The Little Mermaid was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System by Capcom. You probably imagine that this is a movie licensed game targeted towards a young female demographic therefore it must be awful. That is not the case.
The story of the Little Mermaid takes place after Ariel is transformed back into a mermaid after she met prince Eric. Ursula attempts to control the sea by using magic to hypnotize fish into giving into her demands. There are cut scenes after each level which provides obvious hints for the next level.
The Little Mermaid is a shoot-em up game. The player takes control of Ariel shooting bubbles which she encases enemies in. She can also pick up the encased enemies to throw at other enemies. She can also use shell to throw at enemies. There are power up found in treasure chests which have to be open with shells, rocks and barrels. Shells have to be picked up but rocks and barrel have to be whacked with Ariel’s tail to slide them.
There are some other items to collect, but not really worth the effort. When you trap an enemy in a bubbles, there are holes in the ground and ceiling which can reveal item by thowing an enemy or shell in them. The items are fork and pipes, a clever reference to the movie when Scuttle refer to these item as Snarfblats and dinglehoppers. However, the items do not do anything other than add up to your score and really, I doubt there is any high score competitions for such a game. The only items you will be seeking are the power up.
The basic game play is really difficult to classify into a genre. It is mostly a shoot-em up though, you don't use bubbles to clear enemies directly. There are also some platforming element in which Ariel is controlled on land. As you probably guess, the controls change on land as Ariel can only flap like any other fish taken out from the water. Ariel controls nicely in the water, though there is a slight delay when changing directions due to an addition animation on Ariel. Despite this minor gripe, the controls work very well.
There are some other items to collect, but not really worth the effort. When you trap an enemy in a bubbles, there are holes in the ground and ceiling which can reveal item by thowing an enemy or shell in them. The items are fork and pipes, a clever reference to the movie when Scuttle refer to these item as Snarfblats and dinglehoppers. However, the items do not do anything other than add up to your score and really, I doubt there is any high score competitions for such a game. The only items you will be seeking are the power up.
The basic game play is really difficult to classify into a genre. It is mostly a shoot-em up though, you don't use bubbles to clear enemies directly. There are also some platforming element in which Ariel is controlled on land. As you probably guess, the controls change on land as Ariel can only flap like any other fish taken out from the water. Ariel controls nicely in the water, though there is a slight delay when changing directions due to an addition animation on Ariel. Despite this minor gripe, the controls work very well.
The graphics are outstanding in The Little Mermaid. Unlike many NES game, the protagonist has three frames of animation and it barley disrupts the control of the game. There are no levels with solid color backgrounds. The backgrounds are usually in blue monochrome, though that is probably because the game is set in underwater. There are a few colored background other than blue which pulls the scenery nicely.
The Little Mermaid is too short and way too easy. On my first try at this game, I was able beat it without losing a single life. Yes, I know it is a game marketed to little girls but that is no excuse not to provide a reasonable challenge. Given the demographic this game is market to, I expected it to be easy but I doubt even a little girl will find any challenge in this game. As for the length of the game, it feels like Capcom did not want to create a long game simply because they knew who it was going to be marketed to. I am not sure if this is due to laziness since the attention to the graphics of this game is quite good.
The Little Mermaid on the NES is a good game, but not on par with DuckTales and Chip n’ Dale Rescue Rangers. If you’re looking for a more lasting Disney game, I suggest playing those two games first. I do recommend The Little Mermaid if you can find it cheap. It is fun to play, but it is a shame that fun does not last long.
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