Developer: Software Creations Publisher: Sunsoft Release: 1993 Genre: Action
The excellent Disney game renaissance that started with Capcom on the NES continued into the 16-bit era and was even better. Even more surprising was the number of publishers jumping on the bandwagon. Despite the increasing numbers they kept the quality streak going. Sega and Virgin especially were pumping out gold that rivaled Capcom’s best at the time. But there are the games we do not talk about. Sunsoft released a pair of Beauty and the Beast games for the Genesis that was absolutely awful. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast: Roar of the Beast is a game that looks the business but has no redeeming qualities outside of its graphics.
Roar of the Beast retells key scenes from the movie from the Beast’s perspective. There are cutscenes that move the plot along but for the most part they are useless. I can see what Sunsoft were going for here: Belle’s Quest was the easier adventure more than likely intended for young girls. Roar of the Beast is the action equivalent for boys. But they drop the ball hard in nearly aspect outside of its production values. Stay away from this one.
At its core Roar of the Beast is a simple game. It has the makings of a beat em up but is incredibly simple even by genre standards. The Beast can swipe, and do a wind up punch that does more damage. After leaping you can perform a diving attack that is the most effective in the game. You also have a roar attack that freezes enemies in their tracks for a few seconds.
The gameplay is simple and was probably intended for kids. But Roar of the Beast is ruined by its awful collision and hit detection. You could blame it on the Beast’s short attack range but that is not it. Your attacks frequently miss even though they seemingly connect and it is frustrating. When the best option is to pounce on every enemy something is wrong. The enemy hit boxes also make no sense. Some like the wolf boss are so particular that it is near impossible to attack without receiving damage. Others have insane collision such that even when you think you have dodged you still get hit. There is little rhyme or reason to it and it makes the game annoying.
The collision detection is just as bad. There is a heavy platforming component to Roar of the Beast and it is hit or miss just like combat. It does not show up until the second level but that is where it becomes apparent. Roar of the Beast has the same problem a lot of European developed games from that period had, where background and foreground objects have no clear delineation. If you are familiar with Earthworm Jim it is similar. The Beast will fall through platforms you have clearly landed on and slip off edges. With these long levels it grows old fast. It is a shame that both combat and platforming have issues but that is not the game’s only problem.
In the end the level design is boring. Roar of the Beast has four levels with each featuring multiple sections. The problem stems from extreme padding. Each is repetitive and longer than is reasonable. The castle levels are the worst as they focus on combat. Walking across the same recurrent scenery and facing the same two enemies is not my idea of fun. And it only gets worse as the game progresses. The forest has four parts. But each is barely different from the previous. These levels introduce platforming and as I have outlined it does not work. That leaves the boss battles to drum up any excitement. But between the hit detection and their lack of a visible life bar you will wonder when it will end as you wail on the bastards. I struggled to stay interested long enough to complete this one. I do it for you.
While Roar of the Beast is bad damn did Sunsoft grace it with high production values. The graphics are simply amazing. Roar of the Beast has lavish cutscenes and large well animated sprites. The Beast himself is a fantastic rendition of the character and looks plucked straight from an animation cell. He is incredibly expressive with flowing fur and a wide gait when he roars. Even though the game is only four levels long it covers a lot of ground and visits many locations from the movie. Each is lavishly rendered and dripping with atmosphere. The game makes the movie seem darker than it was but in this case it works.
In Closing
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast: Roar of the Beast means well but ultimately fails to provide the action thrills it intended. For every one good aspect there is another dragging it down. It is beautifully drawn, aurally powerful, and dripping with atmosphere, but also short, repetitive, and punishingly difficult. Its myriad flaws leave it as a footnote in Disney video game history rather than an interesting chapter.
