Mickey Mania

Short description: 1994 video game

Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse

North American Sega CD box art

Developer(s)| Traveller's Tales
Psygnosis (PS)
Publisher(s)| Sony Imagesoft
Sony Computer Entertainment (PS)
Designer(s)| Jon Burton
Andy Ingram
Mike Giam
David Jaffe
Composer(s)| Andy Blythe
Marten Joustra
Matt Furniss
Michael Giacchino
Platform(s)| Super NES, Sega Genesis, Sega CD, PlayStation
Release| SNES, Genesis, Sega CD

* EU: 28 October 1994[3][4]
* NA: 1 November 1994[1][2]

PlayStation

* PAL: 1 March 1996

Genre(s)| Platform
Mode(s)| Single-player

Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse (Japanese: ミッキーマニア) is a 1994 platform video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Sony Imagesoft for the Super NES, Sega Genesis, and Sega CD. In the game, the player controls Mickey Mouse, who must navigate through various side-scrolling levels, each designed and based on classic Mickey Mouse cartoons.

A port for the PlayStation with enhanced graphics was developed by Psygnosis and published in Europe by Sony Imagesoft's successor Sony Computer Entertainment as Mickey's Wild Adventure in 1996.

Mickey Mania received positive reviews from critics, with particular praise given for its graphics and homage to the original cartoons. A sequel, Mickey Mania 2, was in development, but was eventually cancelled.

## Contents

* 1 Gameplay
* 2 Development
* 3 Version differences
* 4 Reception
* 5 References
* 6 External links
* 7 Features
* 8 History
* 9 See also
* 10 References
* 11 External links

## Gameplay

Mickey Mania is a platformer in which players control Mickey Mouse as he visits various locations based on his past cartoons, ranging from his debut in Steamboat Willie to the more recent The Prince and the Pauper. Mickey can attack enemies by either jumping on them or by using a limited supply of marbles, which are collected throughout the level. Mickey can take up to five hits, represented by the fingers he holds up on his hand, which can be replenished by collecting stars, whilst extra lives can be gained by finding Mickey hats. Levels offer a variety of challenges such as puzzles the player must solve, escaping from a rampaging moose and fleeing from a flaming staircase.

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

* Steamboat Willie (1928)
* The Mad Doctor (1933)
* The Band Concert (1935) (not included in the SNES version)
* Moose Hunters (1937)
* Lonesome Ghosts (1937)
* Mickey and the Beanstalk (1947)
* The Prince and the Pauper (1990)

## Development

Originally, Mickey Mania was planned to be released to coincide with Mickey's 65th birthday in 1993. 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 and subsequently recreating the events of the aforementioned shorts in the process. The game pays tribute to Mickey's early cartoon career. The game was designer David Jaffe's debut design project.[5]

Following the success of Mickey Mania, a sequel was planned and began development with a prototype created in 1994. However, it was later cancelled so that Traveller's Tales could instead focus on developing a game based on the then-upcoming film Toy Story.[6]

## Version differences

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The SNES version is missing the hidden Band Concert level, the staircase sequence in the Mad Doctor level, a few special effects, some of Pluto's appearances, and some level-ending sequences. It also adds loading time screens in between each area. The Sega CD and PSX versions extend the ending to the Mad Doctor level, showing that the Mad Doctor had regressed to a baby, and adds 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 extensive dialogue relevant to situations throughout the game. The Genesis version lacks the hidden area near the end of the first level. The PlayStation version enhances the graphics (all sprites are remade, the staircase sequences are rendered in 3D, and in the Mad Doctor level, crates occasionally come from behind which Mickey has to dodge) 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.

Both the Sega CD and PlayStation versions utilize a CD-based soundtrack composed by Andy Blythe and Marten Joustra with additional music by Michael Giacchino.

## Reception

On release, Famicom Tsūshin scored the Super Nintendo version of the game 28 out of 40,[7] and the Genesis version 30 out of 40.[8][9] GamePro gave the Genesis version a mixed review, applauding the visual style and motif of playing inside old cartoons, commenting that "the blend of past and present is magical", but criticized the game as too easy. GamePro concluded that "if Mickey's not your thing, you won't appreciate this cart. But if you liked any of Mickey's other games, you won't miss with Mickey Mania".[10] The same reviewer later covered the Sega CD version. He praised its improved graphics, additional voice samples, and new level, but again concluded that the game is too easy to appeal to anyone who isn't a Mickey Mouse fan.[11] A different GamePro reviewer covered the SNES version, and in contrast found that the game's difficulty was too high for younger gamers, but praised the responsive controls and sharp graphics.[12] Power Unlimited reviewed the SNES version and gave a score of 91% summarizing: "Jewel of a game in which Mickey Mouse relives his adventures from countless cinema films with very inventive levels, eye-catching graphic design, a fantastic soundtrack and a unique character. That's the way it should be!"[13]

Next Generation reviewed the Sega CD version of the game, rating it four stars out of five, and stated that "there's just enough innovation here [...] to make it a must, and if you've got kids, I think it's the law".[14] It also reviewed the Genesis version, rating it four stars out of five: "Ingenious action like Mickey carefully mixing a potion while being attacked from every side, makes it hard to put down".[15]

Maximum gave the PlayStation version two out of five stars. They praised the graphical stylistics, attention to detail, and solid gameplay, but criticized that the action never builds in intensity or pays off, and that the game makes no noticeable improvements over earlier versions. They nonetheless held it to be far better than the other 2D platformer than on the PlayStation, Johnny Bazookatone.[16]

The game won the 1994 Parents' Choice Award.[17] VideoGames magazine awarded it Best Sega CD Game.[18] In 1995, Total! rated Mickey Mania 54 on their list of top 100 SNES games, praising it as "original and very playable".[19] In 2018, Complex ranked the game 49 on their list of best Super Nintendo games of all time, writing: "A great game and a history lesson in all things Mickey Mouse: Mickey Mania was a fantastic title that fully utilized the broad color palate [sic] of the SNES. Walt Disney would be proud".[20]

## References

1. ↑ "Simba, Mickey Mouse, and sports figure into new video games". News & Record. September 12, 1994. https://www.newspapers.com/image/41834888/?terms="ecco" "tides of time"&match=1. "Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse (Sony Imagesoft, Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo, $59.99) Join Mickey Mouse in a trip through seven of his animated shorts Nov 1."
2. ↑ "MICKEY MANIA THIS NOVEMBER... IT BEGINS.". Electronic Gaming Monthly (63): 7. October 1994. https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_63/page/n7/mode/1up. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
3. ↑ "Lemmings the pick of the new crop". Birmingham Metro News: p. 39. October 27, 1994. https://www.newspapers.com/image/857401064/?terms="mickey mania"&match=1. "Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse, is released on the SNES and Mega Drive this week."
4. ↑ O'Connell, Glen (October 28, 1994). "Mania for Mickey is coming to your console". Liverpool Echo: p. 52. https://www.newspapers.com/image/798783631/?terms=cd&match=1. "Mickey Mania is currently available for the Super Nintendo, Sega Mega Drive, and Sega Mega CD."
5. ↑ Fleming, Ryan (January 6, 2012). "Exclusive interview: David Jaffe talks the birth of Twisted Metal, the rise of gaming, and the death of the console". Digital Trends. Yahoo! News. https://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-interview-david-jaffe-talks-birth-twisted-metal-231805068.html. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
6. ↑ "Cancelled Mickey Mania 2 !!! Only existing footage of the 1994 prototype!". YouTube. 5 September 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBEA9KmPw1I.
7. ↑ NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: ミッキーマニア. Weekly Famicom Tsūshin. No.329. Pg.30. April 7, 1995.
8. ↑ NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: ミッキーマニア. Weekly Famicom Tsūshin. No.329. Pg.32. April 7, 1995.
9. ↑ おオススメ!! ソフト カタログ!!: ミッキーマニア. Weekly Famicom Tsūshin. No.335. Pg.116. May 12–19, 1995.
10. ↑ "ProReview: Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse". 9c vGamePro (IDG) (64): 88. November 1994.
11. ↑ "ProReview: Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse". GamePro (IDG) (65): 114. December 1994.
12. ↑ "ProReview: Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse". GamePro (IDG) (64): 126. November 1994.
13. ↑ "Power Unlimited Game Database" (in nl). 1993. Archived from the original on October 20, 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20031020134027/http://www.powerweb.nl:80/database/img/index.php?page=database&&query[order]=datum&ending=ASC&query[start]=100. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
14. ↑ "Finals". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (1): 98–99. January 1995.
15. ↑ "Finals". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (1): 101. January 1995.
16. ↑ "Maximum Reviews: Mickey's Wild Adventure". Maximum: The Video Game Magazine (Emap International Limited) (4): 152. March 1996.
17. ↑ "Mickey Mania" wins 1994 Parents' Choice Award; video game title wins praise for its action-oriented, all-encompassing entertainment value". November 18, 1994. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160322103415/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/"Mickey+Mania"+wins+1994+Parents'+Choice+Award;+video+game+title+wins...-a015877078. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
18. ↑ "VideoGames Best of '94". VideoGames - The Ultimate Gaming Magazine (74 (March 1995)): 44–7. February 1995. https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_The_Ultimate_Gaming_Magazine_Issue_74_March_1995/page/n45/mode/2up.
19. ↑ "Top 100 SNES Games". Total! (43): 46. July 1995. https://archive.org/details/total-43/page/n45/mode/2up. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
20. ↑ Knight, Rich (April 30, 2018). "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time". https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/the-100-best-super-nintendo-games/.

## External links

* MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

## Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

## History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

## See also

* IGDB - game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/.
2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/.
3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1.
4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521.
8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media.
9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned.
10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner.
11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames.
12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games.
13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/.
14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/.
15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/.
16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/.
17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames.

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