Welcome to another edition of Playing With Power. The review article that looks at all things Nintendo Entertainment System. I have gone into detail in the last few editions of PWP about just how magical the union of Capcom and Disney was in the NES era. So I figured is it’s something so nice, why not talk about it thrice? So, this week we’ll see just how well Capcom handled taking one of Disney’s biggest movies of the time, and converting it to the 8-bit console. Was it a major success? Or did it just “flounder”?
YEAR OF RELASE: 1991
PUBLISHER: Capcom
GENRE: sidescroller.
In the summer of 1989, Disney released the animated motion picture The Little Mermaid. The movie was a massive box office success, and kick started what would be a golden renaissance for Disney through the 90’s. And of course, with any successful movie comes a video game. Though in the case of The Little Mermaid, that video game would come a whole two years after the movie’s release. Capcom still held exclusive rights to Disney games for Nintendo, and in 1991 would release a game based on The Little Mermaid for the NES and Game Boy. So, considering the movie’s more girly subject matter, did that manage to translate into a good video game? Let’s find out.
STORY
A now human Ariel and Prince Eric are living happily on the land. But their happiness is cut short as Sebastian and Flounder tell Ariel that the sea witch Ursula has cast a spell on all of the sea creatures, turning them evil. So Ariel turns back into a mermaid (somehow), and heads back under the sea to put a stop to the wicked sea witch and her schemes once and for all. So yeah, the game is sort of loosely based around the events of the movie. But in the end, it still manages to handle the plot of the film better than most companies did at the time.
GAMEPLAY
The Little Mermaid is a sidescrolling action game. You play as Ariel, who has to head through five undersea worlds in order to stop the evil sea creatures being controlled by Ursula. Now, before you think that Ariel is pretty weak, you’re wrong. Ariel can defend herself quite well. Ariel can swim in all 8 directions with the D-Pad. With the B button held, she can swim faster. And with the A button she fires bubbles from her tail fin. When the bubbles touch an enemy fish, it will trap them in a bubble, which Ariel can then pick up and fire with the B button in one of five directions (Left, diagonal left, up, diagonal right, and right). So, the core gameplay is a sidescrolling version of Bubble Bobble.
Ariel can also move on dry land. Pressing the A button at the water’s top can hop you onto land. But since Ariel is part fish, she can only hop with taps of the A button. This is really only useful for getting certain items in the game.
You start with weak bubbles that take a while to trap fish. However, you can rectify and build up the strength of your attack with two different pearls you can find in treasure chests throughout the game. Green Pearls will increase the range of your bubble shot, while red pearls will increase the power, making it easier to trap enemies both small and large. You can pick up three of each pearl in order to increase them to their maximum power. Not only can a more powerful tail mean an easier time disposing of enemies, but it also gives you the ability to move heavier items like boulders and barrels.
The trick to opening these chests is through conch shells you can grab throughout the levels. Just throw the shell into the chest and it will open it. Another plus to the conch shell is that it can also double as a shield that can destroy and fish enemies that come your way.
There are also sandy areas that Ariel can dig through with her tail flip. Under the sand she can find items like dinglehoppers and snarfblatts that will add to your overall score, as well as hearts. You start the game with three hearts out of a potential five, that you can find hidden in the sand or certain crevasses in the game. You start the game with three lives, and have unlimited continues. But when you bring the game’s difficulty into the picture, chances are you will never see the game over screen unintentionally.
There are five levels to play through. A sea of coral, the sunken pirate ship, a sea of ice, and undersea volcano, and finally Ursula’s lair. Each level ends with a boss battle. Some are from the movie like the shark and Flotsam and Jetsam. There’s also a shell dropping walrus, and a fish that conducts two cannons to shoot enemies and spikes at you. And finally there’s Ursula herself, who you will have to battle twice. Each boss takes around five hits to defeat, and each have basic attack patterns that can be easy to get the hang of.
You should be able to beat this game in at least your first play through. The game is honestly one of the easiest games in the NES library. That however is not a massive detriment to this game, since the core gameplay is fun enough that it makes the lack of any super challenge a moot point. The game is also extremely short. There are a mere five levels a I previously mentioned, and all are very quick and straightforward, save for the last level. but even that stage has an easy enough pattern that should case barely any issues. I liken this simple pick up and play nature to Ducktales, which benefited from its simplicity and lack of length.
GRAPHICS
Capcom delivers again with top notch graphics on the NES. All of the sprites have that distinct Disney feel, and perfectly represent the characters from the movie. Backgrounds are well detailed and give a real solid undersea feel. The game also has cutscenes, though most are just the same reused one before each level. However, they too are all well designed, and every character looks like they came straight from the movie. Just another perfect example of how the Capcom/Disney alliance was a match made in gaming heaven.
MUSIC
Just like the graphics, the music in this game is Capcom at their very best. Every level has a great song that matches the feel of the movie, and are almost guaranteed to leave an impression on you. My favorites from the game being the sea of coral, sunken ship, and boss theme. But the absolute best song in the game is the opening title. Which is a nearly flawless 8-bit rendition of Under The Sea. You should be sure to have some of the tunes caught in your head, and a bit more of an appreciation of just how magical the 8-bit music can be.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
The Little Mermaid isn’t exactly a revolutionary game in any way, nor is it the best Capcom Disney game. But it is certainly a solid addition to what is a great list of games for the NES. It has perfect controls, great gameplay, and an excellent sound and graphic package. But I think the most important thing about it is that this all from a game based on what is generally considered a girl’s movie. I liken to to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It’s proof that you can take something from what is perceived too girly and make it accessible to both genders and ages. Doesn’t hurt that you have a company like Capcom that worked to make sure it was actually fun, and not a quick cash in, unlike another certain girl’s game on the console (I’m talking about you Barbie). Some people will no doubt be turned off by the game’s lack of difficulty, but it’s still worth a play. If you can find a copy, pick it up. I think it’s high time you took a trip under the sea.
RATING: Thumbs Up
On behalf of Playing With Power, I wish each and every one of you a safe and happy new year. See you in 2012, with more classic NES goodness. Til then, keep playin’.