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Title | Aladdin |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | Capcom | |
| Publisher | Capcom | |
| Genre | Action-Platformer | |
| Platform | Super Nintendo | |
| Release Date | November 1993 | |
| Age Rating | E |
The Disney animated feature Aladdin premiered in theaters in 1992. Telling the story of a young man who befriends a genie to win the heart of a beautiful princess, the movie became an instant classic, garnering acclaim from critics and moviegoers alike. Given the movie’s popularity, it comes as no surprise that it would be adapted onto several game systems, including the NES, Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo, Game Boy and PlayStation 1. Most recently, Aladdin and company have appeared in the popular Kingdom Hearts games on the PlayStation 2. While there are many games to choose from, today we will be discussing the Super Nintendo version.
Aladdin is a platformer that loosely follows the plot of the movie, from the streets of Agrabah all the way up to the final confrontation with the villain, Jafar. The game features locales familiar to the movie, as well as some created especially for the game. Players control Aladdin as he traverses each stage, fighting through palace guards and various other enemies. The only weapon at Aladdin’s disposal is apples. These can be thrown at guards to stun them temporarily, and can defeat smaller enemies outright. They come in a limited supply, but they’re fairly plentiful from the various vases that dot each level. While the apples can be helpful in avoiding the guards, the only way to take them down permanently is to jump on them. Doing so allows Aladdin to bounce higher than his normal jump, helping him reach higher ground.
Aside from one fight at the end of the Agrabah section at the beginning of the game against the surly shopkeeper, and the final fights against Jafar, the game features no boss battles. As such, most of the game’s challenge comes from taking on the numerous standard enemies that populate each stage. A few stages in the game feature no enemies at all, leaving success up to players’ platforming skills, jumping on, climbing over and bouncing off various obstacles.
Unfortunately, the game’s platforming is not as strong as I would like; controlling Aladdin is not as tight as it could be. Whether walking or running, Aladdin tends to slide around when you need to turn around quickly. When coming face-to-face with an enemy, this usually means you’re going to take a hit. The saving grace is that players are able to cancel the slide by jumping out of it, but sometimes that doesn’t come to mind before Aladdin takes the damage. Additionally, when jumping, Aladdin has a bit of a floaty quality when airborne. At times, this can make it difficult for players to land on their marks from greater distances.
It isn’t all bad, though. In certain locations throughout the game, players can acquire a parachute-like rug, which allows players to float while holding the R button. Not only does it slow down Aladdin’s downward momentum, it also makes him much more maneuverable in the air. This effectively makes my previous complaints about the game’s platforming moot, so long as Aladdin has the rug in his inventory. Not only that, but some secret areas and items are impossible to reach without the rug. This adds a little extra incentive for players to do well, as getting a game over means being forced to find a new rug to replace the one they lost.
Aside from apples and the rug, there aren’t really any collectibles in the game to speak of. Each stage is littered with vases and treasure chests which will yield more apples, healing items or the Golden Scarab from the movie. If players can catch the Scarab before it flies away, they will be able to play a short mini-game after completing the current level for extra lives, health or continues. Some harder-to-find locations throughout the game also hide large hearts, which will increase Aladdin’s max health. Scattered around each stage are also green and red gems. These are Aladdin’s normal collectible items, with 100 green gems giving the player an extra life. Red gems count as three greens, but also have a hidden purpose. There are only 70 red gems total in the game. If players are able to collect over 50 of them, they will be treated to an alternate credits sequence upon completing the game. It may not be the best reward for all that hard work, but it’s still nice to get something for making the effort.
Stages are well-drawn and lively, from the busy streets of Agrabah to the majestic palace backdrop to the lightning-filled skies of Jafar’s fortress. The activity in the background is just as much of treat as what players experience in the foreground.
After a certain point in the game, the story takes an unexpected turn. It seems that Capcom didn’t feel there was a enough action in the movie to follow it to a T, so they added a few original worlds to pad it out a bit. The first of these is the world inside the Genie’s lamp, which Aladdin is required to traverse. It’s a whimsical and entertaining few levels which captures the spirit of Genie’s character while playing the popular “Friend Like Me” song from the movie. Following Aladdin’s trip inside the lamp, players find themselves inside of a pyramid. I found this to be the game’s low point, as the gameplay, environments and music were all below the standard that we had seen up to that point. Fortunately, the game finishes strong in the gameplay and presentation categories with a short bonus stage based on the movie’s “A Whole New World” scene, and the final levels culminating into Aladdin’s battle with Jafar.
Aside from the few examples I just gave, Aladdin’s soundtrack is completely original. While perhaps not as memorable as the music from the movie itself, the track from each world still captures the mood effectively. The streets of Agrabah have an upbeat and mischievous tone, while the Cave of Wonders theme is suitably mysterious and vaguely sinister. My favorite, though, is the theme for Jafar’s fortress, which captures the malevolent tone of the game’s villain beautifully.
Aladdin is a great adaptation of the source material, even if it doesn’t follow the story down to the most minute detail. The areas where it does deviate are fairly hit-and-miss, but the positives certainly outweigh the negatives. From a gameplay perspective, traversing levels can be tricky at first, but with a little practice and help from the infinitely useful rug, players will quickly adapt to the decidedly loose controls. All-in-all, it’s an entertaining platformer that shows that not all licensed video games are bad.
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And we finish things off with Goof Troop.
