Mickey Mousecapade
System: NES
Release Date: October 1988
Developer: Hudson Soft
Publisher: Capcom
Genre: Platformer
One of the most beloved characters of all time, ever, gets his first NES game. Welcome to Mickey Mousecapade! It was either this or Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! that is my first video game memory. Mickey bosses his girlfriend Minnie around to follow him and not fall behind by more than a step or two. The premise of the game is that the dynamic duo is looking for a mystery friend. Who is that friend, you have no clue until you beat the game. Minnie follows Mickey and has to exit rooms with him, although you don’t get to control her directly.
There are five levels that Mickey and Minnie have to go through. The Fun House begins things and is where you have to find the shooting stars that allow you to take out enemies. After that, you take a quick jaunt to the ocean. The main enemy here are waves that come at fixed patterns. Next comes the forest. This is a maze, you have to get through the seasons to make your way to the end of the level. After that is the smallest, but most difficult level, the pirate ship. Making your way to Peg Leg Pete with enough health to beat him legit is difficult, though you can beat him through cheese.
The last level is the castle. You need to find a key to open up the door to the final boss. And you need to find the key before you fight Pete for a second time, otherwise, you will die. The last baddie is Maleficent. She’s easy enough to defeat, as you need to just spam the stars and avoid her projectiles to the best of your ability. At the end, you save the mystery friend (Spoiler Alert), who turns out to be Alice. She looks as if she ate a few too many mushrooms.
Graphics: 1.5
I can tell what everything is. There was no noticeable flicker.
Sound: 2.0
I’m wavering on this one, but I guess the music and sounds are alright.
Gameplay: 1.5
Minnie likes to get stuck on things and also die when you don’t want her to, killing you.
Difficulty: 1.5
The pirate ship is difficult to defeat. Other than that, it’s a game for novices.
Fun Factor: 1.5
It’s alright, I have nostalgia on my side for this, so maybe a little high.
Overall Grade: 1.6
Mickey Mousecapade earns a C-. It’s an alright game, but nothing great.