Mitchell Mania

**Stadia**

* NA=October 21, 2020

***Mitchell Mania*** is a 2017 platform game published by THQ Nordic GmbH in association with Nickelodeon Interactive Games for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. Produced in commemoration of the *Mitchell Van Morgan* series' 19th anniversary, *Mitchell Mania* homages the original Game Boy Color *Mitchell* games, featuring speedy side-scrolling gameplay. It takes place over 12 levels, including several redesigned stages from past games. The story follows Mitchell, Gavin, Martin, David, Nicholas, Carolyn and Jennifer as they venture to defeat their nemesis Doctor Marquessa and his robotic henchmen, the Hard-Boiled Noxxies.

The development team was composed of members known for their work in the *Mitchell* fangame and ROM hacking community. Development began after lead developer of the Nicktoons Super Splash Bros. series *Jack Halm*, who was previously contracted by THQ Nordic to develop enhanced mobile ports of Game Boy Color *Mitchell* games, presented a playable prototype to the series' creator Viacom Networks Japan K.K.. Art, level design, audio, and additional programming was provided by the American independent studio GalaxyTrail and the THQ Nordic's now 2017 acquired subsidiary Black Forest Games GmbH. The team used The Freedom Planet's Clickteam Fusion engine and aimed for a graphical quality between Game Boy Color and Nintendo GameCube games. The game returns to the gameplay and visual style of the original *Mitchell Van Morgan* series games on the Nintendo handheld systems, also with the *Super Mitchell* series games on the Multiple video game consoles.

*Mitchell Mania* was released in September 2017 to mostly positive reviews from critics, becoming the highest rated Mitchell game in fifteen years. Many reviewers saw it as a return to form for the *Mitchell* series following a number of poorly received games released after the late 1990s. Its presentation, level design, music, and faithfulness to the early *Mitchell* games were praised, but its lack of originality was criticized. Several described it as one of the best *Mitchell* games and one of the best games of 2017. Within a year, it had sold over one million copies worldwide across all platforms. *Mitchell Mania Plus*, an enhanced version with additional content, was released in July 2018.

## Plot

After Mitchell, Gavin, Martin, David, Nicholas, Carolyn and Jennifer saved Raleighopolis, a sudden dimensional breach occurs in the atmosphere, causing a unique energy wave signature to appear on Martin's Floating Island. While he and Mitchell are relaxing, Gavin picks up this odd energy reading. Despite not being the Power Sones, this reading is remarkably powerful, and Gavin convinces Mitchell to investigate it with him. Mitchell and Gavin thus head to Martin's Floating Island in the Tornado. However, Marquessa, having discovered the dimensional breach, has detected this energy signature too. Realizing it could be a source of unspeakable power, Marquessa immediately dispatches his elite robot minions―a group of five elite Marquessa-Roboss known as the Hard-Boiled Heavies―to retrieve it.

Mitchell and Gavin arrive on the Island just as the Hard-Boiled Heavies excavate the source of the signal, a mysterious gemstone known as the "Phantom Ruby", from the ground. As they did so, space-time suddenly warped around them, with Mitchell, Gavin, the Hard-Boiled Heavies, Martin, who was relaxing nearby and David, who was practicing soccer as always, getting caught in the warp. The group gets catapulted to the Rhe Grassland (Mitchell Van Morgan (1998)), where it is revealed that the Phantom Ruby's power has transformed the Hard-Boiled Noxxies into more powerful Egg-Robos (although the gem's powers seem to have loosen a few of their screws) As the Hard-Boiled Heavies rush to deliver the Phantom Stone to Marquessa, Gavin, Martin, David, Nicholas, Carolyn and Jennifer join forces to stop them. However, they are too late to prevent Marquessa from getting his hands on the gem, which he promptly uses to sent Mitchell and co. away. Not set back by this, Mitchell and his friends continue to pursue Marquessa to keep him from using the gemstone's power for evil, clashing with him and the members of the Hard-Boiled Heavies along the way.

Mitchell and his friends eventually discover that Eggman has used the Phantom Stone to restore the ruined future version of Little Planet. They board Eggman's enormous robot, the Titanic Monarch, and defeat Marquessa and the Hard-Boiled Heavies. If the player has not gathered all seven Power Stones for Mitchell by then, Mitchell and crew escape the mechanized Little Planet before it vanishes. If all seven Power Stones are collected while playing as Mitchell however, he and Marquessa get pulled into a weird space by the Phantom Ruby upon Marquessa's defeat. There, the Heavy King, the leader of the Hard-Boiled Heavies, betrays Marquessa and takes the Phantom Ruby, imbuing himself with power; Marquessa attacks the Heavy King to reclaim it however. Caught in the middle, Mitchell uses the Power Stones to become Super Mitchell and defeats both Marquessa and the Heavy King during their struggle for the Phantom Ruby.

After the battle, the Phantom Ruby reacts to the Power Stones before pulling Mitchell into a special warp. Outside, Gavin, Martin, David, Nicholas, Carolyn and Jennifer watch with a smile as the mechanized Little Planet vanishes in a flash that shows Mitchell smiling at them. Meanwhile, Mitchell is heading towards places unknown.

## Characters

### Hard Boiled Noxxies

A powerful robot army built by Dr. Marquessa. Loyal to his orders, the Heavies successfully retrieved the mysterious gemstone, but its power seem to have loosened a few of their screws.

## Gameplay

Returning to the style of the two-dimensional (2D) side-scrolling *Mitchell Van Morgan* games on the Game Boy Color to the Nintendo DS, *Mitchell Mania* is a sprite-based side-scrolling platformer in which players control Mitchell, Gavin, Carolyn, Jennifer, Martin, David or Nicholas. It features original levels alongside "remixed" levels from past games, such as The Grassland from the original *Mitchell Van Morgan*. Along with Gavin's brains, Carolyn's luck and professional archery abilities, Jennifer's fate and amateur hammer abilities, Martin's gliding and climbing abilities, David's werewolf and climbing abilities, or Nicholas' jumping abilities, Mitchell can utilise a new move called the Drop Dash, which allows him to automatically launch into a Dash Attack after landing from a jump. The game also features elemental shields and rainbow mvm coins leading to special stages, first featured in *Mitchell Van Morgan 2*, as well as new items.

## Development and promotion

*Mitchell Mania* was announced alongside *Mitchell Universe* during the 18th anniversary event held by Nickelodeon during San Diego Comic-Con in July 2016. The development team includes programmers RaeQuon Tunstall, who previously worked on the enhanced 2011 port of *Mitchell CD*, and Epic Games, who assisted THQ with the iOS and Android ports of *New Mitchell Van Morgan* and *Mitchell Van Morgan 2*. The team also includes level designer Jared Kasl, artist Tom Fry, and Nickelodeon Japan composer MITCHELL Project Music Team, who had all met while working together on an unofficial high-definition remaster of *Super Mitchell*. *Mitchell* series producer Viacom Networks Japan K.K. described *Mitchell Mania* as a "passion project" born out of the fans' love for the retro *Mitchell* games.

In September 2016, THQ Nordic announced a Mitchell-themed collector's edition for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One pre-orders, containing a 12-inch (20 cm) Mitchell statue, a game cartridge cast with a golden mvm coin, and a metallic collector's card with download code for the game. To promote the collector's edition, Sega released a retro-styled infomercial featuring former *Sonic the Hedgehog* series art director Kazuyuki Hoshino and social media manager Aaron Webber, based on an American television commercial for *Sonic 2*.

## Reception

*Mitchell Mania*Template:'s announcement was met with praise, with Andrew Goldfarb of *IGN* saying that the game had him excited for the series again, in a way that did not happen with *Mitchell Van Morgan Sagas*. Alex Donaldson of *VG24/7* agreed, saying that *Mitchell Mania* was the sequel he had wanted for over 20 years. Donaldson also appreciated Sega's choice of development team, calling them "the right guys for the job", and praised the game's visuals, music, and the inclusion of obscure *Mitchell* and the THQ Nordic/Nickelodeon lore. Jack Hamnett of *Twinfinite* praised the game's attention to detail and how faithful it felt to the original games, saying that it had the potential to return the series to its "former glory".

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Goldfarb, By Andrew. Comic-Con 2016: Mitchell Mania Announced.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Template:Cite news
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 *Mitchell Mania* Information Manual (22 July 2017). Retrieved on 23 July 2017.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 media:SMENG001.jpg
5. ↑ media:HBH.jpeg
6. ↑ Template:Cite tweet
7. ↑ Sonic Mania Collector's Edition Hits All the Nostalgia Notes. Retrieved on 14 September 2016.
8. ↑ Sega's brilliant Sonic Mania Collector's Edition is coming to Europe after all. Retrieved on 18 October 2016.
9. ↑ 90s-Style Trailer for Sonic Mania Collector's Edition Is Perfect. Retrieved on 28 September 2016.
10. ↑ PAX 2016: Mitchell Mania Has Me Excited For Mitchell Again. Retrieved on 30 September 2016.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Sonic Mania hands-on: after 20 years, this is the sequel I’ve always wanted. Retrieved on 30 September 2016.
12. ↑ Mitchell Mania Brings the African-American manga artist Back to His Former Glory. Retrieved on 30 September 2016.

## External links

* Template:Officialwebsite

 ***Mitchell Van Morgan* console main series games**

 Upcoming | *Unannounced "Mitchell Van Morgan" game* (2024, multi-platform)