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System:
MasterSystem
Genre:
Action
Publisher:
SEGA
Developer:
-
Players:
-
Release date/year:
1994
Other systems:
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- Aladdin
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1994 SEGA - MS
As far as Disney games go, it’s really hard to find one that is portrayed on any system further back than the Genesis. However, with this little gem, Aladdin is brought to the Sega Master System, with a few flaws that keep it from being one of the better platform games on the system. Loose control coupled with less than well detailed visuals and a tinny sound effect base leave little to be desired, especially with the game play. If you’ve played this version of the game on other systems, then you’ll notice the difference from the starting screen!
The story itself follows the adventures of the young thief Aladdin in his quest to woo the beautiful Princess Jasmine and rescue her from the evil Jafar. Though the storyline follows the movie to a tee and the game stages all match what you would see in the movie, there is a lack of detail to the overall story. In most places, you’ll be wondering just how in the hell the cities and the caverns could be so large and intimidating, while the action moves so slowly. Even though it tries hard, it seems to fail with the overall presentation of the story, and you may notice it before the end of the second stage.
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The Game Play
As with most platform games on the Master System, or any system for that matter, you’ll find that the game moves at a slow pace throughout the game, picking up only in the ledge jumping sections of the game. Aladdin can run and jump, as well as swing his sword, but you might find that the amount of spacing you need to get close enough with the sword requires taking damage. Your damage meter is located in the upper part of the screen and the more damage that you take, the further down the smoke of the lamp goes. When you’re at your limit, it will flash and one more hit will be cause for the loss of life which will whisk you away to the beginning of the stage.
The challenge that you find in the game varies depending on where you are in the game. Some of the beginning stages are easy to get through, while some of them are near impossible unless you have extremely quick timing with your control and your character. Again, you’re running into the problem of actually getting through the game because your character seems to move so much slower than everything else on the screen. If you add into this that the game has a way of popping enemies up in front of you as you move, you might find the aggravation factor of the game a little too much to contend with.
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The Visuals
A difference in the versions of this title start here, and you’ll find that the game seems to have taken on a less detailed form than the later releases. The character that you play looks more like a colored blob than a fluid moving character and even the enemies that you face off against have little or no movement to them. The stages that you travel through are large and expansive, but they lack the smaller detail and fun that you might expect from a Disney action game. When you sit back and look at the screen, you might have to squint in certain parts just to make sure that you’re aiming your character in the right direction!
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The Audio
The lack of music selection is the first thing that you’ll notice when you start the second stage. For the most part, the only tone that you have to listen to is a transferred theme of the main Aladdin title over and over again. With most of the stages, you’ll hear that the music is misplaced and just doesn’t carry the theme that it is intended. The sound effects are your standard action sounds, with the jumping of your character and the poof of the enemies that you dispatch being key. All in all, the action game selection on the music and the effects here just doesn’t carry the run ‘n jump action theme that you would expect from a game in the genre!
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The Verdict
Aladdin isn’t anywhere near as good as I have seen it on other systems. With the lack of visuals and even the misplaced game difficulty in certain portions, you might have a hard time really sinking your teeth into it. The visuals here are minimal and lack a certain depth, the audio just doesn’t have enough variation going for it and even the control is a little off kilter. However, if you’re a fan of the Disney line and you’re looking to collect another game for your Master System, then this is a good bet. Otherwise, you might want to try playing something with a little more action and better presentation.
5/10
//KasketDarkfyre
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