Mickey's Ultimate Challenge
Encyclopedia
Mickey's Ultimate Challenge is a puzzle game for the Super NES
, Game Boy
, Sega Mega Drive
/Sega Genesis, Sega Master System
, and Game Gear. The Master System version, released in 1998 was the last game ever released for that console. All other versions were released in 1994. It was rated for all ages, aimed toward younger children, and was designed for only one player. The design is simplistic as Mickey can only perform three things: walking, jumping, and going through doors. There are five major challenges, a segue
, and a final challenge. It has
met with mixed reviews from gaming magazines.
In Sorting Books, Books are floating up and down in the library of the Beanswick castle and Mickey must sort them in alphabetical order by jumping on them. Depending on difficulty, there are various numbers of books to be sorted and different patterns for the books to float in. Only a portion of the alphabet must be sorted. Once the books have been sorted, players receive an item from Horace Horsecollar. In Moving Potions, Mickey is transformed into a tiny size and placed on a chess
-like game board. Potion bottles are on this board, as well as block obstacles that must be maneuvered around. The potion bottles are to be pushed into a magic mirror on the board. In harder difficulty games, there are more boards to play in increasing difficulty. Once all potions have been collected, you return to normal size and receive your item from Donald Duck
(dressed like a wizard). Picture Matching is a timed, memory
challenge. Mickey must dust off portraits hanging on the castle walls in matching pairs. Basically, it's the matching card game. He must complete this task before the lights in the castle dim to darkness. Depending on difficulty, there are more or less pictures. For challenges with more pictures, more time is given. He is armed with a feather duster
and sliding ladder. Match up all the pictures before time and light run out to receive item from Daisy Duck
as a princess. Playing the Pipes is another memory game. Several pipes light up and make different noises in a pattern that builds every turn. Mickey must listen, remember, and repeat what he heard. He can do this by jumping on the top of the pipes and playing the notes back in the proper order. The pipes only play one melody
, adding one note
after every time Mickey successfully completes the previous one. Difficulty of game play determines the length of the melody. Players must play all the right pipes to receive the item from Huey, Dewey, and Louie. In Guess the Tools, Goofy wants Mickey to guess what tools are in his toolbox
. Mickey has seven attempts to successfully guess the tools and their order inside Goofy's toolbox. After each guess, a clue appears telling players how many and which tools you guessed in the correct order. In easier games, the tools turn red or green to denote correctness. In more difficult games, a small quartered square of red and green pieces tells Mickey which ones are right. Players must correctly guess what is in Goofy's toolbox to earn an item from Goofy.
Exchanging Itemsis the segue of the game. The items Mickey collected were of no importance to their previous owners, but would serve useful to others in Beanswick. Mickey must go back to all of the others in each challenge and give them the item that suits them. In return for each correctly placed item, Mickey receives a magic bean. Only after retrieving all five beans can Mickey use them. After returning the items to their respective owners, Mickey visits the well. The annoying rumbling occurs again and Mickey throws his beans near the well. Suddenly, a giant beanstalk grows straight up into the clouds. A curious Mickey climbs the beanstalk into the clouds and encounters a giant
. The giant is sound asleep and snoring. This massive snoring is the cause of all the trouble for Beanswick. There is a scrambled picture of an alarm clock
floating next to the giant. Mickey must unscramble the picture by sliding the pieces and wake up the giant. After Mickey wakes up and talks to the giant, the troubles in Beanswick are solved.
magazine, Nintendo Power
reviewed the SNES version and stated that the game proved "to be fun for its intended audience."
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
, Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
, Sega Mega Drive
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
/Sega Genesis, Sega Master System
Sega Master System
The is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe....
, and Game Gear. The Master System version, released in 1998 was the last game ever released for that console. All other versions were released in 1994. It was rated for all ages, aimed toward younger children, and was designed for only one player. The design is simplistic as Mickey can only perform three things: walking, jumping, and going through doors. There are five major challenges, a segue
Segue
A segue is a smooth transition from one topic or section to the next.-In music:In music, segue is a direction to the performer. It means continue without a pause. It comes from the Italian "it follows". The term attacca is also used in classical music.For written music it implies a transition...
, and a final challenge. It has
met with mixed reviews from gaming magazines.
Plot
One Night, Mickey was laying in bed reading a book of Fairy Tales. He thought to himself how wonderful it would be to live on a Far Away Land in a magical castle. All of a sudden, Mickey falls asleep and dreams that he learns of trouble in Beanswick. There is a strange rumbling over the castle and no one can explain it. Mickey (or Minnie) volunteers to investigate. He must go through a series of challenges in various rooms of the castle in order to collect magic beans and items.Gameplay
Mickey's Ultimate Challenge is a puzzle game where players must complete challenges to beat the game. Players must go through a series of challenges in various rooms of the castle in order to collect magic beans and items.In Sorting Books, Books are floating up and down in the library of the Beanswick castle and Mickey must sort them in alphabetical order by jumping on them. Depending on difficulty, there are various numbers of books to be sorted and different patterns for the books to float in. Only a portion of the alphabet must be sorted. Once the books have been sorted, players receive an item from Horace Horsecollar. In Moving Potions, Mickey is transformed into a tiny size and placed on a chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
-like game board. Potion bottles are on this board, as well as block obstacles that must be maneuvered around. The potion bottles are to be pushed into a magic mirror on the board. In harder difficulty games, there are more boards to play in increasing difficulty. Once all potions have been collected, you return to normal size and receive your item from Donald Duck
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
(dressed like a wizard). Picture Matching is a timed, memory
Memory
In psychology, memory is an organism's ability to store, retain, and recall information and experiences. Traditional studies of memory began in the fields of philosophy, including techniques of artificially enhancing memory....
challenge. Mickey must dust off portraits hanging on the castle walls in matching pairs. Basically, it's the matching card game. He must complete this task before the lights in the castle dim to darkness. Depending on difficulty, there are more or less pictures. For challenges with more pictures, more time is given. He is armed with a feather duster
Feather duster
A feather duster is an implement used for cleaning. It consists typically of a wooden-dowel handle and feathers from either the male or female ostrich bird that are wound onto the handle by a wrapped wire. Dusters vary in size by are most often between 14" and 32" in total length. Some dusters...
and sliding ladder. Match up all the pictures before time and light run out to receive item from Daisy Duck
Daisy Duck
Daisy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1940 by Walt Disney Productions as the girlfriend of Donald Duck. Like Donald, Daisy is an anthropomorphic white duck, but has large eyelashes and ruffled tail feathers to suggest a skirt. She is often seen wearing a hair bow, blouse, and shoes...
as a princess. Playing the Pipes is another memory game. Several pipes light up and make different noises in a pattern that builds every turn. Mickey must listen, remember, and repeat what he heard. He can do this by jumping on the top of the pipes and playing the notes back in the proper order. The pipes only play one melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
, adding one note
Note
In music, the term note has two primary meanings:#A sign used in musical notation to represent the relative duration and pitch of a sound;#A pitched sound itself....
after every time Mickey successfully completes the previous one. Difficulty of game play determines the length of the melody. Players must play all the right pipes to receive the item from Huey, Dewey, and Louie. In Guess the Tools, Goofy wants Mickey to guess what tools are in his toolbox
Toolbox
A toolbox varies with the craft of the owner. The purpose of the toolbox is to organize, carry, and protect the owner's tools used for trade, hobby or DIY.-Types of toolboxes:...
. Mickey has seven attempts to successfully guess the tools and their order inside Goofy's toolbox. After each guess, a clue appears telling players how many and which tools you guessed in the correct order. In easier games, the tools turn red or green to denote correctness. In more difficult games, a small quartered square of red and green pieces tells Mickey which ones are right. Players must correctly guess what is in Goofy's toolbox to earn an item from Goofy.
Exchanging Itemsis the segue of the game. The items Mickey collected were of no importance to their previous owners, but would serve useful to others in Beanswick. Mickey must go back to all of the others in each challenge and give them the item that suits them. In return for each correctly placed item, Mickey receives a magic bean. Only after retrieving all five beans can Mickey use them. After returning the items to their respective owners, Mickey visits the well. The annoying rumbling occurs again and Mickey throws his beans near the well. Suddenly, a giant beanstalk grows straight up into the clouds. A curious Mickey climbs the beanstalk into the clouds and encounters a giant
Giant (mythology)
The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
. The giant is sound asleep and snoring. This massive snoring is the cause of all the trouble for Beanswick. There is a scrambled picture of an alarm clock
Alarm clock
An alarm clock is a clock that is designed to make a loud sound at a specific time. The primary use of these clocks is to awaken people from their night's sleep or short naps; they are sometimes used for other reminders as well. To stop the sound, a button or handle on the clock is pressed; but...
floating next to the giant. Mickey must unscramble the picture by sliding the pieces and wake up the giant. After Mickey wakes up and talks to the giant, the troubles in Beanswick are solved.
Reception
Mickey's Ultimate Challenge has received generally mixed reviews from gaming magazines. The Game Boy version received a 65% from Gamerankings, while the Genesis version received a 51.25%. In issue 59 on Nintendo PowerNintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
magazine, Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
reviewed the SNES version and stated that the game proved "to be fun for its intended audience."