Platforming games are still quite popular among gamers, despite the earliest examples of the genre appearing around 30 years ago. Some of the progenitors of the genre include the 1980 game Space Panic and the 1981 game Donkey Kong, with Donkey Kong often considered the innovator of jump-based movement many platformers are known for. Platforming games can also be quite difficult, especially older games that relied heavily on precise movements with clunky controls. The release of the SEGA Genesis console in 1989 kicked off a wave of 90's platforming games, many of which were difficult, and one of them was 1994's The Lion King.
The Lion King was released in the same year as the Disney film after which it is named, and it contains many of the hallmark game mechanics associated with platforming games. Players control Simba and move throughout the game by jumping from platform to platform while also trying to land on top of enemies and find collectibles. Developer Virgin Software made another game, Disney's Aladdin, though it isn't as difficult as The Lion King. Both games were released as a collection called Disney Classics: Aladdin and The Lion King in 2019 for several consoles, including the PS4.
Twitch streamer Storymodebae decided recently to play The Lion King by taking advantage of the PS5's backward compatibility, but she quickly realizes she might be in over her head. While she seems pleased with the artwork and the film-faithful soundtrack, the precise platforming causes her to die frequently. Eventually, she manages to pass the first level and move on. However, when she runs out of lives on the second level and the game sends her back to the start, she has a hilarious reaction.
She uploaded this clip to Twitter, where it went viral and gained over 4 million views during the past few days. Other gamers quickly responded with their own stories of playing difficult platforming games from the 90s. Some even compared the difficulty of The Lion King to the Dark Souls series, which is known for its unforgiving combat. Though not all 90s platforming games are notoriously difficult, many are much shorter than modern games and therefore rely more on difficulty to keep gamers from mastering them too quickly.
Despite its difficulty, The Lion King was considered to be a decent game for the SEGA Genesis, with many reviewers giving it an overall positive rating at the time of its release. Now that Storymodebae's clip has reintroduced The Lion King to millions of gamers, there may be more that download the game on modern consoles to take a stab at conquering its notorious challenge.
The Lion King re-release is available to play on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, Xbox One, and PS5 and Xbox Series X via backward compatibility.