It Starts
The Lion King was a video game adaptation of the film of the same name and was developed by Westwood Studios and published by Virgin Entertainment. The game found its way on the SEGA Genesis and Super NES in 1994, to name a few consoles, and had players control Simba in a 2D side-scrolling platformer that followed the storyline of the film.
Players would guide Simba through a variety of levels, facing various challenges as he came of age, from the wide-eyed and curious cub eager to explore his future kingdom to a grown Lion finding the courage to face his past and reclaim his rightful place as king. And in the same way that the king would return, could we see the return of a video game that was remarkably engrossing and challenging for both young and experienced gamers alike? One can only hope, The Lion King is the focus of today's remake request.
Oh I Just Can't Wait to Be King
Players took control of young Simba to begin with, jumping, pouncing, and roaring his way through various levels within familiar sets taken from the film. As a young cub, Simba had dispatch little bugs and animals that obstructed his way forward, jumping on them usually being enough to get rid of them, while others would require a small roar to flip them on their backs to then be pounced on. The little roar was also to solve small problems in the game, and Simba would also need to collect bugs to give himself health and bonuses, while checkpoints could also be reached, acting as the first indicator as to the size and challenge that each level would present.
Levels matched the sequence and style of the film, complete with secret areas and complex challenges that required great skill and reflexes to overcome. The game would've been perhaps one of the first to be real rage-inducing, with various levels requiring several attempts to clear, with boss fights added and additional areas not seen in the film to give players more from the game. The game was also one of the first to introduce a level that required gamers to run towards the screen in the famous stampede level, a mechanic that would be replicated later in games such as Crash Bandicoot and Uncharted.
Eventually, gamers would grow with Simba into his adult years, adding more dimensions to his attacks and upping the difficulty in terms of the opponents that he would have to face. The graphics took full advantage of the hardware at the time and bonus levels to keep the game fresh. All in all, The Lion King was a worthy adaptation that showed off amazing level design, great visuals, and thrilling degrees of difficulty to keep players coming back for more. It stayed true to its source material without always feeling tied down to it, showing great flexibility in levels, keeping what was necessary, and discarding what otherwise wouldn't have kept pace with the game.
While the game was made available to play on bigger console/handhelds, a remake could take a new direction altogether, the control of lions in a game rich with possibility.
The King Has Returned
The remake of The Lion King with the aid of enhanced effects perhaps calls for the possibility of another game adaptation that could be just as remarkable as the game that came before so many years ago. Now I know that we did get something to this effect with Simba's Mighty Adventure, But perhaps there are more options at hand for any collective to work through to create a game that presents unique possibilities. On the one hand, a classic 2D platformer that focuses on the less popular sequel to the original, or a third person sandbox game with mesmerizing graphics and freedom.
Let's look at using the sequel as a template, for those who haven't seen it, a few characters would return to reprise their respective roles, the main actor probably being Matthew Broderic voicing adult Simba again. Indeed, the title of the sequel was Simba's Pride, and followed his daughter, Kiara, in her very own coming of age story. However, on the other neck of the woods was a banished pride loyal to Scar, plotting their revenge on Simba by conditioning Scar's chosen heir, a young cub by the name of Kovu, to one day act as a mole within Simba's company, gain his trust, and eventually take down his pride from the inside. That was the original plan, but that changed after Kovu and Kiara would unexpectedly fall in love with one another and work to bring their respective prides together in peace.
A remake in the classic 2D platform-style would not have to deviate too far from what the original bought, the only difference being a change in character and levels to keep a slight consistency with the film. An interesting addition could be the chance to play as Kovu, the lack of detail in his upbringing creating a nice blank slate to work with. This would be the first option; the second option would be in flexing the full capabilities of the PS4/PS5s or any other next-generation console, creating an open world, sandbox-style game that could be described as Horizon Zero Dawn with Lions.
Those bold enough to take on the creation of the game could use a game called HK as a source of inspiration, the mysterious game still early in development with not much being known about other than you control a black cat in a futuristic city. With an open-world kind of game, players could roam the savannah and take on a variety of different missions, either going along with the main story or deviating into other mini-adventures. Quick time events in major battles could do wonders in bigger boss fights, and new characters could be added to spice things up a little more, a clever addition also being the possible use of Zazu's scouting abilities, acting as a map system of sorts which would allow players to head to the destination where they are needed the most.
The potential and possibility certainly exist to bring this to fruition, but highly unlikely that anyone would be interested in bringing back the classic in this day and age.
Conclusion
While we may not ever see another Lion King game, aside from the above-mentioned original made available on stronger devices, it's undeniable that new avenues can and should be explored when it comes to characters that can be used in games. HK looks like an interesting idea, and will hopefully create different approaches to our gaming experience. But The Lion King is a time-honored classic that holds up today as much as it did in the years gone by, and on that note, let's hear it for Simba, The Lion King, and classic video games.
