During the 16-bit era, there was no shortage of games based on Disney properties. More interesting to think back on, is how great many of those games really were. Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse, Castle of Illusion, and World of Illusion were a couple of standouts I remember fondly. There were also awesome movie-based games like Aladdin and The Lion King, which I put many hours into growing up. Thanks to Disney, Digital Eclipse, and Nighthawk Interactive, these last 2 games have just been re-released as Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King across PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch for a new generation to experience. Or you know, for those of us who grew up playing them, to experience all over again!

Story

Um, if you haven’t seen Aladdin or The Lion King stop reading this review and go see them!

Gameplay

Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King is a compilation of, you guessed it, Aladdin and The Lion King from the 16-bit era. There are a number of different versions of each title included in the compilation. For Aladdin, the Genesis retail release, an updated release, the 1993 CES Demo build, and a Japanese version are available to players along with the Gameboy and Super Gameboy versions. For The Lion King, the SNES, Genesis, and a Japanese version of the SNES title are available along with the Gameboy and Super Gameboy version.

Sadly, for anyone that loved the SNES version of Aladdin, this compilation only consists of the Virgin Interactive published games, and the SNES version was developed by Capcom. It also means that the awesome Game Gear versions of both titles are also missing. It is crazy to think about just how many years have passed since these games released. There was a time when I would play The Lion King on my SNES daily and it was one of my favorite games of the time. The Lion King was made by my favorite game company of the time Westwood Studios, the studio that made Command and Conquer (another one of my favorite games ever).

Both Aladdin and The Lion King are side-scrolling action platformers that task players to get through a level by either defeating enemies or figuring out how to get past them. There is also a lot of jumping and climbing involved, with a few escape sequences and boss fights thrown in for good measure. Nowadays these games are considered to be exceptionally difficult. They really aren’t too bad once you figure out a few of their old-school quirks. In The Lion King especially, there are a number of collision bugs that can drive anyone insane, especially when any swinging is involved, or dealing with bats in the Be Prepared level. The original retail release of Aladdin on Genesis also had its share of cheap moments, but the newly included Final Cut made these less agonizing thanks to an improved camera.

Thankfully this compilation has added a rewind function that can be activated at any point to reset any accidental deaths. If you still find the games too difficult at any point, there is a new watch feature available that will have a CPU play through the game. At any point, you can decide to take back over and continue the game past any trouble spots! The watch feature also has a nice fast forward button in case you need to skip to a later part of the game. This feature is not available on the Genesis version of The Lion King or the Japanese and Super Gameboy versions of either game.

There are a number of bonus features included in the Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King that are sure to excite fans of the games as well as any fan of retro gaming. First, the game’s soundtracks are fully available to listen to in all of their 16-bit glory. The next bonus is a number of videos that include old and new behind the scenes looks into the development of both titles. As an aspiring gaming historian myself, seeing this footage and hearing these stories made me extremely happy and I am glad that these videos were included. Last up are art galleries for both games that have an assortment of awesome things to see!

Visuals

Even 25+ years on from their original releases Aladdin and The Lion King are beautiful games. The animations for the games were hand-drawn by Disney animators before being scanned into the game and they are still gorgeous. At the time of their original releases, there was nothing like it and it put both games way ahead of anything else at the time in terms of visual quality. For this new collection, Digital Eclipse has made both titles playable in full 1080P with a number of different filters available if you choose to use them. The crisp presentation really lets the quality of the older animation shine and to me, it still looks impressive even today!

Audio

Both games sound like a product from their time. Now, this isn’t bad; the tracks in each game sound awesome and was a treat back in the ’90s. Just don’t expect movie quality soundtracks, because that isn’t what was available then. It is especially cool to hear just how different the sound chips on the Genesis and SNES really were when listening to the music in The Lion King. Yeah, SNES may have been able to produce some higher quality audio, but the way Genesis does it is pretty neat in its own right!

What It Could Have Done Better

Now, as great of a retro collection of games and materials this compilation is, there are a few things that I wish could have been added or changed. The biggest glaring omission is the Capcom made SNES version of Aladdin. I totally understand why it isn’t here, but considering how much Aladdin played into the console wars at the time it’s inclusion would have been truly spectacular. The lack of the Game Gear titles was also sad to me as I spent countless hours playing those games and they were a unique experience that deserves to be preserved. Again, I understand licensing probably played a huge factor in this decision. My last gripe is with the way the games are listed on the main menu. For the Genesis versions of the titles, they are called Console S Version and SNES versions are called Console N Version. I feel these labels could have been explained better or even say SNES and Genesis versions.

Verdict

Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King is a wonderful collection of two classic titles. There are a few versions missing that I would have loved to see included, but what is here is done perfectly. The games ran great on my Switch and looked amazing too. The added bonus videos were absolutely fantastic and seeing a demo build of Aladdin is a wonderful piece of history. I also like seeing rewind and watch features being added in to help players make it through the games their own way. For anyone wanting to take a trip back to the 16-bit era, Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King is ready to take you to a whole new world!