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The Lion King (video game)
Encyclopedia
The Lion King is a video game based on Disney
's popular animated film
. The title was published by Virgin Interactive
in 1994, and was released on SNES
, NES
, Game Boy
, PC
, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
, Amiga
, Master System and Game Gear. The NES
and Master System versions of the game were never released in North America. The game follows Simba
's journey from a young carefree cub to the battle with his uncle Scar as an adult.
, with the controlled character having to leap, climb, run and descend from platform to platform. There is an exception during the level The Stampede, where Simba is running towards (or in the NES and Game Boy versions, running with the camera looking straight down on top of him) the camera dodging wildebeest
and leaping over rocks.
In most versions of the game two bars appear on the HUD
. To the left is the roar meter, which must be fully charged for Simba's roar to be effective.
To the right is the health bar which decreases when Simba is hurt. At the bottom left of the screen is a counter showing how many lives
Simba has remaining.
Health can be restored by collecting bugs which come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some rare health-damaging bugs also exist.
The player controls Simba (first as a cub, then later as an adult) in the main levels and either Timon or Pumbaa
in the bonus levels.
).
and backgrounds were drawn by Disney animators themselves at Walt Disney Feature Animation
, and the music is adaptations of songs and orchestrations in the soundtrack
.
The Sega Genesis version of the game has vocals in the background music missing if compared to the Super Nintendo version. This is most notable in the Elephant Graveyard and Stampede level, as well as on the title screen. However the cutscene speech are intact. The MS-DOS
version also has vocals in the background music missing if the audio system is configured for Ad-Lib sound due to MIDI limitations. However, the vocals are audible if the game is configured for SoundBlaster sound.
The Windows 3.1 version relied on the WinG
graphics engine, but a series of Compaq
Presarios
weren't tested with WinG, which caused the game to crash while loading. This had notably affected Microsoft
, who had shipped the game with one million Compaq machines. The crashes caused game developers to be suspicious of Windows as a viable platform and instead many stuck with MS DOS. To prevent further hardware/software compliance issues the rendering library Direct X was created. This also lead to the Windows 95
port of Doom to try and regain developers' faith in Windows.
, and sold well, including 1.27 million units of the SNES version in the United States. Gameplayers wrote on their November 1994 issue that "even on the easy setting, the game is hard for an experienced player".
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
's popular animated film
The Lion King
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
. The title was published by Virgin Interactive
Virgin Interactive
Virgin Interactive was a British video game publisher. It was formed as Virgin Games Ltd. in 1981. The company became much larger after purchasing the budget label, Mastertronic in 1987. It was part of the Virgin Group...
in 1994, and was released on SNES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
, NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
, Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
, PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
, Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, Master System and Game Gear. The NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
and Master System versions of the game were never released in North America. The game follows Simba
Simba
Simba is a lion character and the protagonist of Disney's most successful animated feature film, The Lion King. He is the son of Mufasa and Sarabi, nephew of Scar, mate of Nala, and father of Kiara. He has golden fur and when he grows into an adult, he has an auburn mane...
's journey from a young carefree cub to the battle with his uncle Scar as an adult.
Gameplay
The game is a side-scrolling platform gamePlatform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
, with the controlled character having to leap, climb, run and descend from platform to platform. There is an exception during the level The Stampede, where Simba is running towards (or in the NES and Game Boy versions, running with the camera looking straight down on top of him) the camera dodging wildebeest
Wildebeest
The wildebeest , also called the gnu is an antelope of the genus Connochaetes. It is a hooved mammal...
and leaping over rocks.
In most versions of the game two bars appear on the HUD
HUD (computer gaming)
In video gaming, the HUD is the method by which information is visually relayed to the player as part of a game's user interface...
. To the left is the roar meter, which must be fully charged for Simba's roar to be effective.
To the right is the health bar which decreases when Simba is hurt. At the bottom left of the screen is a counter showing how many lives
1-up
1-up , pronounced "one up", is a term in console video gaming that commonly refers to an item that gives the player an extra life, to complete the game. In certain games, it is possible to receive multiple extra lives at once...
Simba has remaining.
Health can be restored by collecting bugs which come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some rare health-damaging bugs also exist.
The player controls Simba (first as a cub, then later as an adult) in the main levels and either Timon or Pumbaa
Timon and Pumbaa
Timon and Pumbaa are an animated meerkat and warthog duo introduced in Disney's popular 1994 animated film The Lion King. Timon was portrayed through his many appearances by Nathan Lane , Max Casella , Kevin Schon , Quinton Flynn Timon and Pumbaa are an animated meerkat and warthog duo introduced...
in the bonus levels.
Cub Simba
Cub Simba can roar, jump on enemies and roll. All three are used to combat enemies and have different effects. Rolling can also be used to access hidden areas and dodge attacks.Adult Simba
Adult Simba is stronger, can slash and maul, and he can throw instead of defeating his enemies by jumping on them. He also has a more formidable roar, but can no longer roll.Timon and Pumbaa
During the course of the game, there are two bonus stages. In the first bonus stage, players control Pumbaa, eating bugs dropped by Timon without letting any good ones touch the floor. In the second bonus stage, players control Timon, searching the area for bugs within a time limit. Both will end prematurely if they come into contact with a bad bug (a spiderSpider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
).
Graphics and sound
The spritesSprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
and backgrounds were drawn by Disney animators themselves at Walt Disney Feature Animation
Walt Disney Feature Animation
Walt Disney Animation Studios is an American animation studio headquartered in Burbank, California. The studio, founded in 1923 as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio by brothers Walt and Roy Disney, is the oldest subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
, and the music is adaptations of songs and orchestrations in the soundtrack
The Lion King (soundtrack)
The Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the original motion picture soundtrack for Walt Disney's 1994, 32nd animated feature The Lion King. It contains songs from the film written by Elton John and Tim Rice, and a score composed by Hans Zimmer. Elton John has a dual role of performer...
.
The Sega Genesis version of the game has vocals in the background music missing if compared to the Super Nintendo version. This is most notable in the Elephant Graveyard and Stampede level, as well as on the title screen. However the cutscene speech are intact. The MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
version also has vocals in the background music missing if the audio system is configured for Ad-Lib sound due to MIDI limitations. However, the vocals are audible if the game is configured for SoundBlaster sound.
The Windows 3.1 version relied on the WinG
WinG
In computing, WinG is an application programming interface that provides faster graphics performance on Windows 3.x operating environments, and was positioned as a way to help game developers more easily port their DOS games to Microsoft Windows...
graphics engine, but a series of Compaq
Compaq
Compaq Computer Corporation is a personal computer company founded in 1982. Once the largest supplier of personal computing systems in the world, Compaq existed as an independent corporation until 2002, when it was acquired for US$25 billion by Hewlett-Packard....
Presarios
Compaq Presario
Presario is a series of desktop computers and notebooks from Compaq. The Presario family of computers was launched for the consumer marketplace in September 1993. Although HP has since acquired Compaq, the Presario name was not discontinued due to its marketability. In the mid-1990s, Compaq began...
weren't tested with WinG, which caused the game to crash while loading. This had notably affected Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
, who had shipped the game with one million Compaq machines. The crashes caused game developers to be suspicious of Windows as a viable platform and instead many stuck with MS DOS. To prevent further hardware/software compliance issues the rendering library Direct X was created. This also lead to the Windows 95
Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products...
port of Doom to try and regain developers' faith in Windows.
Reception
The Lion King received mostly positive reviews, including an 8/10 from Electronic Gaming MonthlyElectronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
, and sold well, including 1.27 million units of the SNES version in the United States. Gameplayers wrote on their November 1994 issue that "even on the easy setting, the game is hard for an experienced player".