Is The Lion King still good?
The Lion King is a platformer developed by Westwood Studios and released on the Sega
Genesis and Super Nintendo in 1994.
This version of the game was also released on various computers of the day.
There were even 8-bit iterations for the NES, Game Boy, Master System, and Game Gear.
But the focus of today's video will be the 16-bit game, specifically the Genesis release.
Like many 16-bit Disney games, The Lion King was well received upon release.
Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game an 8 out of 10 stating, "Like the other Disney
movie adaptations, this one does the animated feature justice and provides very good graphics.
There is a lot of technique here and the game is a little more difficult than the other
Disney entries, but nonetheless a worthwhile trip."
Game Players magazine agreed, scoring the game a 9.4 out of 10 noting, "The Lion King
brings great music, beautiful graphics and challenging gameplay together like few games
have done before."
Finally, Video Games & Computer Entertainment gave the game a 7 out of 10 proclaiming, "If
you haven't already experienced a Disney/Virgin platform game, you have to check out The Lion
King."
So, is The Lion King still this good?
Let's take a look.
Surprisingly, The Lion King contains very few story elements.
This is likely due to the game being developed while the movie was being created, and Disney
not sharing many secrets with the folks at Westwood studios.
So rather than dialog boxes filled with text, there are just in-engine cut-scenes following
select moments from the film, along with a few voice clips ripped straight from the movie.
If I'm honest, I like this approach.
Moving on we arrive at the first of 10 levels, The Pridelands.
Here we take control of young Simba and learn the gameplay.
Being a platformer, the core mechanics are running and jumping.
Most enemies can be jumped on to take them out, although there is a roar to scare certain
enemies that cannot be jumped on, like porcupines.
You'll also notice there a ton of different bugs to collect adding to the roar meter,
the life meter, extending the life meter, and even one unlocking a bonus mini-game.
A few harm Simba as well and you just sort of learn which do damage as the adventure
wears on.
The level ends with a run-in with a Hyena, which must be jumped on when it starts panting.
Overall, The Pridelands does a decent job outlining the basic structure of the game,
gently nudging the player to utilize Simba's move set, as well as teaching the player the
jumping nuances.
“Everything the light touches is our kingdom”
Simba then arrives at Can't Wait to be King.
Right away, the main gimmick of the stage is presented.
Jumping onto a Rhino's head will launch you into the air, into the waiting arms of a monkey,
who will toss you.
While a monkey is tossing Simba, you have no control over the action, and can only watch.
The platforming sections are fairly straightforward, but the monkeys create a puzzle of sorts.
Simba can use his roar to make pink monkey's face a different direction.
You then have to make sure you find them all and manipulate the monkeys in a way to progress
forward through the stage.
Additionally, there is also an ostrich ride where you have to duck, jump, and double jump
in an auto-scrolling section.
Fail to recognize the pattern and you are killed instantly, life bars need not apply.
Needless to say, between the confusing monkey puzzles and the lack of distinction in the
auto-scroll sections, more than a few gamers give up on The Lion King in this second level.
Those who push through arrive in the Elephant Graveyard.
The straightforward platforming returns, though made more difficult with plenty of bottomless
pits, certain areas causing harm to the player, enemies dropping from the sky, collapsing
platforms, and what I presume to be a hot-water spring.
Again I have to note this level is surprisingly difficult for being just the third level.
After wrestling your way through the Elephant Graveyard, Simba makes his way to the Stampede.
The level structure here is changed up completely, with Simba racing towards the screen while
trying to avoid the stampede and jumping over rocks.
While the collisions with the animals can be a little wonky at first, I do appreciate
the developer's attempt to diversify the gameplay.
“Kill Him”
Like the movie, after escaping the stampede Simba makes his exodus from the Prideland,
bringing us to Simba's Exile.
Two new gimmicks are introduced here.
First, rocks fall from the sky forcing you to keep moving.
If you stay still for too long, you'll get hit.
Second, there are boulders which will chase Simba, again forcing the player to keep moving.
You also learn the roll maneuver, which can be used to roll past enemies like the porcupine.
Additionally there are some tight jumping sections which have been mostly optional up
to this point.
Thanks to Simba being a four legged character, rather than two, this can be tricky at first.
Basically you need the front paws to touch the designated point; otherwise you'll miss,
and die.
It's also worth noting the falling rocks will kill your forward momentum, which kind of
sucks.
“If you ever come back we’ll kill ya”
In any case, Simba then makes his way to Hakuna Matata.
This waterfall filled land is surprisingly simple, and you basically tumble down waterfalls
to progress.
Like the monkey puzzle, these are non-interactive, and you just sort of watch Simba float along
with a half terrified, half excited, facial expression.
Near the end of the level things do get tough though.
There is a rather tall waterfall where you have to jump from moving log to moving log
attempting to make your way up the thing.
If you fail to land on a log, or move too slow, you'll die once you hit the water below.
Despite being level 6, of 10, this represents the single hardest obstacle presented in The
Lion King, and it took a ton of deaths before I could begin to identify some patterns in
the seemingly random logs, and finally experience some consistent success.
At the end of this level is another boss fight.
According to the developers, this silverback gorilla was actually going to be in the film,
but was cut.
Thankfully, Westwood Studios was able to retain the battle for the video game, giving us a
rare glimpse into the cutting room floor at Disney.
In any case, the battle is straightforward.
Simply jump over the fruit he is throwing, and then jump on him when the opportunity
presents itself.
After the first 6 levels, The Lion King changes things up, and we play as adult Simba through
the rest of the adventure.
Thankfully, Simba's Destiny offers a reprieve to the brutal difficulty endured since the
opening level.
Much like the first stage, this seems to serve as a tutorial of sorts, allowing you to learn
the nuances of the new character.
While fundamentally the same, Adult Simba can actually attack, allowing you to exact
revenge on the pesky hyenas, as well as take out larger prey like the jungle cats.
Additionally, smaller enemies will fall to their doom if you roar at them, which is awesome.
“You must take your place in the circle of life”
The reprieve doesn't last long however, as Be Prepared brings on the pain.
In my opinion, this is the toughest overall level.
First, you have to navigate around dripping lava as well as little volcanoes.
This is easy enough, but you have to do it while taking down bats, the most notorious
of video game enemies, along with an onslaught of hyenas and large cats.
The Lion King really forces you to be precise here, as the lava drips don't leave the player
a lot of wiggle room to attack.
The second half of the level is trickier still, where you need to stay on a floating rock
as it travels through lava.
Of course it isn't that simple, and you have to jump, swipe at bats, and then adjust your
trajectory to land back down safely.
In between the lava rides are segments with more enemies, and boulder chases, meaning
this level is a gauntlet from beginning to end.
As we near the end of The Lion King, we arrive at level 9, Simba's Return.
This level is like a maze, with different cave opening acting as portals of sorts.
Additionally, the only enemies found here are the hyenas, and they can come in packs
of as many as 4, so hopefully you learned their timings and patterns.
It's also worth noting enemies respawn in this level.
Up to this point, when you take down an enemy, they are gone for the entirety of the level.
Meaning you can backtrack and look for secrets if you're into that sort of thing.
However in Simba's Return, enemies respawn, discouraging that sort of behavior.
After making your way through the maze, we reach the final level, Pride Rock.
Right away Scar is presented which is kind of cool.
Basically you need to attack him a few times until he starts panting, and then use your
maul attack to toss him.
Do this twice and he'll run away.
From here is another gauntlet of tough platforming, hyena battles on small platforms, all while
avoiding the lightning bolts which start hazardous fires.
With one gauntlet out of the way, another face off against Scar ensues which works just
like the first.
Again, Scar will run away and yet another obstacle course is presented.
Clearing this will bring us to the final showdown with Scar.
Unlike the previous fights, after a few mauling attacks, you'll notice Simba is now throwing
Scar farther than before.
This is your queue to maneuver yourself in a favorable position to launch him off the
cliff.
Successfully master this trick and the game comes to a close.
Another in-game cutscene will play, with the rain putting out the fire and the adventure
comes to a conclusion.
Then of course, the credits roll.
As you've no doubt noticed by now, The Lion King is a gorgeous game.
For starters, the animations are simply stunning.
Both young Simba and adult Simba move with a fluidity nearly unmatched for the era, even
surpassing the stunning Aladdin.
The running cycles are amazing, looking about as realistic as I could imagine a 16-bit animation
cycle can look.
But it doesn't stop there.
The sprite work is also amazing; with each and every level featuring a ton of detail.
The elephant graveyard deserves special attention for the sheer detail in all of the little
bones, and the rock formations in Simba's Return have an almost painted on quality to
them.
I also like how a movie set piece will occasionally make an appearance, and I love how the rocks
reflect the glow of the lava.
Can't Wait to Be King is also beautiful, showcasing a vibrant, rich color palette unlike anything
else I've ever experienced on the Genesis.
Throughout all ten stages is just a massive amount of variety in terms of distinct sprites,
as well as distinct color palettes, helping The Lion King remain fresh from beginning
to end.
Even the backgrounds are terrific, generally featuring plenty of parallax scrolling increasing
the sense of depth, or offering a contrast to the foreground, complementing the overall
level aesthetics.
The Lion King is a stunning game and perhaps the best-looking third party game available
on the system.
This ultra-high level of quality and polish is carried over into the audio department.
As one would expect from a Disney title, most of the music from the motion picture is carried
over into the game, with excellent chiptune renditions.
The synthesized instruments sound realistic, the compositions are accurate and therefore
catchy, and each track has layers of depth, from the drum beats in the background and
the horns front and center.
It really is a terrific score, and songs like I Just Can't Wait to be King sound eerily
similar to the real thing.
It is impressive for sure, but it doesn't stop there.
As you've heard throughout this video, the voice clips are excellent, and don't sound
like muffled recordings from a telephone like you often find in 16-bit games.
Again, for a third party title, The Lion King is near the top of the heap as far overall
sound presentation goes.
So, with all of that out of the way, we arrive back to the question asked at the beginning
of the video.
Is The Lion King, still good?
On the surface, The Lion King is a quality title and it's easy to see, and hear, why
so many folks really dig this game.
But to really find an answer to the question, we have to dig deeper into the development
process and the game's history.
First, the game is a spiritual successor to 1993's Aladdin.
It uses the same game engine, was animated by Disney, and the game designers expected
folks to play The Lion King after spending the previous year tackling Aladdin.
Therefore the developers set out to make the game more challenging.
And by all accounts, I would say The Lion King is a far tougher game.
However, I wouldn't say the increased challenge is fair.
Let me start by looking at what I would consider a fair challenge, the waterfall in Hakuna
Matata.
Everything you need to beat this task is in front of you.
Just keep jumping to platforms higher than your current position, and you'll eventually
make it to the top.
Sure the platforms are small, and missing one may result in death, but the only thing
stopping the player from conquering the task is skill.
I would consider this a fair challenge.
But this type of fairness is rare in The Lion King.
Most of the difficulty is of the unfair variety.
Take for example the ostrich riding section.
The game requires you to duck under certain areas.
Even though ducking appears to make the hazard pass right through Simba.
Your instincts say jump.
However jumping will result in instant death, even though you have not touched any hazards.
The bats in Be Prepared are another source of frustration.
For whatever reason, they don't appear on the screen initially, they pop up out of nowhere.
And because like all video game bats, they are annoying and fly erratically around your
head making them hard to hit while they inflict a ton of damage.
The fact they pop up late is incredibly unfair.
To be successful at Be Prepared, you have to already know their locations, so you are
basically swiping at a spot in the level, hoping to catch them in your swipe animation
once they appear on the screen.
It isn't like you can go back and get them either, because you'll already be engaged
in a battle with a large cat or a hyena.
It's very lame and very cheap.
Things don't stop there either.
The falling rocks in Simba's Exile don't just cause damage; they stop Simba dead in his
tracks.
If you are running from a boulder and get hit by a falling rock, it's over, the boulder
will hit you and you will lose a life.
Or if you are jumping across small platforms over a death pit.
Same story, you are stopped dead in your tracks, and fall to your death.
It's not like I'm not hustling here, I just got stuck in a weird pattern and it isn't
my fault the rock hit me mid-jump.
Worse yet, there are limited continues.
If trial and error is going to be a primary source of difficulty offering no chance for
a first time player to be successful, at least include infinite continues.
Sadly, The Lion King does not, forcing a player to restart the game from the beginning, after
running out.
Adding insult to injury, the life counter is artificially limited to 8.
Once you reach 8 lives, the 1-ups stop appearing on the game, which I find baffling.
There are a few other issues as well, though whether these are the fault of the game or
not could certainly be debatable.
Jumping from small platforms can be awfully tricky as Simba can only latch on using his
front paws.
This means on many occasions, you can expect to simply miss, watching the character travel
right through a platform.
It looks awkward and would be made a little better had the hit detection been a little
more forgiving.
Same goes hitting these birds.
If you aren't perfectly on top of them, you are going to take damage, despite it appearing
like you had the upper hand.
Speaking of jumping, there are two distinct jumping animations.
If you build up a certain amount of momentum, you’ll perform a long jump.
If you fail to meet the threshold, you’ll perform a short jump.
Unfortunately, often you’ll fail to build up the appropriate momentum and miss a platform
or land on a hazard.
More annoying is jumping on hyenas.
When you jump on them, you sort of ricochet off.
If you aren’t carrying enough momentum through the jump, you’ll take damage after hitting
them, as the hyena invincibility period is far too short.
In fact, the abundance of animation causes other issues as well.
Since Simba has such an elaborate climbing animation, you often get stucks in patterns
where you can’t avoid an enemy attacks, because you can’t jump or move out of the
way, and instead take damage from a nearby enemy.
All the little issues really start to compound after a while, and when you mix in the questionable
issues, along with the blatantly unfair ones, you end up with an experience that feels cheap.
The challenge rarely feels organic, and instead it feels like the developers used tricks to
increase the challenge, rather than clever gimmicks and good design.
Now, there are moments I genuinely enjoy, like when you land the perfect successive
hits on one hyena, knocking them back into the next hyena, creating a perfect chain of
hyena destruction.
But these rewarding moments are few and far between.
Instead, a majority of the Lion King feels like you are simply surviving an unfair torture
test created by developers artificially increasing the difficulty of their game.
In my opinion, these tricks may have been acceptable in 1994.
A game needed to last a player a couple of months, or needed to be rented from Blockbuster
multiple times to ensure certain metrics were met, but in 2017, these tricks feel a bit
dated.
Now don't get me wrong, The Lion King is not a bad game.
With enough persistence the game is certainly not impossible.
And the trial and error nature of surprise enemy drops or boulder chases coming out of
nowhere have their appeal to a certain subset of gamers.
And that's ok.
There is also little doubt The Lion King is an awesome showpiece for how good 16-bit art
can look in the hands of true artists.
And of course, anytime a third party developer can showcase how amazing the Genesis' FM sound
chip can be in the hands of a competent engineer, it must be applauded.
I also really dig the camera, which puts Simba towards the back of the screen, increasing
the visibility for what’s ahead.
You can also look up and down, again giving the player plenty of flexibility when planning
jumps.
Sadly, the intelligent and flexible camera isn’t enough to make up for the game’s
shortcomings.
So no, at the end of the day, I don’t feel The Lion King has the same luster it once
did.
In my opinion, the unfair difficulty and frustrating tricks are unfortunately, showing their age.