I’ve been a Disney fan since I was a kid, but there are some embarrassing gaps in my knowledge. While I’ll get over not having seen Frozen 2 and never really understanding why The Lion King is so revered, there’s one shameful secret that haunts me to this day: I never properly played the first Epic Mickey.

As someone who only really used their Wii for the big exclusives or to mess around with Wii Sports, I missed out on a lot of great games. One of those games is Epic Mickey, which I briefly bought after becoming obsessed with the creepy concept art and the resurrection of Oswald, but never finished because I loathed the heavy focus on motion controls.

I’ve spent the last decade and a bit more waiting for the day when Disney realizes what a goldmine it has with Epic Mickey and finally gives me the chance to ease my conscience, and that’s exactly what we get with Epic Mickey: Rebrushed. I expected it to just be a simple remaster when it was announced during a Nintendo Direct earlier this year, but after playing it at Gamescom, I’ve realized it’s so much more than just a fresh coat of paint. Epic Mickey: Rebrushed

Michael Mouse is back in action

My preview began very early in the game, when everyone’s favorite mouse had just figured out how to use his skills with paint and thinner. As I wandered through one of the game’s first levels, I immediately noticed the graphical improvement. Mickey and his dark Disney environment looked better than I could have imagined.

It’s a bit of a shame that there are still no voice actors other than Yen Sid during the intro (and presumably at the end), but the care and love that went into this port of Epic Mickey is immediately impressive. A visual upgrade would have been more than enough for me, but Rebrushed is more of a remake than a remaster.

The most noticeable change in Epic Mickey is the new movement and combat abilities added to Mickey’s moveset. The Mickster can now sprint in any direction, stomp enemies to hurt them, and, most excitingly, sprint around much faster. Despite my short experience, I remember how slow Mickey was in the original version, especially considering how large some of the areas are, but now there’s a lot of movement tech that makes getting around a lot easier and more satisfying.

These major updates to Mickey’s controls make getting around and playing Rebrushed undeniably better than the original game, especially now that motion controls are completely optional. For someone like me who barely played the Wii version, Rebrushed’s updated graphics and movement are already a dream come true, but several smaller improvements add up to make this feel like the best possible version of Epic Mickey.

Re-brushed? No, re-done

It would be impossible to go through everything Purple Lamp told me about the changes in Rebrushed (minor changes include the ability to replay Gus’ tutorials and see Mickey’s location on the map at any time), but the most notable changes for me were in the sideways sections based on classic Mickey shorts.

In the original release, these moments were mostly just extended loading screens that didn’t do justice to the cool concept behind them, but Purple Lamp has put a lot of time and effort into revitalizing them. Not only do they all look much better with additional background detail, but they also include a number of new routes, secrets, and platforming challenges.

Considering how common the projector sections were in the Wii version of Epic Mickey, and how most players ultimately wanted to avoid them (which is now an option once you’ve completed each section), this seems to be one of the most significant changes in Rebrushed, and something that will benefit both long-time fans and newcomers.

Add to that a new theater in the main hub world that lets you replay the sideways sections and a number of new collectibles that weren’t included in the original game, and Rebrushed offers a surprising amount of new content. After my short time with the game, it’s too early to tell how successful it will all be, but it looks like Epic Mickey Rebrushed is going to be one hell of a remake when it launches next month.