Retro gaming service Antstream is already home to several beloved classics, from theMonkey Islandtitles to earlyfighting games and more. Now, the platform has partnered with Disney to bring players several games based on some of its most classic films. Multiple game versions of Disney’sThe Lion King, The Jungle Book,andAladdin, among others,are now available to play via theAntstream Arcadeservice, bringing 90s nostalgia to gamers and Disney fans alike.
These games are reproduced pretty much exactly, with a few Antstream Arcade-exclusive changes. Players have three save slots available per game and can quicksave mid-level. There are also global leader boards, tournaments, and challenges allowing players to compete against other users to beat games the fastest, take down certain bosses a number of times, and much more. The faithful recreation is both a good thing and a bad thing because the classic art, music, and levels are retained, and the feeling of nostalgia is present throughout. Unfortunately, this also means that there are the occasional difficult-to-parse hitboxes or nearly impossible jumps, which may make the games a little bit less appealing to those who didn’t initially play them when they first came out.
Still, these games are quite fun, each with its own highs and lows. As part of this ongoing collaboration, manyclassic Disney gameswill be coming to Antstream Arcade over the next couple of months, and I had the opportunity to try out a number of different titles. However, for this preview, I am going to focus on the three flagship titles because they feel indicative of the overall experience:The Lion King, Aladdin,andThe Jungle Book.
Note that multiple versions of each game are available.
The Lion King: Be Prepared For Some Tricky Platforming
The Lion Kingplatformer follows Simba’s journeyfrom cheerful cub to regal King of Pride Rock. Armed with his roar ability, players will guide Simba through levels based on the film’s most iconic scenes, from the lush jungles Timon and Pumbaa call home to the sinister shadows of Scar’s Elephant Graveyard. Simba must escape the wildebeest stampede, drive the hyenas away from Pride Rock, and ultimately take down the villainous Scar.
Although its critical reception was somewhat less thanAladdin’swhen originally released, I actually found it the strongest of the newly added games. The pixel graphics are beautiful, and the film’s songs translate the best to the retro-style score. I…may have found myself losing a life several times because I accidentally got too caught up singing along to the background music mid-level. Simba’s gameplay is unique, as he starts out with just a tiny, barely-a-squeak “roar” as a cub and then gets an enhanced roar as well as Flip and Maul abilities once he grows up. I also liked the mini-games that often appeared between levels, which let you play as other characters likeTimon and Pumbaa.
When thisAladdintie-infirst came out, it was celebrated as one of the best games of its era. This still holds up in many ways. It’s a fun game, it uses its source material well, and it has some particularly tricky boss battles —especially against Jafar. It’s also probably the trickiest of these three experiences because Aladdin’s combo of swordplay and apple-based ranged attacks can take some getting used to, and the enemy density is extremely high even in the early levels.
This is definitely the game that makes use of its source material the best. The use ofthe Genieis clever without feeling overpowered. You have to collect gems to earn “Wishes” that will grant you power-ups and occasionally he can help out in a pinch, but the big blue guy is never just going to outright one-shot a level for you. Other touches from the film are everywhere - Abu gets his time to shine in bonus levels, the Merchant from the film’s opening appears mid-level selling extra lives and other goods, the Sultan is as confused as ever about what’s going on, and much more. It’s the game that will be the most challenging for newbies who haven’t experienced the original, but still certainly worth playing.
The Jungle Book: I’m The King Of The Swingers
“Man-cub” Mowgli needs to find his way back to the man village in thisplatformer of Disney’sThe Jungle Book.Along the way, he’ll get help from allies like Baloo and Bagheera and avoid foes such as the deadly Shere Khan. The agile Mowgli can swing, climb, and jump his way through the jungle, but he has to be careful. It seems like every animal is out to get the poor “man cub.”
This game does not quite reach the highs ofAladdinorThe Lion King,but is still a solid serving of nostalgia. Its biggest problems are that its levels feel the most repetitive, as most of them take place in similar jungle scenes, and that its music is the least interesting. The setup for each level is also typically nothing but a bare text box explaining what’s going on, while the other two games at least tried to feature the characters in small scenes or use dialogue or narration from the movies. On the positive side, though, Mowgli’s mobility is fun, and some of the more extreme “swinging” stunts he gets up to in later levels are challenging and quite satisfying when successfully pulled off.
Final Thoughts
Antstream Arcade plans to add more classicDisney games to its library in the future, including titles likeGoof TroopandBonkers.Players will be able to enjoy these titles alongsideThe Lion King, The Jungle Book,andAladdin,as well as challenge their friends and share their progress via the service’s leader boards. Fans of these games should definitely check out Antstream Arcade to reminisce about classic favorites brought to life in all of their pixelated, occasionally frustratingly difficult, catchy-tune-filled glory.
The global leader boards and challenges also add a new dimension to the games that really adds a community feel. My scores, compared against other Antstream users, definitely showed that I had room to improve - and it inspired me to do better and practice harder! I didn’t tackle many of the challenges yet, but I’m excited to give them a shot, especially ones involving defeating Scar inThe Lion King,as he’s a boss I struggled with as a child that I’d love to have a rematch against as an adult gamer.
As a whole, that’s exactly what fans should expect. Antstream provides a few quality-of-life upgrades, but otherwise lets the nostalgia and bygone era of these games speak for themselves. These three games set the tone for all Disney games on Antstream Arcade, and the service definitely punches above its asking price.
