With Mickey Mouse being one of the most beloved and recognized American icons, it is no surprise that many video game companies have created games based around the cartoon character. Out of the countless games made, one of my all-time favorites is The Magical Quest: Starring Mickey Mouse. Developed by Capcom, a company who already had significant experience developing games for Disney, Magical Quest stars Mickey Mouse as he travels to a magical land in order to rescue Pluto, who has been kidnapped by Emperor Pete. There, he meets a friendly wizard who gives him advice on how to complete the worlds and gives him the tools he needs to succeed. Even Goofy drops by to help the mouse out.

The storyline recalls Fantasia, specifically the Sorcerer’s Apprentice sequence, in that Mickey Mouse is playing a character outside of his traditional universe, facing a larger-than-life threat, but surrounded by a lot of familiar faces. That made the game more appealing to me, as the universe presented in this game is beautiful and captivating. Out of the many games released for the NES and SNES by Capcom, Magical Quest best captures the Disney “essence."

One element that helped the game achieve this Disney-like quality was the costume system. Mickey is able to don different costumes that give him different abilities. This mechanic is similar to the different abilities Mega Man would obtain after defeating a boss. The Capcom influence was definitely apparent in Magical Quest.

The best and most advertised costume was the wizard costume. When wearing it, Mickey is able to shoot blasts of magic. When charged up, the blast is bigger. The second coolest and most unique costume was the fireman costume. Mickey is able to shoot water, which helps him attack enemies as well as put out fire. The last costume was the mountain climber, which gave him the ability to use a hook and reach high places.

As a kid, the reason I loved the game was because it was just easy enough that I would be able to complete it, but challenging enough that it kept me coming back for more and left me feeling highly satisfied once everything was finished. A common complaint I hear about the game is that it was too slow, especially when compared to other platformers like Mario and Sonic. While I did notice the slow movement and level progression when I played it again as an adult, it certainly didn’t bother me when I first played it.

The bosses were the one thing that really impressed and intimidated me as a kid. They were larger than life, effectively using the Mode 7 graphics. They nearly covered the screen and would rotate in ways that would surprise and at times scare me.

Speaking of graphics, the presentation in Magical Quest is, for lack of a better word, magical. It isn’t as fluidly animated as games like Mickey Mania, but the warm colors and cartoon design made it resemble a classic Mickey Mouse/Silly Symphony. Aside from the bosses I just mentioned, the game cleverly used the Mode 7 graphics in order to create captivating levels and enemies. The music also helped establish the mood and feel of the game. It didn’t feature any classic Disney songs, but they all felt very "classic" in their execution.

There were several sequels to this game released throughout the '90s, including one where you could finally play as Donald Duck in a world resembling the film “Mickey and the Beanstalk” from “Fun and Fancy Free." There were better Mickey games before and after the release of Magical Quest, but for the sake of nostalgia, the first Magical Quest game is the one I cherish and enjoy the most. The Magical Quest is the game that most embodies the spirit of Mickey and the magic of Disney.