Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two will launch for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii this fall, Disney has confirmed in an exclusive Associated Press reveal.
The game is a drop-in, drop-out co-op musical, according to director Warren Spector. It will feature both Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Rabbit. Oswald, whose never spoken a word in his life as a Disney character, will be voiced by Frank Welker. The game will feature music from Dorothy of Oz composers and lyricists Jim Dooley and Mike Himelstein. Depending on whether the player chooses to act well-mannered or mischievous, the music will change.
The game sees Mickey return to the twisted Disneyland known as the Wasteland. Both familiar and unseen areas will make an appearance. Returning areas will be altered, as earthquakes and other disasters have shifted their appearance.
“It’s drop-in, drop-out co-op,” said Spector. “You can sit down at any time with a friend who is playing as Mickey, and you can take control of Oswald. If you’re playing as a single player, Oswald will be there every second of the game. He’s not just a multiplayer character. He’s a helper, whether you’re playing alone or with a friend or family member.”
Mickey returns with his magical paint brush, and Oswald with an electricity-commanding remote control. Both characters must work together to bypass obstacles.
Oswald was introduced in 2010’s Epic Mickey. Though, players did not really care about him, according to Spector.
“We couldn’t ask people to care about this guy they’ve never heard of or no one has ever seen since 1928 in a Disney film,” said Spector. “It was unrealistic to expect people to care in the first game, but now we know they care. We hear about it from players all the time. They really, really got into Oswald, which is hugely gratifying. ”
One of the biggest changes in Epic Mickey 2 is the camera. According to Spector, “over 1,000 specific changes” have been made to the camera alone. The goal is ” that you will not have to touch the manual camera controls even once to play through the main story path of this game.”
Check out the first three (small) screenshots of Epic Mickey 2 below: