The Jungle Book

Developer:

• Eurocom Entertainment Software

Publisher:

• Virgin Interactive Entertainment
• Nintendo Australia

Producers:

• Robb Alvey
• Hugh Binns
• Patrick Gilmore

Designers:

• David Bishop
• Bill Anderson
• Erik Yuteo
• David Perry
• Robb Alvey
• Julian Rignall

Programmers:

• Tim Rogers
• Tim Swann

Artists:

• Steve Wilding
• Adrian Mannion
• Colin Garratt
• Steve Bedser

Composer:

• Mark Miller
• Tommy Tallarico

Platform:

• Super Nes

Release:
PAL:

• 1994

Genre:

• Platformer

Modes:

• Single-player 

Check Pricing here:

https://www.pricecharting.com/game/pal-super-nintendo/the-jungle-book

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Box Synopsis

You're an Indian boy named Mowgli, and you were raised by aa pack of wolves. No parents. No school. No problems. Great life huh? Except there's a rumor Shere Khan the man-eating tiger  is coming after you. So now you've got to sneak, swing and swoop your way through the jungle, catch the tiger by the tail and reach the safety of the man-village.

To do this, you have to get the hang of incredibly tricky vines, neutralize venom balls, dodge coconut-throwing monkeys and fire off bananas at any scorpion, vampire bat or crazy ape that get's in your way. So eat your potassium. It's a jungle out there.

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Gameplay

The player takes control of Mowgli and is tasked with completing various side scrolling platformer style levels based on the Walt Disney classic. The game is similar to other platformers and allows the player to run, jump, swing, shoot, climb and navigate their way to the end of each level.

Levels are filled with enemies and dangers but also a variety of loot which is rewarding to the player and gives extra lives, continues and more based on collection performance.

Once the player completes all the levels the game is over and the story is ended.

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Controls

Default layout:

Horizontal D-Pad: Move Mowgli
Vertical D-Pad: Hold down to crouch/Hold up to climb/Hold to adjust projectile aim
L: N/A
R: N/A

X: N/A
Y: Throw Banana
B: Jump
A: N/A
Select: N/A

Start: Pause/Confirm menu options

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Game Videos

The Jungle Book Introduction Video

The Jungle Book Gameplay Sample

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Shanwow's Review

Story and Gameplay - 2 point

The Jungle books is a story driven game based on the Walt Disney classic animated film of the same name. It tells the story of a young boy name Mowgli, who has been raised in the jungle by wolves and how he must now escape to the man village or risk being killed by the dangerous Shere Khan.

The narrative is told in the form of a turning page book, similar to Beauty and the Beast. It follows the film's story line closely but doesn't have much expression on screen and the story feels a bit left behind for this one. 

The gameplay is similar to other platformers from Disney and features a handful of levels based on the storyline and it allows the player to conduct multiple actions to advance to the next level while searching for loot. 

There are some boss battles that are clear representations of Mowgli's onscreen enemies and these battles are tough head to head fights. The bosses must be pummeled by bananas or other methods to be defeated and unlock the way to the next level.

Controls and Features - 2 point

The controls are very similar to other platformers and are based mainly around jumping, movement and firing projectiles. There aren't as many buttons used in the layout for this game however your projectile can be aimed by holding the direction which is a bit different to other Disney platformers.

This game features a single player story based experience that carries over several medium to large sized levels. The levels are compromised of elements based on the current story point and feature enemies and dangers in the environment. Each level has a set start and end point however the player can swing, swoop, fly, climb or jump many different ways to get there.

The loot system is a nice feature for this game thanks to the rewarding nature of it. The main loot players look for are gems and if they collect the right amount per level a bonus continue or level is rewarded. This is a nice reward for the players who like to explore and take it slow.

Design and Difficulty - 3 points

The Jungle Book has a pretty good overall design and that holds from start to finish. The story elements are a bit dull but the overall gameplay and feel of the game make up for that.

The graphics for playable areas look quite nice, however some finer details seem a bit rough such as facial features and shadows. The sprites are a bit pixelated and however their animations are relatively smooth and enjoyable.

The game packs a very fun and catchy soundtrack that is based on the popular songs from the film. The songs are roughly translated to the games capacity and have revolving beats and sounds that are very friendly and fun.

This game is quite challenging and troublesome, especially during boss battles. The level designs are quite nice due to their varying nature, however instant death spots do exist and are quite punishing at first. Majority of the games difficulty is based on the players approach speed, however bosses create giant roadblocks of frustration because they sponge lots of damage and deal more to you. The amount of hits needed on a boss is quite high and force the player to learn patterns and repeat fire to defeat them.

Fun and Summary - 👍 +1

The Jungle Book is a very fun and colorful adventure bought together thanks to Virgin Interactive Entertainment and Disney. The games overall enjoyment factor is based on all the film elements prior to this project as they bring the feeling from film screen to home screen.

Overall the game has lot's of gameplay potential thanks to it's rather high difficulty rating and loot system, meaning the better you play the further you get. This leads to several hours of attempts before finally getting to safety in the end.

RetroRating: 8 out of 10