Fans of Mickey Mouse will rejoice over Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse (Mickey Mania for short). The game follows the famous mouse all the way through his glorious career, from start to around 1994.Myself, I've never been a major fan of Mickey Mouse, but I wasn't really a non-fan either. My little brother got this game for Christmas and after finding out that it was a platformer (my favorite kind of video game), I knew I had to play it.
As I mentioned, the game goes in order from the start of Mickey Mouse's career, to around the year of 1994 or 1995, when this game came out. The first level is "Steamboat Willie," and Mickey Mouse fans will recognize many of the other famous stories that are levels later on, such as "The Prince & The Pauper," "Mickey & The Beanstalk," and many others.
The game's graphics and gameplay are very realistic to the famous cartoons. For example, the first level, "Steamboat Willie" is partly in black & white, just like the real cartoon was. Also, in the cartoon in which Mickey encounters the blue ghosts, those ghosts look like and are animated in exactly the same way in Mickey Mania as they are in the cartoon.
Gameplay wise, Mickey Mania is much like your typical 2D side scrolling action/adventure. You must guide Mickey Mouse through the several different levels and make it to the end of each one. In some of the levels, you just have to make it to the end. In others, there might be a famous Mickey Mouse character, such as the Moose Hunter or the Pauper, waiting for you. Finally, at the end of a few levels, Mickey will have to battle a boss such as a mad scientist, or Pete.
In each level, Mickey must collect marbles, which he can throw at enemies. There are also other items that need to be collected, such as yellow stars for energy, and extra lives.
For you history buffs, not only is Mickey Mania true to the cartoons, but it even tells you the real name of the cartoon and what year it was made.
Mickey Mania is great when it comes to graphics. Just about all the characters in the game are well drawn and look just like they do in the real cartoons. The levels themselves, and the backgrounds are also well-designed, and some of them are even 3D. For example, in one level, a moose chases Mickey Mouse. What's so great about this one is that Mickey doesn't run to the right or left, like the typical 2D side scroller. Mickey and the moose both run facing you, giving the level a 3D look and feel.
The sounds and music in Mickey Mania aren't bad either. The sound effects sound cartoony just like they should, and the music is good and catchy. Mickey Mania's controls are also well done. It's easy to make the famous mouse jump any distance, duck, throw marbles, or anything else you need him to do.
If you're a fan of platformers or action/adventure games, Mickey Mania would be a great game to get. Even after years of playing it, it's still a lot of fun to put in and play from start to finish any day of the year. In other words, Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse really is a timeless adventure.
