Bad Cheese: Everything We Know

Mickey Mouse has been the protagonist in lots of other games. However, Mickey P.I. for Hire is probably the most recent one to spring to memory that treads closest to Bad Cheese. Both have the same Steamboat Willie 1920s art style. However, the latter upcoming game makes an interesting case for itself. Rather than a guns-blazing adventure, the new game wants to incorporate horror. You’ll still be meeting Mickey Mouse characters along your journey. However, the adventure is very much spooky, with some pretty terrifying monsters to escape from. Let’s comb through everything we know about Bad Cheese so far.

What is Bad Cheese?

Bad Cheese is an upcoming psychological horror that draws inspiration from the Steamboat Willie 1920s art style. So, you can look forward to a black-and-white and eerie-rampant animation style. There’s also an exciting story that you’ll be unraveling. Starring as Mickey Mouse, who, oddly enough, looks like he’s gobbled up over 30 ounces of cheese, you’ll strive to keep your father happy. It’s the weekend, and you need to stay at home to take care of your dysfunctional dad while your mom is away. In addition to causing no trouble for your dad, you need to make sure he stays happy with you around.

Story

Bad Cheese’s story is pretty straightforward. Your mom has left you in charge of taking care of your dad, who is currently dysfunctional. It’s unclear what your dad is suffering from. However, you do have the responsibility to behave yourself and keep your dad happy. The new game will star Mickey Mouse—the version from Steamboat Willie. However, from the trailer, he seems to have gained a couple of pounds. Nevertheless, most of the characters and aesthetics you might expect remain intact. You still maneuver hand-drawn art that draws heavily from a 16 mm 1920s film-inspired aesthetic. Given the genre is horror, you can look forward to enjoying spooky animation pulled right out of the golden era of cartoons.

Gameplay

The gameplay also seems pretty straightforward. The main incentive here is the spooky experience from the grotesque monsters you’ll come across. Besides your dad, mom, and brother, there are other creatures roaming your home. In all of the chaos, you’re still expected to remain on your best behavior to avoid being punished. So, you go about your day helping around the house. Whether it’s scrubbing, sweeping, cleaning, or cooking, you’ll perform essential tasks with no complaints. As you help out, you’ll run into spiders that you can kill, and still remember to give your dad his medicine. 

As you can imagine, gamers who love routines will likely love the core gameplay. However, there is an incentive for fans of collecting items, too. As you explore the house, you’ll find special treats and action figures that you can add to your collection. They are hidden treasures that beef the game up. While the first two gameplay may be a breeze, the third part carries more weight. It’s the part that challenges you, sprouting at different areas of the house. Often, these will involve demons that send chills down the spine. However, there’s also the strive to maintain some sense of normalcy in a family that isn’t the most normal. Being a child mouse, the tasks, hidden treasures, demons, and more will push your reality to the limits.

Development

Developer Simon Lukasik and publisher Feardemic will be working on Bad Cheese. They’ve just launched a reveal trailer. Simon Lukasik is an individual developer who, as far as we can tell, will be working on the upcoming game as his debut in the gaming industry. This means that the project could go either way. Thankfully, though, Feardemic has more experience, specifically in bringing games to market. They’ll soon be publishing Garten Banban I-IV on consoles and Tales from Candleforth on PC. There are also Evil Nun: The Broken Mask, Darq, Dark Fracture, Buddy Simulator, and more, mostly horror and just in time for the Halloween season.

Trailer

Bad Cheese’s announcement trailer is out on YouTube. It’s pretty detailed for a first trailer, with lots of story beats and gameplay to mull over. Jazz blues play on in the background as the horrific monsters leap out from the shadows. Mickey Mouse scampers around, cleaning and performing house duties. Yet the demons persist, chasing after you and threatening to destroy your world. The monster designs are so impressive, with distinct features and genuinely spooky undertones. They make screeching noises, too, that pair up well with the eerie atmosphere and music. There are words to the music, although Mickey Mouse himself doesn’t seem to speak. 

It’s unsurprising, given he only began to speak in The Karnival Kid in 1929. Steamboat Willie (1928), which is the cartoon the game is based on, was the first to use musical sounds and effects. From the trailer, it seems the game will take on the same, with Mickey mostly silent and the music and sound effects immersing. Moreover, the ‘90s aesthetic brings out the retro charm you’ll be swimming in. Whether spotting familiar environments or Mickey Mouse characters, the new game will take you to the golden era of cartoons sitting in front of your TV set. Sure, there are other games that have adopted the Steamboat Willie aesthetic. However, Bad Cheese could possibly offer the ultimate horror experience we never knew we needed. 

Release Date, Platforms, & Editions

Bad Cheese will be launching sometime soon. Thanks to the reveal trailer, we know it’ll be released in 2025. However, we cannot pinpoint a specific release date at this time. For now, you can add the game to your Steam wishlist to get a notification when it drops. The upcoming game will only launch on PC platforms. Editions, however, remain unconfirmed. Still, feel free to follow the official social handle here to keep track of new updates.

So, what’s your take? Will you be grabbing a copy of Bad Cheese when it drops? Let us know over on our socials here.