Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse

Mickey Mania
Developer(s)	Traveller's Tales
Publisher(s)	Sony Imagesoft
Distributor(s)	Roadshow Interactive (Australia and New Zealand) Sony Computer Entertainment (PlayStation) (Europe, Australia)
Designer(s)	Travellers Tales: Jon Burton (writer, designer, lead programmer) Andy Ingram (writer, designer, graphics) Sony Imagesoft: Mike Giam, David Jaffe (designer)
Composer(s)	Andy Blythe & Marten Joustra, Matt Furniss (all versions) Michael Giacchino (additional music for Playstation and Sega CD version)
Platform(s)	Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, SNES, Sega CD, PlayStation
Release date(s)	Mega Drive NA October, 1994 PAL 1994 JP March 31, 1995 Super Nintendo NA October 1994[1] JP March 31, 1995 PAL April 1, 1995 Sega Mega-CD NA 1995 PAL 1995 Sony PlayStation PAL March 1996
Genre(s)	Platformer
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	VRC: GA
Media/distribution	Cartridge, CD

Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse is a 1994 video game released for the 16-bit Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega CD, and Super NES. In the game, the player controls Mickey Mouse, who must navigate through various side-scrolling levels, each designed and based from classical Mickey Mouse cartoons from 1928 to 1990. The game was later released on PlayStation in Europe and Australia as Mickey's Wild Adventure.

This is also known as the first game that video game designer David Jaffe worked on.

Gameplay

Like many other games of its genre, the player must take on the role of Mickey and progress through each level, defeating enemies along the way and solving the occasional puzzle. Most enemies can be defeated either by stomping on them or tossing marbles at them. Frequently, the player must jump from platform to platform in order to advance, even occasionally within the constrains of a time limit (such as when escaping from a collapsing tower).

Levels

The levels in the game are based from the following classic Disney Mickey Mouse cartoons:

• Steamboat Willie (1928)
• The Mad Doctor (1933)
• The Band Concert (1935) (acts as a bonus level; found only on Mega Drive/Genesis, Mega CD and Playstation releases).
• Moose Hunters (1937)
• Lonesome Ghosts (1937)
• Mickey and the Beanstalk (1947)
• The Prince and the Pauper (1990)

Development

Originally, Mickey Mania was planned as a game to be released as part of Mickey's 65th birthday. However, as that would have only allowed for six months to develop the game, this idea was soon scrapped in favor of the more compelling concept of Mickey traveling back in time to his own original classic cartoons. The game pays tribute to Mickey's whole cartoon career (released in 1994, the year after Mickey's 65th birthday).

Version differences

The four versions of the game differ greatly from each other. The Super NES version is missing the hidden Band Concert level and the staircase sequence in the Mad Doctor level, as well as a few special effects and some of Pluto's appearances.

It also adds loading time screens in between each area. In contrast, the Mega CD and PlayStation versions add a sequence near the end of the Prince and the Pauper level wherein Mickey must find pencils to call upon the other Mickeys from the six main levels to attack Pete, as well as giving Mickey an extensive dialogue relevant to situations throughout the game. The Mega Drive/Genesis lacks the hidden area near the end of the first level. The PlayStation version, meanwhile, enhances the graphics and adds a sequence at the end of the Mickey and the Beanstalk level where Mickey must run away from Willie the Giant (Willie makes no appearance in any of the other game versions despite being mentioned in the manuals of all four versions; on the Mega Drive version appears only on hard difficuly level).

See also

• List of Disney video games by genre

References

1. ^ Super NES Release List from nintendo.com at the Wayback Machine (archived September 30, 2007)

External links

• Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse at MobyGames