nintendo Power | 4.1 out of 5 (SNES) [18] |
| SNES Force | 91% (SNES) [19] |
| Super Play | 89% (SNES) [1] |
The Super NES version of The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse was generally well received by critics. Most reviewers praised the detailed and colourful graphics and animations in the game, with some reviewers even calling them some of the best on the system to date. The bosses and backgrounds were specifically praised for their appearance. The outfit system was also well received and many critics felt it added depth to the gameplay. The sound and music received mixed to positive ratings, as some thought the music loops were too short and that the sound wasn't up to par with the rest of the game, while some found the music and sound effects very suitable for a Disney cartoon game. A great deal of the criticism was attributed to the difficulty of the game. Many reviewers believed that the game was too easy and/or short, primarily due to the game's unlimited continues that allowed the player to replay a level until finished, which lead to them recommending the game only for younger children. To counter the game's relatively low difficulty, some reviewers felt that the game's difficulty option should be set to hard to enjoy the game fully. [a] The Super NES version sold 1.2 million copies worldwide. [20]
The Game Boy Advance version of the game received mixed reviews. Again, most critics liked the graphics of the game, although some thought that the GBA version had slightly worse graphics than the SNES version. The cropped backgrounds and smaller view area in comparison to the SNES version were noted. The game's length was also criticized, as the original SNES version was. Most critics considered the GBA-specific multiplayer mini-games to add little value to the game; the fact that the Game Boy Advance consoles must be turned off and on to change multiplayer game was also not well received. On the other hand, being able to play multiplayer with only one cartridge was held in high regard. [b]
In 2009, GamesRadar ranked the game fifth on their list of the seven best Disney games, saying "This is another brilliant example of using a license properly, not falling back on it entirely. Mickey alone could have sold this game, but as was common in Capcom's early Disney games, the gameplay was fleshed out beyond contemporary offerings and would have proudly succeeded without the license at all." [21] IGN rated the game 23rd in its "Top 100 SNES Games of All Time". They praised the "spectacular" platforming and the costume-based action. [22]
