Indie Dev Wastes No time Launching Mickey Mouse Free Update
It look less than a day of entering creative commons for the Mickey Mouse character from Steamboat Willie to make an appearance in video games in the aptly named “Inverse Ninjas VS. The Public Domain” by developer Herosoft. This party game for 2-4 players is a top down shooter where gamers get the chance to play with their friends online or couch co-op.
“The Gyaku Ninja clan has finally taken notice and are using this Law of Fiction to their advantage, increasing their power to take over the planet! And now the Gods of Fiction are balancing the odds by sending their most iconic warriors to stop them!”
Those “Gods of Fiction” are four characters that you might already be familiar with. Winnie the Pooh, W. Sherlock Holmes, Alice Liddel, and Sun Wukong all come with their own unique weapon to help defeat the hoards of ninjas you’ll be facing. As of the latest update, joining these forces is our very own Mickey Mouse! He may not look quite like the ever iconic mouse that you’re used to seeing, and that’s because he’s one of the original iterations that are much older. Disney still holds the copyright for the mouse in red shorts and white gloves, but this version of Mickey is now free to use!
In an announcement on December 31st, the developers released a quick note about the update and their iconic new character,
“In our efforts to be the very first, Inverse Ninjas VS. The Public Domain has signed an extremely expensive licensing deal of $0.00 to acquire the exceptionally non-exclusive rights to the most widely beloved cartoon character of all time that isn't named Bugs Bunny: MICKEY MOUSE from the hit cartoon Steamboat Willie!”
Mickey will come along with a unique harpoon weapon that the developers have described as “SLIGHTLY overpowered.”
The game is still in early access, and it does indeed look to be very early. Known issues include the ending ninja to be un-killable in coop and single player and it looks like mouse and keyboard is a while away from being an effective way to play. Nonetheless, players that have reviewed the game sound optimistic about it’s potential. If playing as Mickey Mouse and other creative commons characters to fight ninjas sounds like your jam, it’s a great time to wishlist and follow the game or purchase at the cheaper early access price of $4.99.
