ARK Survival Ascended is actually recognized for dinosaurs, but now you can even play a 2D platformer with Mickey Mouse in the survival game.
ARK: Survival Ascended is the Unreal Engine 5 remake of the Steam hit ARK: Survival Evolved. The revised version was released in October 2023 and, in addition to improved graphics, also brought some “Quality of Life” improvements.
However, one of the biggest innovations of the remake is the ability to use mods on a console like the Xbox Series X. This was only possible with ARK: Survival Evolved on PC.
Mods are an important part of the ARK experience for many players. They not only bring improvements to existing systems but also add new content such as maps, structures, and dinos.
What’s the deal with the minigame? Studio Wildcard, the developer studio behind the survival game, has released an update for the “ARK Dev Kit,” allowing the community to create mods. The developers took the opportunity to showcase what the new Dev Kit is capable of with a minigame built in ARK.
The minigame is called “Super Steamboat Willie” and is a black and white 2D platformer where you stomp through a cartoon world as either Minnie or Mickey Mouse, smashing goats and cats.
According to Studio Wildcard, Super Steamboat Willie was completely created using the ARK Dev Kit and can be downloaded directly in ARK Survival Ascended as a mod and played solo or cooperatively with a friend.
In addition, you can download Mickey and Minnie costumes as a mod, which you can even use on official servers since the update. Just like the minigame, the costumes are also directly from Studio Wildcard.
You can watch the outfits and the minigame in the video here:
If you want to install the mods, you can find them on the ARK partner website “curseforge”.
- Here is the minigame “Super Steamboat Willie” on curseforge
- Here are the Mickey and Minnie costumes on curseforge
ARK brings mods for official servers
What kind of update is this? With the new update, the “Custom Cosmetic System” started in ARK: Survival Ascended, which will allow cosmetic mods – like costumes in the style of Mickey Mouse – to be used on official servers.
In the history of ARK, it has only been possible until now to use mods on unofficial, i.e., private servers, or in single-player lobbies.
Although mods that make the gameplay easier or improve it are still not available on official servers, at least you can make visual changes individually.
Are there any other new mods? In addition to the Mickey and Minnie Mouse costumes and the minigame, Wildcard also released a few skins for structures with the update, which you can now download as a mod.
Among the new mods is a table where you can play Tic-Tac-Toe and a weapons rack. Also included is a party light. The finishing touch is a wall skin that makes it look like glass and has no visually disturbing metal beams or similar in the middle.
If you’re not in the mood for Mickey and Minnie Mouse but prefer the regular ARK experience, we present 10 creatures on MeinMMO that you must have in your team: ARK Survival Ascended: 10 creatures you should definitely tame
