The mention of Disney typically summons images of theme parks and movies, but the company has its fair share of success in the video game market too. Most of these take the format of a platformer or 3D adventure, each of which offers a great way to explore iconic characters.
The best of these appeared in the 90s and early 2000s and, Surprisingly, many can still be played today on modern consoles and PC.
10
The Lion King
Whatever you think you might expect from The Lion King, you probably didn’t think it’d be difficult. It’s surprisingly hard at times, given how tricky the platforming can be. You aren’t just hopping around as Simba, but swinging, climbing, and surviving deadly environments, like the lava level.
The Lion King is notable for its excellent level variety. You’ll primarily play as Simba, but levels are occasionally broken up with Timon and Pumbaa in quick mini-games. You’ll need those extra lives, too. Once you turn into grown-up Simba, you’ll go from bouncing on enemies Mario-style to clawing your way through hyenas.
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9
Aladdin
Aladdin is one of my favorite Disney movies and it’s so good to see that it got an equally excellent game. The level designs are a little more interesting than that of The Lion King, mainly because of the setting. Traps are much more prevalent and combat is front and center in Aladdin.
In fact, you’re often slicing and dicing Jafar’s guards as you progress through areas seen in the movie, just to reach Jafar himself, who proves to be a real pain in the butt for a boss fight. The sprite work is particularly noteworthy here, with some of the best animations of any platformer from the era.
8
Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue
It isn’t much to look at now, but I recall being blown away by Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue! I still think it’s a technical marvel for the PS1—the models, the size of the levels, the detail. It was pretty hard at times, too.
The fun of the game comes from exploring Andy’s house, completing ingenious puzzles that take advantage of the size difference, and helping out Andy’s other toys as Buzz Lightyear. This one bucks the trend of movie tie-in games being terrible cash grabs, and it’s a real nostalgia rush for anyone who loved the movies.
7
Hercules
Hercules is my all-time favorite Disney movie, so I’m no doubt biased by saying this, but it’s arguably the best Disney game here. It seamlessly blends 2D and 3D gameplay in a way that’s very aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. And I swear, any frame of Hercules‘ animations could be found on a Greek vase.
The boss battles are definitely the highlight of Hercules. You truly feel like a hero taking on familiar enemies from the movie, but also creatures from Greek mythology, like Medusa and the Hydra. As Hercules, you can wind up your punches, slash with your sword, and use neat power-ups, like shooting lightning.
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6
Gargoyles
If you grew up watching Gargoyles, you know how awesome the series was, and the game is no different. For the uninitiated, Gargoyles was an animated TV series that aired between 1994 and 1997, about a group of nocturnal creatures that turned to stone during the day.
This isn’t the original 16-bit version, but a remaster that moves the game away from the 16-bit aesthetic and makes it look like the cartoon. As good as the original pixelated graphics were, I couldn’t be happier with the new look. If you want, you can toggle between the two.
Gargoyles is a mix of tough combat and platforming, making use of both Goliath’s claws and wings to glide and fight. Your goal is to find the Eye of Odin, a magical artifact that actually shows up in the cartoon. It’s a nice way of tying the two together.
5
Kingdom Hearts
Unlike the other entries, you won’t find a Kingdom Hearts movie in Disney’s vault. That’s because it’s a completely unique collaboration between Disney and Square-Enix. In other words, if you’re a fan of Disney and Final Fantasy, this one’s for you.
It takes hack-and-slash combat, RPG and party-based elements, blends it with Disney’s universe, and then injects it with a story that’s notoriously complex and hard to explain. All you need to know is you have a sweet keyblade and need to battle darkness alongside Donald, Goofy, and other familiar Disney characters.
4
LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean
LEGO games have always had a knack for humor, and it only gets better when you mix in Pirates of the Caribbean, which already has a comedic tone to it. The two are a match made in heaven.
LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean leads you through the first four movies, all the while taking control of various characters like Jack, Davy Jones, Will Turner, and Barbosa. You’ll cross swords with pirates, find treasure, and ship battles. Oh, and it’s couch co-op, so bring a friend!
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3
Epic Mickey Rebrushed
Epic Mickey Rebrushed is a remake which aims at fixing some of the problems of the original (like its horrid camera) and making it accessible to more platforms than just the Wii. And thank God that happened, because Rebrushed is beautiful to just look at.
Of course, the gameplay is also particularly unique. As Mickey, you’ll use your brush to interact with the levels, like making a floor disappear to clear a path, uncovering secrets, or creating entirely new things to bring color back to a cartoon wasteland.
2
The Jungle Book
Just like The Lion King and Aladdin, The Jungle Book was another of Disney’s classic games that had a mean difficulty streak baked into its gameplay, with platforming at its core. Unlike the other two, you’ll be doing a lot more climbing and swinging as you look for valuable gems in an effort to reach the next level.
The Jungle Book is definitely the prettiest of the three, given its landscape, which is vibrant and lush. What’s most interesting about the game is that it has numerous bosses. Be sure to use your bananas, boomerangs, and nuts wisely.
1
Castle of Illusion
The original Castle of Illusion was more or less Disney’s own Mario. It was cute, colorful, and starred Mickey who had to defeat enemies much in the same way as Nintendo’s Italian plumber by stomping on them until they popped. In the remake, the game retains the same loop, but it feels way bigger. You actually feel like you’re in a gigantic castle, an aspect that was much harder to pull off on the Genesis’s limited hardware.
Disney’s movies tend to overshadow its games. They are timeless, after all, but we can’t forget that it has quite a few games that are just as timeless, too. The fact that Disney’s best games are still accessible today, and on popular platforms, is testament to that.
