Warren Spector and the most popular vermin in the world are coming back for another round this year. An Associated Press report officially unveiled Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two for Nintendo’s Wii, the Xbox 360, and Playstation 3 on Wednesday.
The sequel to 2010’s Wii-only Epic Mickey makes numerous departures from its predecessor. For starters, the game can be played by two people, one as Mickey Mouse himself and the other as former antagonist Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. The other big change is that characters in Epic Mickey 2 will actually speak. What’s more, they’ll sing. Mirroring the evolution of Disney’s own films from silent shorts to full-length musical features, the new game will sport songs from Dorothy of Oz lyricist Mike Himelstein and composer Jim Dooley. “I love the co-op and next-gen stuff, but for me, when a character breaks into song, which they do on a regular basis in this game, it’s magic,” says self-described musical geek Spector.
The first Epic Mickey was a commercial success for Disney but a critical misstep for Spector. Complaints about the game ranged from the technical—many critics (including DT) and fans griped about the game’s unruly camera—to the ephemeral. Like Deus Ex and Thief, the games that made Spector famous, Epic Mickey put heavy emphasis on player choice in its story. The Disney game was ultimately seen as too shallow in its exploration of black and white ethics though. Mickey 2 will at least switch up the formula, with Mickey’s good or devious choices resulting in different songs playing in the musical portions.
No word on whether or not Mickey Mouse will become embroiled in a massive global conspiracy this time out. Fingers crossed.
