In some ways, there was a danger that Epic Mickey’s plot would become a metaphor for the game itself.

Released exclusively for Wii in 2010, the 3D platform game tells the story of Mickey Mouse visiting the Wasteland, a dark alternate world where all of Walt Disney’s forgotten creations live (including Oswald, the lucky rabbit whose rights Disney had just reacquired after nearly 80 years).

Although the game sold well – I was told today that it ended up selling almost 4 million copies – the game’s potential was arguably hampered by the fact that it was released exclusively for the Wii at a point in the console’s life, four years later, when many fans of the “core” games had already left them behind in favor of the HD platforms.

Nearly a decade and a half have passed since then, and for a while it looked like Epic Mickey – which remained exclusive to Wii after all this time – would itself become a forgotten Disney creation, like the characters in the game’s Wasteland. But thanks to Austrian studio Purple Lamp, that will no longer be the case.

Due out next month, Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is a complete remake of the Wii game, with every element rebuilt from scratch. As someone who reviewed the Wii original back in the day and still looks back on it fondly, the difference is clear from the second Mickey appears on screen.

For those unfamiliar with the game, Mickey is armed with a magical paintbrush that allows him to manipulate objects and characters in the wasteland. With the paintbrush, he can fire either paint or paint thinner, both of which obviously have different effects on his target.

The two can also be combined to overcome obstacles. For example, if there is a bridge ahead of you blocked by a huge pile of boulders, you can apply thinner to the bridge to make it disappear and the boulders fall down. You can then apply paint to the empty space where the bridge once stood to bring it back to life and cross it happily and with a hop.

The original game was developed by Junction Point Studios and led by Deus Ex creator Warren Spector. Although Spector isn’t working directly on the remake on a daily basis, Purple Lamp has been providing him with regular builds to ensure he’s happy with the take on the original.

One of the developers who demoed the game told me that Spector particularly enjoyed the new builds on his Steam Deck, claiming they made “a better version” of his game. “It’s not a better version,” they stressed. “It’s just a version made 14 years later.”

One of the developers who demoed the game told me that Warren Spector enjoyed playing the new builds on his Steam Deck and claimed they made “a better version” of his game. “It’s not a better version,” they stressed. “It’s just a version made 14 years later.”

While Rebrushed is clearly a recreation of the Wii game, it is not a complete 1:1 recreation. The most obvious examples of this are the controls and the camera. Since the Wii version was played with a Wii Remote and Nunchuk, players did not have much control over the camera, which ultimately became one of the biggest issues critics had with the game.

This has now obviously been replaced by a typical twin-stick system, which gives the player full control over the camera and makes the game far more intuitive for modern audiences.

The changes go beyond normal gameplay improvements, however. The game’s “projector” levels, the sideways platforming levels that connect the main 3D areas, evoked great feelings of nostalgia for Wii players in 2010, as each level is based on a classic Mickey cartoon.

Aside from that nostalgia, however, the projector levels have been criticized for being fairly simplistic, something Purple Lamp has attempted to change. These levels now have more interactive elements – elevator platforms now have to be activated manually, there are more hidden collectibles and the like – which ensure that they are no longer just “remember” moments in between the “main” game, but more in-depth sections.

Other small improvements we were shown included a new cinematic hub where players can select and replay those 2D levels (in case they missed any collectibles the first time around), an improved menu screen with missions broken down into better categories, and a larger bonus menu with three times as much unlockable concept art as before.

With about a month to go until release, we don’t have much time left to see if Epic Mickey: Rebrushed will breathe new life into a game that really deserved more love the first time around, but didn’t due to platform exclusivity, waning enthusiasm for the Wii, and annoying flaws like the game’s camera.

One thing is for sure, though: if Rebrushed sells well enough and it turns out there’s still an audience for this darker take on Mickey Mouse, I’m crossing my fingers that Purple Lamp gets the green light to remake Epic Mickey 2. Based on what I’ve heard from Rebrushed, I hope THQ is all ears if Purple Lamp is interested in the sequel – pardon the inevitable Mickey pun.