The 16 bit era was a magical time for video games, and no one had more magic up their sleeves than Capcom. Not only did they produce amazing games of their own, but they also released several licensed games based on well known properties such as Disney. The Capcom Disney games are still well loved today, but one trilogy that should be appreciated more is the Magical Quest Trilogy. These games starred Mickey Mouse and contained excellent gameplay within.
The first game saw Mickey go on a quest to rescue Pluto from King Pete, and to do so he had to travel through different worlds and fight numerous enemies. Along the way, Mickey would gain powerups in the form of costumes that would allow him new powers. For instance, a fireman’s outfit would enable Mickey to use a hose, and things like that. These provided a way to solve puzzles and take out enemies, but also to experience Mickey doing his various jobs from different adventures. To some, this gave the game a sort of feel of the Mega Man series, also from Capcom, so it was clear there was a sense of polish with the game.
Where the game fell a bit short, is that it was a bit too easy at times. The game was obviously made for younger players, and the game doesn’t hold much challenge to some. The thing is, a game can be easy and still enjoyable if the charm is there, and that is the case with the Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse. But this would not be the end of the series, but rather just the beginning.
The series continued with the next game, The Great Circus Mystery Starring Mickey & Minnie. As the name suggested, this one was a two player experience where a second player could join in as Minnie Mouse. This was the only real major addition to the game though, as the overall experience was kept very similar to the first game. It was more of a good experience and that is fine, but the game’s easiness was not addressed yet and it was still too easy for some. There were new outfits for Mickey and Minnie to wear and new worlds to travel to, but it felt more like an expansion on the first game with a new story than anything else. Not a bad entry, but it didn’t have the same wow factor as the first game. Things would pick up with the finale however.
The series would conclude with Disney’s Magical Quest 3 Starring Mickey & Donald and things did feel different here. This time, Mickey and Donald joined forces to rescue Huey, Dewy and Louie from King Pete, and the result was an amazing game that wasn’t released in the west until a remake on the Game Boy Advance. Mickey and Donald played slightly differently in this game, and the various outfits would be different for each character. Mickey for instance, could get a suit of armor, while Donald could get a helmet and a barrel to wear. This didn’t necessarily make Donald the weaker character though, as he could swim in that outfit unlike Mickey. The difficulty was increased somewhat, and while some still felt it too easy, most agreed the issues were fixed. Capcom took more risks here and it paid off well.
The games received remakes on the GBA, that had new features such as mini games and adding Minnie as a character in the remake of the first game. A save feature, introduced in the Super Famicom version of the third game, was now included in these versions, and link cables allowed for co op gameplay.
These are truly excellent games and I urge you all to look these up and try them out for yourselves. You will see why they truly had that Capcom and Disney magic.
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