A respectable Capcom take, but a step behind the Mega Drive version. Animations are nice, feel is decent, yet Disney clearly favored Sega.
Your verdict
Category
Platformer1 player7+
Description
Disney platformer in which Aladdin traverses the streets of Agrabah and the Sultan's palace to rescue Jasmine. Published by Capcom, released in Europe in 1993. Ten levels inspired by the film, dagger attacks and acrobatics, magic carpet and animated cutscenes, music by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. Disney adaptation by Capcom, distinct from Virgin's Mega Drive version.
Aladdin review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
Animation drawn by Disney studios: sprites of prodigious fluidity, shimmering colours and teeming Oriental settings compose a playable animated film of rare beauty. The suppleness of the line and the richness of the hues overflow with charm. This art direction, polished and sumptuous, remains a peak of the 16-bit platformer.
Carefully adapting Alan Menken's melodies, the music revives the film's universe, from the flamboyant "Friend Like Me" to the tender "A Whole New World". Each level of Agrabah sparkles with colourful, rousing arrangements. This sonic triumph happily extends the magic of the Disney feature on SNES.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Leaping, slashing with a scimitar and gliding over the rooftops of Agrabah in a riot of cartoon-worthy animation: the visual pleasure and the lively pace grab you at once. The colourful levels chain snappy platforming and spectacular set-pieces, like the carpet escape. Smooth, generous and beautifully animated, a platformer that breathes Disney magic at every moment.
The European PAL SNES edition of the Capcom version of the Disney film (a radically different game from the Virgin/Westwood Mega Drive version). The PAL cart is rarer than the US version, and the SNES Capcom version is culturally important as the other Aladdin of 1993, the one that pitched two aesthetic schools of game development against each other. PAL boxed CIB in the original cardboard box climbs steadily, sustained by that historical duality.
Is Aladdin still worth playing in 2026?
The SNES Aladdin, signed by Capcom, is a quieter platformer than the Virgin Mega Drive version, namely a title focused on pure platforming rather than spectacular animation and sword combat. The barrel jumps and the apple tossing are precise, the art faithfully echoes the film and the difficulty stays reasonable. The Sega comparison has long worked against it, yet approaching this cartridge for what it is, namely a solid Capcom platformer, changes the experience. Highly recommendable to anyone fond of Disney.
