Mickey's Space Adventure (1984)

Sierra On-Line

Apple II · Commodore C64/128/MAX · DOS · TRS-80 Color Computer

3.14 from 7 ratings

23 members have it in their collection · 8 backlogged · 4 wish listed

How long? Main story 3h · 100% 4h (from 2 logged playthroughs)

Mickey's Space Adventure is a graphic adventure computer game for a number of computer platforms. It was created by Al Lowe and released by Sierra On-Line in 1984. It features the Disney characters Mickey Mouse and Pluto.

Details

Developers
Sierra On-Line
Publishers
Sierra On-Line
Genres
Adventure
Themes
Educational, Science fiction
Franchises
Disney, Mickey Mouse

Release dates

  • 1984 (North_America) Apple II, Commodore C64/128/MAX
  • 1986 (North_America) DOS, TRS-80 Color Computer

Rating distribution

5 stars
2
4 stars
1
3 stars
1
2 stars
2
1 star
1

Community All Reviews Statuses

giopep

Review giopep 4/5 · Sep 15, 2023

Having Sierra struck a deal with Disney, suddenly the educational games became more important and Roberta Williams started working on them (I have no idea if this is the reason but It would make sense, I guess). Anyway, she stuck to the model of the two previous educational adventures but raised the bar, expecting more from the kids who were …

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Having Sierra struck a deal with Disney, suddenly the educational games became more important and Roberta Williams started working on them (I have no idea if this is the reason but It would make sense, I guess). Anyway, she stuck to the model of the two previous educational adventures but raised the bar, expecting more from the kids who were going to play it. It’s a more complex adventure, set on all the planets from the solar system, that requires you to explore them, manage an inventory and solve simple puzzles. The manual includes a map of the Earth that you have to fill and complete, but mapping the other planets is your problem. Also, there’s the usual bunch of situations that in other Williams' games would kill you or get you stuck, but here they are less punitive. Oh, the manual is huge and it includes a lot of “astronomical” trivia that is educational but also serves as copy protection, since you need it to operate the navigational system. Graphics were created with help from Walt Disney and you can see it: it’s one of the best looking games from that period of Sierra. All things considered, it’s a lovely game, that me and my daughter enjoyed very much.

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scoopings

Review scoopings 5/5 · Aug 17, 2022

Tedious In Some Ways, But Beautiful And Well-Done And Worth Pushing Through

Look: 9/10 Every screen is absolutely gorgeous, from the colors to the flashing crystals to the varied facial expressions and happy kid-friendly vibe. Cutesy, cozy, comfortable, friendly, smiley. Great classic Apple II colors and graphics. Maybe I'm just a sucker for Apple II looks, or it's just been a while since I played an Apple II graphic text adventure, but …

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Look: 9/10 Every screen is absolutely gorgeous, from the colors to the flashing crystals to the varied facial expressions and happy kid-friendly vibe. Cutesy, cozy, comfortable, friendly, smiley. Great classic Apple II colors and graphics. Maybe I'm just a sucker for Apple II looks, or it's just been a while since I played an Apple II graphic text adventure, but I was loving so many of these screens. A lot of the adventure games I'm eager to play, namely the Humongous Entertainment games, have a similar look and feel. For example, I liked this perspective from the doghouse, as well as the look and colors of Mickey's house in the distance and the classic green of the yard enter image description here

The animation of the crystals (they flash/move) are so perfect, too.

Sound: 7/10 Some good jingles and sounds, especially for an early graphic text adventure.

Play: 8/10 The text adventure itself is written quite well, and not too kid-ish: after all it's written by Roberta Williams herself. However, like with many of these kid-focused text adventures, you have to select your command. It winds up adding a tedious, slow nature to the game. Fortunately, with modern technology, we can speed up the computer ;) Which, when I did that, made the game playable (plus, the lovely screens and cutesy/cozy feel/descriptions/look). I love that in the game, you see the items you can collect and when you Get them they are visibly gotten, so to speak. Helps a lot with the gameplay, and I don't consider that making a game "easier" but rather more enjoyable and logical. I also love the item usage, like you get the crowbar back on earth but use it to remove the crystal from the statue on Oberon--classic adventure item retrieval/item usage that I love, from Zeldas to Pajama Sams to, well, almost every adventure-esque game I like ha.

Pro-tip: Don't get too confused and lost, make sure to first explore Earth before venturing too much. Defffinitely make sure you go to Mickey's house, namely the garage and bedroom... and bathroom... etc!.

Another pro-tip: some of the education about the planets has, in the 30 years since this was released, changed heh... e.g., the hint for when you need to go to Pluto :-p

Feel: 9/10 The beginning gave me such Putt Putt feels, especially considering the fact I knew there was a spaceship nearby a la Putt Putt Goes To The Moon feels. enter image description here

Wow, even Mickey's car (which you sadly can't drive) looks like Putt Putt!! enter image description here

At first I was frustrated that I couldn't figure out how to save the game, so I could actually finish it with the snail's pace it goes in. But once I discovered how you save (you go to the central room of the spaceship, and SAVE GAME becomes a command), I realized I love that! Gave me Crash Bandicoot Warped feels, where you saved at the center of the world portal screen. And wait... is this in the Kingdom Hearts multiverse? lol. Mickey Mouse having to write a letter to Minnie explaining that he will be gone on a long trip? On a spaceship no less? If only it were a gummi ship... Also, lol cute touch with what you find on Pluto ;)

Attachment: 8/10 Wow, what a dream enter image description here

I guess I'm still a kid at heart, and should just start focusing on kid-friendly games heh. Or that's just the difficulty level I can handle :-p As tedious and slow as this would have been on original hardware, particularly with the disc changes like a lot of these longer more elaborate Apple II graphic text adventures (why is it always the ones with a "home base" between multiple settings, like a time travel machine or the spaceship in this one), this proves quite enjoyable and worth a try (especially for a click your commands, instead of type your commands, type text adventure that I usually dislike). Plus, those Humongous Entertainment feels, from the colors and images to the item usage and simple puzzles (tho using the mattress to cross the lake on TItan would not have been easy to me heh, were exactly what I needed.

Yesss, when you give the sunglasses for the crystal on mercury lol enter image description here

Annnnd at last, got all the crystals and gonna head home for my celebration enter image description here

Yay! And cool that there are "multiple endings" (allegedly). I wonder how I can get "welcomed by a friend" when I return? Maybe I messed up the letter to Minnie? Or it was something extra on one of the planets? Either way that's a super cool touch. Ohhh, Roberta Williams. This is, indeed, like the Kingdom Hearts of 1984: the Queen of Graphic Text Adventures (Roberta Williams), like Square Enix of early 2000s RPGs, using the Disney setting. Heh. enter image description here

Completion: Main Story Playtime: ~2.5 hours over 2 play sessions

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