The Lion King for SNES, Aladdin for Genesis added to iam8bit cart series

It was a big year for both Aladdin and The Lion King, with Disney reintroducing the films to modern audiences via big budget remakes that also hit it big at the box office. Disney is revisiting those franchises one more time before year’s end, but this time, the goal is retro reproduction.

Thanks to iam8bit and Nighthawk Interactive, two games released contemporaneously alongside Aladdin and The Lion King’s ’90s animated films will receive represses on their original formats—Aladdin for Sega Genesis and The Lion King for Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Only 4,500 copies of each title will be available, and each will cost $99.99. Pre-orders open 1 p.m. ET Thursday, Oct. 24, at iam8bit’s webstore.

Released in 1993 and developed by Virgin Interactive, Aladdin for Genesis is a 2D platformer that tasks players with guiding the titular hero from the streets of Agrabah to Jafar’s lair. Along the way, Aladdin will best foes with either a sword or deadly projectile apples. At the time of its release, Aladdin was praised for its graphical performance and engaging gameplay.

The retro reproduction of Aladdin plays on an NTSC Genesis or European Mega Drive console and comes in Genesis-style packaging, complete with manual. Carts are translucent red or glow-in-the-dark translucent purple, with one-in-eight orders receiving the latter.

The Lion King for Super Nintendo was released in late 1994 and follows the events of the animated film. Players start the platformer as young Simba, whose Mario-like offense sees the character jumping on enemy’s heads to dispatch them. Halfway through, Simba transitions to adulthood and learns more combat options.

Nighthawk Interactive and iam8bit’s reproduction of The Lion King works with NTSC Super Nintendo systems and gets the same thoughtful packaging and manual reproduction as Aladdin. Carts are either gold or translucent gold, with the translucent variant appearing in every one-in-eight boxes.

Both titles are now part of iam8bit’s Legacy Cartridge Collection, which also includes Earthworm Jim, Mega Man X and Street Fighter II.

Reproduction cartridges aren’t the only way to play retro Disney titles based on these two films. The Lion King for SNES, Genesis and Game Boy will join Aladdin for Genesis, Game Boy and Super Game Boy in Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King, set for release Oct. 29 for Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Xbox One and Sony PlayStation 4. That new collection will also include a demo of Aladdin shown at trade shows.

Best Buy will carry two different exclusive versions of the collection housed in retro packaging.

The SNES box version and Genesis clamshell version are $49.99 each and include the game, a manual and a poster.

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