Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse received much fanfare for its smooth gameplay, beautiful graphics and polished feel during the Super Nintendo’s infancy. It was yet another Capcom smash. In ’94 the sequel The Great Circus Mystery added a 2-player mode with Minnie. The next year gamers in Japan were graced by the last in the trilogy — MICKEY & DONALD: MAGICAL ADVENTURE 3.
Today we examine the game that sadly never was in the US (though Capcom ported the trilogy to GBA in 2005).
If you liked the first two, this will be no different. You still get suits with different abilities as you advance through the game, it still employs the snatch-a-block-out-of-the-air-and-toss-it-at-the-baddie system, and it’s still all quite easy. A password system is included to make your life even easier. Animation, as always, is top-notch.
You won’t find anything new here, but perhaps that’s just as well.
The intro shows Mickey visiting Donald. Huey, Dewey and Louie, being bored, venture upstairs to the attic. There they find an ancient book, and, well, curiosity killed the cat, er, duck?
[What am I paying you again? Oh, that’s right. Nothing -Ed.]
And so you’re off with the choice of Mickey or Donald in the 1 player game, or 2 player game if you have a friend on hand. Mickey and Donald have different suits which is a plus. There are 7 stages, with multiple levels in each. Here’s a quick peek:
STAGE ONE
Looks-wise, not much has changed from the original in 1993… but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, ne?
The two blocks up top can be pulled an unlimited number of times.
Use your knight suit to eliminate the first boss, which shows off the system’s Mode 7.
STAGE TWO
Donald displays the power of this particular garment.
The poor chap hasn’t grown into it quite yet!
STAGE THREE
Mid-boss is “dying” to meet you. Sorry.
STAGE FOUR
This costume packs a mean wallop!
STAGE FIVE
The wavy blocks are a nice touch. The bubbles allow Mickey to catch his breath… so don’t stray far away from one!
STAGE SIX
I guess it’s a platforming rule to have at least one ice / snow level eh?
And you wonder why he carries such a big hammer…
STAGE SEVEN
This is just the opening, and already things are heating up!
CLOSING THOUGHTS
If you enjoyed Magical Quest, then you’ll like this one, too. The sequel, The Great Circus Mystery, was a tad disappointing, but this game delivers the goods. I like that Mickey and Donald have different suits with different powers. The visuals are lush and gorgeous. Typical Capcom quality soundtrack. And of course, the gameplay is super polished and fun, especially with a friend at the helm. It’s a shame this game never came out to American shores, but it’s understandable considering it came out in Japan December 1995 (a time where the 32-bit era was beginning its dominance of the market and 16-bit machines were quickly fading away). Thankfully, there isn’t much Japanese text to worry about here, and it’s completely playable without an ounce of Japanese knowledge. I still prefer Magical Quest but this is the sequel The Great Circus Mystery should have been.
In the simplest layman terms, it’s Mickey. It’s Capcom. It’s Mickey BY Capcom. It’s damn good.