Mickey Mousecapade (1988) NES Game Review

Mickey Mousecapade ・ ミッキーマウス 不思議の国の大冒険
Developed by: Hudson Soft
Published by: Hudson Soft (JP) | Capcom (NA)
Release date: March 6th, 1987 (JP) | October 1988 (NA)

Throughout the 80’s and 90’s, Capcom was a name synonymous with quality. They were also synonymous with Disney games on Nintendo systems, putting out 9 of them for the NES alone. Mickey Mousecapade was the first of those lucrative collaborations between the House of Mouse and the house that Mega Man built…

…Well, sort of. While the other 8 Capcom helmed Disney titles were developed in-house by them, it was actually Hudson Soft who was responsible for the development of Mickey Mousecapade. Hudson even distributed the game themselves in Japan – all Capcom did was publish it in North America. Considering the Scrooge McDuck levels of dough Capcom undoubtedly made from their future work with Disney, Hudson got the short end of the stick.

…But again, I find myself saying “well, sort of.” The Disney games developed by Capcom are solid titles that are still fun to play to this day, so their success with those IPs was more than warranted. Hudson’s Mickey Mousecapade, on the other hand, feels like an outlier when stacked up against those titles, because it’s kinda sorta not that great.

So, what’s this mousecapade all about? Alice (of Wonderland fame) has been kidnapped! Mickey and Minnie, being the good judies that they are, leap into action to save their friend from a star-studded Disney rogue’s gallery. Mickey Mousecapade is a platformer that puts you into the big cartoon shoes of Mickey Mouse, but Minnie follows his every move, trailing behind by only a beat.

I didn’t have anything against Minnie Mouse before playing Mousecapade. I do now, though. The concept of Mickey and Minnie being a playable duo is cute on paper, but holy HELL is it ever aggravating in practice. Minnie is invulnerable to enemy damage, so if you can maneuver her just right, she can trounce most bosses in no time flat. The only thing that kills Minnie is falling into a pit…the downside here is that if Minnie falls, she drags Mickey down with her, which costs the player a precious life. As astute readers may have guessed, Minnie falls into pits a lot. Minnie and Mickey can also get separated from each other, meaning you have to wrangle her back in place to pull off tricky jumps and progress – you can’t leave a screen without her in tow. I can’t stress how irritating this is; a good 50% of the game plays like a never ending escort mission.

The graphics are simplistic but cute, and the stage music is catchy, even if the loops are a bit short. Speaking of, the five levels are loosely modelled after the Disney adaptations of Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan, with minor characters from other Disney movies making cameo appearances as enemies. The Japanese version of the game features more recognizable Disney baddies as bosses, though they were replaced in the NA edition for reasons unknown. Go figure.

I’ve actually tried to play Mousecapade quite a few times over the years. I’d muddle my way through the first few stages before shutting it off out of sheer boredom. Other than occasionally having to collect keys, it’s the most platform-y platformer that ever platform’d. Though it’s competently made and far from offensive, Mickey Mousecapade would have been all but forgotten by time if not for the Disney coat of paint.

Mickey Mousecapade isn’t exactly a waste of time, but it isn’t exactly not a waste of time, either. You feel me? Unless you’re a die-hard Disney nut or you’ve already cleared all of the good NES platformers, your time is better spent on something else. All I know is that if I ever see Minnie Mouse again, it’ll be a day too soon.

Final Rating: