Epic Mickey no longer features transformed Mickey appearance when taking an evil route, due to focus testing

“We’re not going to change Mickey’s image so much. People don’t like it when you mess with Mickey. We did a focus test that was really eye-opening for me. There was a biker dude saying, ‘Oh, I’d never play a Mickey Mouse game,’ and then we showed him images of a changed Mickey. I was sitting there thinking, ‘You’re gonna love what we do,’ but he said, ‘No! Don’t mess with my childhood.’” - Warren Spector

Mickey was originally supposed to take on a visual appearance closer to a rat if you were causing all kinds of trouble in the game. Since that idea tested poorly, Mickey’s visuals will not take on a smudgy appearance if you’re doing evil deeds.

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