Aladdin Review

Aladdin was a blockbuster success when it was released in 1992. Twelve years have passed, but it’s still one of Disney’s strongest licenses, with two sequels, an animated television series, and a toy line. In the fall of 1993, a SNES videogame was also on the list of Aladdin merchandise.

Aladdin is an action/platformer. You control Aladdin the entire game; you’ll have ground levels and some flying. You’ll meet up with familiar characters (and enemies) such as the Magic Carpet, Genie, Jasmine, Jafar, the Sultan, etc.

The game follows the movie’s storyline rather precisely. Levels will range from the streets of Agrabah, to the Cave of Wonders, to being inside the Genie’s lamp, to a ruined temple, and finally to the palace walls, where you’ll face off against Jafar.

As I said, the game begins in the streets of Agrabah, otherwise known as the marketplace. You’ll run from angry merchants and palace guards in this level. Throw apples at these men, especially archers, to stun them. Apples will not kill enemies, so jump on them once they’re stunned.

Aladdin is an agile street rat. He can jump, run, duck, swing, bounce, climb, grab ledges, and even glide. When things are being flung at you, simply jump on them to knock them down. Levels will have environmental obstacles, such as moving sand, falling platforms, loose ledges, etc.

Helping along the way are items. Food restores your health. Health is displayed on the upper-left hand of the screen, shown as three hearts, to begin with. The number of hearts will increase as you collect emeralds. Collecting a gold bug awards you a spin of the reward wheel called “Break Time�. BT is where you can earn extra lives, health, and credits.

I’ve heard of this game for quite a long time, but have never played it, until now. As short as it is, I still was impressed with what I played. The level design, character designs, and item layout all seem flawless. Too bad 2D platformers aren’t this good in the 21st century.