It's easy to look back and say, "Disney games used to be awesome."
That's because Disney games used to be awesome.
On the NES alone, you had...DuckTales.
Darkwing Duck.
Rescue Rangers.
And next came The Magical Quest, and Mickey Mania, and Goof Troop, and all those classic
Super Nintendo games.
And I mean, it's not just nostalgia, either.
Those Disney games were awesome.
Of course, not all Disney games were awesome.
And avoiding the crap when seeking out the classics can be a risky endeavor.
I mean, for every Castle Of Illusion?
There's a...Fantasia.
And for every Aladdin...there's The Jungle Book.
So this game was released in 1994.
That's a year after original Master System game...and 27 years after the movie they're
based on.
Timely, right?
But who cares?
It's The Jungle Book.
It's a Disney classic.
And it's a 16-bit Disney video game.
So it's probably awesome, right?
Yeah, about that.
Turns out The Jungle Book lacks the, uh...the bear necessities.
So obviously, The Jungle Book is a 2D platformer.
You play as Mowgli, you jump on animals, you throw bananas.
Okay, sounds good.
Fun concept.
Unfortunately, it's a matter of moments before the problems start coming out of the brush.
First and foremost, controlling Mowgli is a real headache.
He's floaty, it's hard to jump with any precision...The Jungle Book is just a textbook example of
how a platformer shouldn't play.
And what makes it problematic is that...the game's also tough.
These levels are much more demanding than they have any right to be, given the less-than-ideal
platforming mechanics.
Speaking of the level design, that's another issue with The Jungle Book.
The levels really wear on your nerves.
Not only do you have ridiculously cheap enemy placement—again, made more frustrating by
the bad controls—but the levels themselves are kind of unclear.
It can be hard to discern backgrounds from, like, usable terrain.
Everything kind of blurs together.
And the thing is...the levels are so big, that makes it even harder to figure out where
you're supposed to be going.
I mean, should I go up?
Down?
Back to bed?
Which I'd prefer, at this point?
And actually, there's another problem that stems from the game's appearance.
I mean, it's actually not a bad-looking game.
And it's got these really big, detailed sprites...but that's the thing.
Mowgli is so big, compared to the rest of the screen...that your field of vision ends
up being limited.
The camera is too tight on the character, so you can't see as much of the environment
as you'd like.
And you land on things you didn't even see.
Freaking...prickly pears.
So what does the game get right?
Well, again...there are definitely some highlights to the presentation.
The environments are okay, the sprites are great...and the music is good, too.
You've got a lot of the songs from the movie, which is just awesome.
The Jungle Book has some of the best Disney songs ever.
So...The Jungle Book definitely looks the part, but.
I mean, it may walk like one, and talk one, but...boo, ooo, ooo.
You see it's true, ooo, ooo.
I really like these songs.
But you know, there's definitely an audience for this game, all the same.
Disney fans who are willing to put up with some serious frustration might find something
worthwhile here.
And if you put in the right codes, you can fly...which is useful.
But even then, it's not very fun.
And cheating should always be fun.
Especially when it's...combined with Disney.
Thanks to Daniel, from Palm Coast, Florida...for sending us this reminder.
For every, Little Mermaid...there's a Jungle Book.