Disney’s Aladdin – Sega Genesis Retro Review

This weekend, between weddings and travel, I decided to get a little nostalgia in. Most of this was caused by the release of the new Power Rangers movie trailer, which honestly looks phenomenal. I pulled out one of my favorite old games, Aladdin. This was a frustrating game based around a movie that had amazing visuals and animation for the time. The movie, one of my favorite Disney flicks from my childhood, is a tribute to when the great Robin Williams was in his prime.

Storyline

Aladdin follows the same story as the movie while maintaining the same humor and artistry. If you haven’t seen the movie, I feel for you. Physically. It’s painful to think that someone hasn’t seen Aladdin. Go watch it.

Gameplay

With an all-in-one instruction screen that tells you everything you need to know, players are able to dive right into the game. The flow of movement and ability to bounce off of nearly everything makes me wonder what would happen if you mixed this game with Sunset Overdrive. Sword fighting is fun and repetitive, but sometimes it’s difficult to know when you take a hit. Like most games of this decade, save points are few and far between, but it moves fast enough to not be much of a problem.

Graphics

An adventurous side scroller circa 1993, the graphics are a little better than other games this year, solely from the shading and coloring that were used in the backgrounds. The little attention to detail that are different from other games published during this year. (Anyone remember Awesome Possum, the Sonic ripoff?). The drastic coloring in the dungeons was extremely well done and there are a few games that could take notes from this game. Being able to fly across lines, jump off windows, and bouncing off camels was extremely fluid and well done.

Sound

16 bit sound? Robin Williams voice-overs? The music is simple and straightforward but match really well to the scenes at hand.

Replayability

I’ve played this game over and over for 23 years. It is fun, quirky, and a break from the extensive games of today. If not for the game itself, play it for the nostalgia that comes along with it.