Disney's Aladdin (Capcom video game)

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Disney's Aladdin
North American SNES box art
Developer(s)Capcom
Publisher(s)Capcom
Producer(s)Tatsuya Minami
Hironobu Takeshita
Designer(s)Shinji Mikami
Composer(s)Yuki Iwai
Yuko Takehara
Setsuo Yamamoto
SeriesAladdin
Platform(s)SNES, Game Boy Advance
Release
November 21, 1993
  • Super Nintendo
    • NA: November 21, 1993
    • JP: November 26, 1993
    • UK: December 1, 1993
    • EU: January 27, 1994
    Game Boy Advance
    • JP: August 1, 2003
    • EU: March 19, 2004
    • NA: September 28, 2004
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Disney's Aladdin[a] is a 1993 platform game developed and published by Capcom for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System,[1] based on the 1992 animated Disney film of the same name. Disney's Aladdin is a 2D side-scrolling video game in which the player controls Aladdin and his monkey Abu.[2] It was designed by Shinji Mikami.[3]

The game was released in November 1993, the same month that another game with the same title was released by Virgin Games for the Sega Genesis.[4] The two games vary in some respects; in the Virgin game, Aladdin wields a scimitar, which is not the case in the Capcom game.[3] The Capcom game was ported to the Game Boy Advance (GBA) in Japan on August 1, 2003, in Europe on March 19, 2004,[5] and in North America on September 28, 2004.

Gameplay[edit]

One of the SNES version's stages

Disney's Aladdin is a side-scrolling platform game in which the player controls the eponymous main character through several stages taking place throughout the city of Agrabah. Within each stage, Aladdin defeats foes by jumping on them or disorienting them by throwing apples while avoiding dangerous obstacles. Gems can be collected to gain extra lives and points, and ten red gems located within each stage will substantially increase the player's score. Most stages contain a treasure chest holding a scarab that flies about for a few seconds. If the player collects it before it disappears they will access a bonus stage in which they spin a wheel that allows Genie to grant them extra lives and other special bonuses. Aladdin has a health meter of hearts, starting with 3, which will deplete each time he is hit. These can be increased through pickups or through the bonus stages as well. As with the Virgin Games title, Aladdin starts with a number of extra lives, which are lost when his health is depleted or he falls off the bottom of the screen. The game ends when the player runs out of lives, although the player can continue playing from the current level as long as they have continues remaining.

The escape from the Cave of Wonders and the carpet ride with Princess Jasmine are both stages in which the player rides the Magic Carpet through self-scrolling stages. While in the Cave of Wonders the player must traverse up and down to avoid dangerous obstacles while outrunning waves of lava, the ride with Jasmine is a free-flying bonus stage (between stages 5 and 6) in which the player can collect gems; the bonus stage ends when the melody to "A Whole New World" ends. Stages 1, 6 and 7 have a boss to defeat, stage 7 being the final stage; stages 2, 3, 4 and 5 require reaching the end to complete.

Reception[edit]

In the United Kingdom, Aladdin was the top-selling SNES game in December 1993.[18]

Electronic Gaming Monthly's four reviewers scored the Super NES version 8, 8, 9 and 8 out of 10, adding up to 33 out of 40 (average 8.25 out of 10). They commented that the graphics, animation, music and gameplay are all outstanding.[10] GameFan's four reviewers scored it 90%, 89%, 87% and 90%.[12] Nintendo Power's reviewers scored the game 4.2, 4.2, 3.9 and 3.9, praising the game for "Beautiful graphics, excellent animation and superior play control" while noting the game was "not as challenging as you would expect from Capcom".[19] A ScrewAttack reviewer also gave the game a positive review, saying that it was one of the best SNES games.[20] Aladdin proved to be a commercial success, selling approximately 1.8 million copies worldwide, becoming Capcom's highest-selling game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System after Street Fighter II and its various versions.[21]

Shinji Mikami, the game's designer, said that if he had not made the SNES game, he "would probably buy" the Virgin game because it has a sword and better animation.[3]

The GBA port received mixed reviews.[22] Avi Fryman of GameSpy called the port of Disney's Aladdin "the most monumentally disappointing" of all the ports from SNES to GBA.[23]

Accolades[edit]

IGN placed the SNES version 60th on their Top 100 SNES Games of All Time commenting that the game "faithfully [translates] the film's over-the-top magic into magical 16-bit form".[24] In 2018, Complex rated the game 42nd in its "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time".[25] In 1995, Total! ranked Aladdin 47th on its Top 100 SNES Games. They praised the game's animation and gameplay.[26]

Re-release[edit]

The SNES version of the game was included alongside The Jungle Book, The Lion King and the Virgin Games version of Aladdin as part of Disney Classic Games Collection: Aladdin, The Lion King, and The Jungle Book, an updated release of Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King, which was set for release for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows and Xbox One on November 9, 2021, before being delayed until November 23.[27] Those who purchased the original Disney Classic Games release are also able to purchase the game and The Jungle Book as downloadable content.[28]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Arajin (アラジン)
  1. ^ Brett Alan Weiss. "Disney's Aladdin". Allgame. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  2. ^ Jeff Gerstmann (May 12, 2003). "Disney's Aladdin E3 2003 Preshow Report". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 9, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c Damien McFerran (February 21, 2014). "Shinji Mikami Prefers the Sega Version of Aladdin, Even Though He Worked on the SNES Game". Nintendolife. Archived from the original on August 15, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  4. ^ "Retrospective: Disney's Aladdin". Computer and Video Games. June 24, 2012. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  5. ^ "Disney's Aladdin". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  6. ^ "Disney's Aladdin for Super Nintendo". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  7. ^ "Disney's Aladdin for Game Boy Advance". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  8. ^ "Disney's Aladdin for Game Boy Advance Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on October 13, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  9. ^ Alan, Brett (2014-12-11). "Disney's Aladdin - Review - allgame". Archived from the original on December 11, 2014. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  10. ^ a b "Review Crew: Aladdin". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 54. EGM Media, LLC. January 1994. p. 42.
  11. ^ "アラジン まとめ [スーパーファミコン] / ファミ通.com". Famitsu.com. 2014-02-22. Archived from the original on 2016-03-12. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  12. ^ a b GameFan, volume 1, issue 11 (October 1993), page 11
  13. ^ GamePro, issue 53 (December 1993), pages 114-115
  14. ^ GamesMaster, episode 50
  15. ^ Polak, Steve (February 1994). "Aladdin on SNES". Hyper. No. 3. pp. 42–43. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  16. ^ Datormagazin, volume 1993, issue 22 (December 1993), page a11
  17. ^ "Aladdin (Super NES) - N.i.n.Retro (New is not Retro) v3". Ninretro.de. Archived from the original on 2016-03-12. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  18. ^ "Charts" (PDF). Computer & Video Games. No. 147 (February 1994). Future plc. 15 January 1994. p. 12.
  19. ^ "Now Playing December 1993". Nintendo Power. No. 55. Nintendo of America Inc. December 1993. p. 102.
  20. ^ "Disney's Aladdin (SNES) Review". ScrewAttack. February 20, 2012. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  21. ^ "Platinum Titles". Capcom. 2008-09-30. Archived from the original on 2008-01-16. Retrieved 2008-11-10.
  22. ^ "Disney's Aladdin". Metacritic. September 28, 2004. Archived from the original on September 26, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  23. ^ Avi Fryman (October 4, 2004). "Disney's Aladdin". GameSpy. Archived from the original on October 8, 2013.
  24. ^ Top 100 SNES Games of All Time - IGN.com, archived from the original on 2012-01-23, retrieved 2021-02-09
  25. ^ Knight, Rich (April 30, 2018). "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time". Complex. Archived from the original on 2018-01-16. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  26. ^ "Top 100 SNES Games". Total! (43): 46. July 1995. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  27. ^ "Twitter". Archived from the original on 2021-11-24. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
  28. ^ "Disney Classic Games Collection: Aladdin, The Lion King, and The Jungle Book announced for PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC". Gematsu. 23 September 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-09-23. Retrieved 2021-09-23.