Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King

Genre: Compilation / Platformer

Players: 1

.

Review:

Disney Classic Games is a collection of multiple different versions of two games (Aladdin and The Lion King, of course), originally released on multiple platforms from 1993 through 1995. It should be noted that this collection does not include Capcom’s version of Aladdin, originally released for the Super Nintendo and later ported to Game Boy Advance. Rather, all of the games in this collection were published by the now-defunct Virgin Interactive Entertainment (now owned, after a series of acquisitions over the years, by Interplay).

Often in these compilation reviews, I like to break things down and review each game individually, but this particular compilation presents a problem doing that as this is essentially multiple versions of the same two games (or if we want to be a bit more generous, the same four games, as the handheld versions do feature different level design and some other differences). If two games are nearly identical, should I review it twice? I feel it’s better to just break down what’s here and give an overview.

This package includes 6 versions of Aladdin and 5 versions of The Lion King.

Specifically, for Aladdin you have the Genesis game, the “Final Cut” version (the Genesis game with bug fixes and improvements to the camera), the “Demo” version (a version of the Genesis game shown off at a trade show in Chicago in 1993), the Japanese version of the Genesis game, the Game Boy version, and the colorized version of the Game Boy game, as it would have appeared on the Game Boy Color.

For The Lion King, this package includes the Super Nintendo version, the Genesis version, the Japanese Super Nintendo version, the Game Boy version, and the colorized version of the Game Boy game, as it would have appeared on the Game Boy Color.

That’s… a pretty generous list of variations on these two games, though I’ll note it’s not a comprehensive list – it’s missing the NES, Sega Master System, DOS, Amiga, and Game Boy Color versions of these games, if you really want to be a stickler about it. Still, it’d be ridiculous to complain about this, since what’s included here goes far beyond what most compilations offer.

That’s true of the extra features included here as well. For both games, you have a music player for the Genesis and Super Nintendo versions of these games’ soundtracks, behind-the-scenes making-of videos and interviews, and production art, some still bearing the “Property of Walt Disney Studios” stamp. The interview footage for Aladdin all appears to be pretty recent, with the developers from Virgin Interactive reminiscing about the making of that game. Meanwhile, the making-of footage for The Lion King game all appears to be archival stuff from decades ago (I suppose the former Westwood development staff were harder to get in touch with these days?), and although the stuff on the Lion King side is a bit lighter on content, it does have an amusing half-hour E3 show floor presentation. There are definitely bits of repeated footage throughout the videos for both games that seem to have been used for padding or just to have something playing in the background, but overall this is a pretty impressive amount of making-of content, especially considering it’s for two games that are over 25 years old.

I should make a special note that if you are looking to design art for games, or just interested in animation in general, the bonus content included here provides a wealth of insight into not just the making of some great game animation, but insight into the process of one of the most acclaimed animation studios in the world.

And as for the games themselves…

Let’s start with Aladdin. At the time, this game was a visual marvel, and to some extent it still is today – the makers of this game had assistance from Walt Disney Studios in the creation of its art, and it absolutely shows, with some really incredible animation that still holds up today. Right from the title screen, this game absolutely comes alive with its animation, and while the limited Sega Genesis sound processor may not have been able to render a perfectly accurate version of the film’s soundtrack and score, what’s here is nevertheless a good representation of the film’s music within the hardware’s limitations.

As for the gameplay itself, Aladdin is a decent platformer, although it suffers from some unclear hit detection and level design that doesn’t always make it clear where you’re supposed to be going. This is exacerbated by levels that are a bit repetitive. It’s still okay, but suffice it to say that the gameplay hasn’t held up as well as the visuals.

However, the Genesis version (and the three other versions of the Genesis game) is still worlds better than the Game Boy version (and its colorized counterpart). Atrociously slow gameplay and horrendous input lag make this version damn-near unplayable, and without the excellent visuals of the Genesis version, there’s really no reason to play this game. It’s nice that it was included here to make for a more comprehensive collection, but aside from morbid curiosity, there’s no reason to touch this version of the game. It’s really bad.

The Lion King, much like Aladdin, features some excellent animation, though not quite as impressive. However, the music this time around is much better, especially the Super Nintendo version of the game, and both Super Nintendo and Genesis versions have some really vibrant use of color and digitized sound clips from the film.

As for the gameplay, The Lion King was notoriously hard back in the day, and it’s easy to see why – this game is outright vicious and unforgiving in its difficulty, often surprising players with things they have to respond to quickly or lose a life, as well as giving them precise jumps they need to make or lose a life. This in addition to repetitive level design and some pretty lousy hit detection.

I also felt like the Genesis version of The Lion King had some nasty input lag, to the point where it makes this version almost unplayable – you will repeatedly fail to make jumps in this game due to the lack of responsiveness of the game, leading to your death. The Super Nintendo version(s) didn’t seem to have this issue, though.

The Game Boy versions of The Lion King fare better than the Game Boy versions of Aladdin, but that’s not a very impressive feat. They’re playable, but there’s still no reason to play them instead of the console versions – they’re inferior in pretty much every way.

With the high difficulty level of Aladdin and especially The Lion King, it’s a good thing that these games come with a slew of extra features, many of them intended to make these games easier. In addition to a rewind feature and save states, as well as multiple display options for the Game Boy games, some of the versions of these games include an interesting playthrough feature that has a skilled player playing through these games while you watch, giving players the option to stop the video and jump into the game at any point. It’s a clever feature for those who want to play a game past a particularly tough point, although it’s a bit limited in that you can’t just start the playthrough again whenever you get into a new tough spot.

Also, I feel like I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the price of this package – $30 seems a bit steep for what amounts to two games that are 25 years old each. Yes, there are multiple versions of each game, but the Game Boy versions are terrible, and all of the other versions are so similar to each other that it’s absurd to count them as different games.

All told, Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King is a really mixed bag. Visually, these games still hold up extremely well today, but the gameplay isn’t quite so lucky. It’s great that this package includes plenty of different versions of each game, but you’re not likely to want to play more than one version of each of the two games. There’s a ton of extra content and features included here that makes this a very generous package… except the price it’s being offered at is far from generous. If you have nostalgia for one or both of these games, this package will be a dream for you. If you are looking to be a professional game artist or animator, this package will hold some valuable insights for you. If you are anyone else, this package amounts to a bloated and overpriced collection with games that look better than they actually play.

tl;dr – Aladdin and The Lion King are a pair of classic Platformers, each with visuals and animation that have aged extremely well, but the gameplay hasn’t been quite so lucky. They’re presented here in a package that includes multiple versions of each game (though you’ll likely only want to play one version of each), and with a huge assortment of options and extra features, but at a ridiculous price. This is a package that should please fans of the original games and those looking for insights into graphic design and animation, but everyone else is better off staying away from this one.

Grade: C+

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