Old problems unfixed with entirely new problems, Epic Mickey 2 is a game not even fans will touch with a 10 foot brush.
You know you're a hero when just as you kick up your heels and relax after a job well done, you're called back into duty. Such is Mickey's life. After saving Wasteland from the evil schemes of the Mad Doctor, Mickey is suddenly and urgently summoned back. Earthquakes have rocked the land and Guardian Spirits are being sucked under the surface, leaving patches of Wasteland barren. While trying to investigate what's going on, the Mad Doctor suddenly reappears and ... breaks out in an apologetic song. Apparently, the Doctor's trying to set right all the wrong he did and pledges himself to stopping the earthquakes. The townspeople are eager to put their trust in him but Mickey, who is now joined with his former foe Oswald, is wary of the Doc's intentions. Can the two save Wasteland again?
If you're the kind that enjoys new settings in your sequels, look elsewhere. There's a lot of familiarity in Epic Mickey 2, so you'll be seeing a lot of Wasteland again, changed here and there to show the aftermath of the earthquakes. You'll run into the same people and do the same kinds of fetch quests you did before, and that's disappointing right there. The concept of the game has so much potential for originality that's its squandered by all the retreading. It's also a bit aimless as well, like the first game, meaning you'll be wandering around at times going, "Huh?" as you try to figure out where to go next.
Epic Mickey 2 retains the original game's paint and thinner mechanic. The L trigger dispenses green thinner, which thins out certain objects, floors and other structures. The R trigger shoots blue paint, which can fill in those certain objects. You can also use them on enemies to wipe them out or turn them friendly so they'll attack other enemies. Every main objective has two ways to solve them by either destructive or constructive means but just like the first game, it doesn't do much to really have any bearing or making an impact on the story itself. It's also not as fun to spray paint, because the analogue stick is slower and more cumbersome than pointing with the Wii remote, which unfortunately you do not have the option to do.
The same camera problems that plagued the first game are also present here. You're going to find your vision obstructed again as the camera sticks behind objects, swings too high or too low and gets stuck in the floor, or zooms in too close to you. You'll start cussing as you try to juggle moving the camera in the heat of combat when it's moving left but you want it to move right. You'll also grind your teeth when it locks in place at certain vantage points when you want to be able to look around, but can't. Poor camera angles also make judging distances a pain in the ass, which is exacerbated by shoddy ledge climbing.
It's one thing to import the problems of your previous game into your sequel, but it's something else entirely to introduce new crippling problems. The biggest offender is the horrendous amount of slowdown the Wii U version suffers from. The frame rate bogs down into the single digits may times, and for no apparent reason at all. Even just shooting your paint is enough to trigger a drop in frame rate. This affects gameplay as it disrupts the timing of both your jumps and attacks.
The next big problem is your incompetent AI partner Oswald. His weapon of choice is a remote control that shoots electricity and hacks terminals. He's supposed to help you out in combat by stunning enemies, so you can thin them out or hit them with spin attacks. He just isn't as useful as he ought to be, standing around just watching numerous times while you get wailed on. It also doesn't help that the game still contains wonky hit detection boxes. He can boost you up in the air, use his ears like a helicopter and glide Mickey over gaps, or zap control panels. The problem here is that the prompts to use these co-op abilities don't always appear. You have to move around and sometimes wait several seconds for them to appear. One major issue that occurred was when a set of switches needed to be activated by both Mickey and Oswald, Oswald did nothing at all requiring a Wii remote and nunchuck to be turned on so that both characters could hit the switch at the same time. If you have a friend to play with, than these problems are alleviated, but you should never have to put up with these kinds of issues when you're playing the game by itself.
The projector levels of the first game have returned and although their level design is still solid, leave it to Oswald to ruin the fun. These levels are layered with Mickey in the foreground and Oswald in the background, but he will refuse to go out of his way to collect any tickets. Questing has also returned, but with all the major problems this game has, you're very hard pressed to go out of your way to help anyone. The resulting main story is actually rather short and can be finished in just a handful of hours. It's such a shame too, because the game's presentation is about as magical as you'd expect from a Disney studio.
Is there anything the game does right? Well, the visuals are terrific, if you can get past the insidious frame rate. Just like the first title, the art direction is fantastic. Everything has that hand-painted feel to it. The characters are textured and animated like they've been lifted straight from their cartoons of origin. The effect of seeing objects diluted and filled in isn't as impressive as it first was, but that's because the novelty has worn off. Other special effects such as explosions and other things don't seem out of place at all. It's also so nice to play the game in high-definition thanks to the Wii U, but again, it's that horrible frame rate that ruins everything.
Audiowise, the game sounds about the same as the first Epic Mickey. From the sound effects used to the way the music's composed, there really isn't anything new in terms of audio. If you loved the music of the first, you'll enjoy it here. The music from the old cartoons accompanies the projector levels, once again doing a great job of establishing authenticity. The voice acting is where the game really shines, though. Mickey and his supporting cast are given faithful renditions, and it's the Mad Doctor that steals the spotlight. His songs are fantastic to listen to, and is the only real thing you'll be looking forward to as the game progresses.
The first Epic Mickey was enjoyable because it was an original idea and managed to be just slightly greater than its faults, but its sequel succumbs to them miserably. As much as you want to love this game, you can't. It regurgitates itself, fails to hold your interest storywise, frustrates you with horrible AI and hurts your eyes with frame rate problems. Every time you try to open your heart to the game, it pushes you away a little more violently each time until you've had enough of trying, and by then the game is abruptly over. Warren Spector had one job. Just one job. Make a better game, the Epic Mickey that we should have had back in 2010, and he failed. Epically.