A solid and visually impressive Lion King platformer for the hardware. Well-designed levels and faithful music from the film. An excellent Disney licensed game for 8-bit hardware.
Your verdict
Category
Platformer2 players3+
Description
Action platformer featuring Simba exploring the Pride Lands. Published by Sega, released in Europe and Brazil in 1994. Simba in side-scrolling view battling enemies in the savannahs. Master System adaptation of the Disney Lion King film.
Lion King, The review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
The cub's animations are drawn from the animation studio's sheets, which gives his run and his leaps an animal suppleness rare on this machine, each paw landing distinctly. The savannah settings play on gradients of yellow and orange to convey heat, and the canyon scene accumulates enough moving sprites to saturate the screen.
Carried by the film's themes, the music makes the great savanna tunes ring out, from the majestic "Circle of Life" to the more spirited passages. The arrangements, polished for the machine, embrace Simba's epic with emotion. This successful transposition of a famous score gives the game an unexpected breath.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
A platformer from Disney's The Lion King, where Simba grows up across the Pride Lands, published by Virgin in Europe and Brazil. Its desirability rests on the immense popularity of the 1994 film and a polished execution for the 8-bit console, with a limited run notably in Brazil. Collectors seek this title for its tie to a timeless Disney classic and its place among the machine's late licensed adaptations.
Is Lion King, The still worth playing in 2026?
A platformer from Virgin drawn from the Disney film, The Lion King moves Simba from mischievous cub to adult king, through superb levels alternating platforming, dodging and combat. The flamboyant art direction and the rotoscoped animation, signatures of the 16 bit version, are remarkably adapted on the machine. The title also inherits the original's fearsome difficulty, which may put off. For a retro platforming fan, a Disney fan or someone curious about 8 bit visual feats, the title keeps a definite brilliance and ambition.
