Developer: Eurocom Publisher: Disney Interactive Released: July 1, 1997 Genre: Platform
Disney’s Hercules is an anomaly. It’s hard to believe now but once upon a time some of the brightest creators in the video game industry devoted their time to making some of the best licensed games around. Disney games in particular were so amazing they regularly competed for game of the year. It also helped that the movies they released in the mid-80s and 90s were a cut above nearly everything else in the animation field and lent themselves well to action platformers.
Around 1995 that all changed however. Where every Disney movie was usually accompanied by a variety of merchandise, including games, that all but dried up with the advent of 3d. Considering the movies released in that period I don’t blame game developers from saying no. The world certainly wasn’t waiting with baited breath for the Hunchback of Notre Dame to make his video game debut. Where we once lamented the announcement of generic platformers after crap like A Bug’s Life we prayed for their return. And Disney agreed.
Disney’s Hercules Action game is in many ways a throwback to titles like Aladdin and the Lion King. It follows the plot of the movie faithfully while embellishing certain scenes. It imbues its protagonist with a wide set of abilities and builds the game around them. While it is definitely reminiscent of past classics it also fuses 2d and 3d to create something new. It isn’t always successful at it but it isn’t a complete failure either. I wasn’t expecting to like Hercules so much but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise like the movie.
Hercules is armed with a large arsenal of techniques to aid him in the game. Aside from his normal sword swipes he can also perform melee attacks. These take the form of a punch combo or a foot stomp that destroys weak floors to reveal hidden areas. His super strength is further used with a wind up punch that can destroy parts of the environment. Magic is available in the form of various elemental swords. Collision can be a problem at times but combat isn’t all that frequent and is serviceable.
The best way to describe Hercules is varied. Throughout its ten stages it does something new at every turn. For the most part this is a platformer but far from a straightforward one. At various points you can move into and out of the background. Some stages have as many as four or five planes, with enemies and obstacles on each. This dynamic makes the stages fun as you try to navigate the various dead ends and collect items. A number of stages are pretty cool third person chase sequences as you run through different parts of Greece, dodging all manner of obstacles in your path. The epic boss battles receive their won spotlight and are simple but incredibly fun. The game follows the movie tightly, expanding on certain segments when necessary to create a brief yet fun roller coaster of a game.
For the most part Hercules is a pretty easy game overall. Life restoring drinks are frequent and with a modicum of exploration you’ll rack up extra lives. The abundance of both items is more than likely to make up for the frequent cheap hits of enemies. There is no hit stun or moment of invincibility when you are hit. It is easy to see your life bar drained, mostly by crows. Outside of that you will rarely die. All of the bosses have patterns that are easy to intuit and also provide items so you don’t die. It has its moments but most of the time when you die you’ll be itching to try again. My only gripe is the method of earning passwords; having to find every vase in each level is a bit much. But that is a minor complaint.
The easy difficulty serves to highlight my only beef with the game: it’s over far too soon. While Hercules does a good job of recreating the events of the film it also has the pacing of it as well. Technically there are ten levels however many of the best stages are one off boss battles. Some of these are epic set pieces, such as the fight against the Hydra and Medusa. Half the levels are auto scrolling stages that simply challenge you to avoid incoming obstacles and are incredibly short. There are only four pure platforming levels which is sad as the mechanics lend themselves to it so well. Hercules would truly have been amazing with a few more since its mechanics are so sound.
In Closing
Even bearing the short length in mind Disney’s Hercules is a good game and one of the better pure platformers for the PlayStation. It’s also the best Disney game for the system although there isn’t much competition in that area. The game is also dirt cheap as it was also released for the PC and as a PS One classic for the PS3. Buy this game.
