Play The Lion King Online Free for Super Nintendo.
The Lion King hits different when it boots instantly in your browser. Released in 1994 on the Super Nintendo, this retro classic from Virgin Interactive Entertainment is ready the second you press start — no downloads, no setup.
The Lion King is a 1994 platform game based on Disney's 1994 animated film of the same name. It was originally developed by Westwood Studios and published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment for the Super NES and Sega Genesis, and was ported to MS-DOS, Amiga, Game Gear, Master System, and Nintendo Entertainment System; the Amiga, Master System, and NES versions were only released in the PAL region.
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| Action | Keyboard | Controller |
|---|---|---|
| D-Pad Up | ↑ | D-Pad up |
| D-Pad Down | ↓ | D-Pad down |
| D-Pad Left | ← | D-Pad left |
| D-Pad Right | → | D-Pad right |
| B (bottom) | X | Bottom face |
| A (right) | Z | Right face |
| Y (left) | S | Left face |
| X (top) | A | Top face |
| L | Q | Left shoulder |
| R | E | Right shoulder |
| Start | Enter | Start |
| Select | V | Select |
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The Story Behind The Lion King
Westwood Studios developed the game for SNES and Genesis. He had assumed the game to be programmed in 68000 assembly, and the Amiga and Genesis share the same Motorola CPU family, but he found it had been written in C, a language he was unfamiliar with. The 1995 European NES version was that console's last official release in all regions.
Near the end of development, the monkey puzzle in the second level, "Can't Wait to be King", was expanded and made more difficult to meet Disney's playtime criteria to fight game rentals, as time constraints made it impossible to add more levels. Game designer Louis Castle revealed that two levels, Hakuna Matata and Be Prepared, were adapted from scenes which were cut from the final movie. The compilation was later updated as Disney Classic Games Collection: Aladdin, The Lion King, and The Jungle Book, which includes the SNES, Genesis, and Game Boy versions of The Jungle Book and the SNES version of Aladdin.
How The Lion King Plays
Simba's roar consumes a replenishable meter, and can be used to stun enemies or solve puzzles. The Lion King is a side-scrolling platformer where players control the protagonist, Simba, in the events of the film, going through both child and adult forms as the game progresses. In the second half of the game, Simba becomes an adult and gains access to various combat moves such as scratching, mauling, and throws.
Some bugs restore Simba's health, other rarer bugs can increase both the health and roar meters for the remainder of the game, and black spiders will damage Simba. Otherwise, it's back to the title screen and starting over from the beginning. In Timon's stages, he hunts for bugs within a time limit while avoiding spiders.
Why Players Still Load It Up
The sense of power it gives you is exhilarating, and by the time Simba takes his climactic heavyweight stand against his evil uncle Scar, this Lion King has turned into a wild-kingdom variant of Street Fighter II". The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly praised the Game Gear version as having graphics equal to, and controls vastly improved over, the SNES and Genesis versions. In 2002, Westwood's Louis Castle remarked that roughly 4.5 million copies of The Lion King were sold in total.
When the grown-up Simba gives a blood-curdling roar and mauls snarling hyenas, the interaction is so well observed that it's like watching a PBS nature documentary. In 2014, game director Louis Castle revealed that the reason why the game was made difficult, especially in level 2, was due to pressure from Disney so that people would not be able to complete it during the rental period at Blockbusters. They similarly remarked of the Genesis version: "The Lion King looks good and sounds great, but the gameplay needs a little more fine-tuning".
The Lion King — Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I buy the original The Lion King?
See the "Other Places You Can Get This Game" section below the article for legitimate places to buy real-world versions.
What console was The Lion King released on?
Virgin Interactive Entertainment shipped The Lion King for the Super Nintendo back in 1994, and this page runs that release.
Can I save my progress in The Lion King?
Yes. Create a free account and the player unlocks save states — snapshot your progress at any moment and resume later on any device.
How many players does The Lion King support?
This browser version of The Lion King handles 1 player(s).