Mickey Mousecapade

The Good
Mickey Mousecape offers 8-bit platforming levels, enemies and bosses from several different Disney films, including Witch Hazel, the Crocodile from Peter Pan, Kaa from the Jungle Book and Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty.

This effort to combine different Disney characters and images into a video game would become popular with later video games starring Mickey Mouse, but it is nice to see a very early version of the premise here.

The game allows for two players to play the game, at once, has a fairly easy, even generous, selection of items to give you extra lives, restore health and, yes, your offensive weapon is unlimited use magical throwing star ("When you wish upon a Star")

The Bad
Much of the game's animation, graphics, music, sound effects, playability will feel like a recycled rendition of Hudson Soft's Adventure Island 1.

Hudson Soft would earn its 8-bit fame with later video games, especially its Adventure Island sequels, but here we have a game that could have easy been called "Mickey & Minnie Mouse in Adventure Island".

Simply put, the game's animation, graphics, music, sound effects are strictly average. Even for an early NES game. You will, with some creativity, be able to recognize the Disney-inspired levels, enemies and, bosses.

It is easier than Adventure Island 1, especially if you collect the magic throwing star, but if you play alone be prepared for some frustration with the computer controlled Minnie Mouse character.

Yeah, without a second player controlling Minnie Mouse, she is poorly controlled by the computer. If she dies, then so do you. If she gets kidnapped during a level, then you probably need to go and save her.

The only potential benefit to having the computer controlled Minnie Mouse onscreen is that in certain levels she can be manipulated to (if you have the star) attack a boss, without losing any precious life bars.

The storyline in the game is underdeveloped. It is not really explained very well. Basically, the two Disney mice are on a quest to rescue Alice (from Disney's Alice in Wonderland).

In the original Japanese version of the game, there was more emphasis on Alice in Wonderland type bosses and levels, but that was modified for the western market.

The Bottom Line
Mickey Mousecape is strictly an average, unpolished game. It could have been worse, but it also could have been much better. Gamers interested in an early, "classic" Mickey Mouse video game would do better to check out Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse for the Sega Genesis.