Though Disney had a hand in some of the best titles of the eight and 16-bit eras, they’ve more or less given up on game publishing in recent years. As controversial as some of their recent decisions have been, it would be nice to see some of their beloved IP return to the video gaming space.
That said, the likes of Mickey Mouse, Aladdin, Huey, Dewie, and Louie, and many more have made it to modern consoles in some capacity. Here are a few relatively recent Disney properties we’d love to see game-ified, as well as five Disney games accessible on the PS4, Xbox One, and Switch.
10 Would Be Awesome: Ralph Breaks The Internet
Debuting in 2012, Wreck-It-Ralph was a hilarious homage to all things gaming. Including cames from and references to games both new and old, it was an awesome love-letter to the games with which parents and children alike grew up.
With that in mind, why is that neither the original nor the 2018 sequel Ralph Breaks The Internet received any major video game tie-ins? We get that the era of movie-based video games is largely over, but this one was a sure-fire slam dunk. It may have been a licensing fiasco, but it’s a pity that the property never got anything more than a few forgettable mobile games.
9 Can Play Right Now: Lion King/Aladdin
Two of the most cherished platformers to release during the 16-bit era, Disney’s Lion King and Aladdin tie-in games were visually stunning and challenging in equal measure. Though few can claim to have gotten more than a few levels into either of them, they non-the-less remained iconic staples in the retro gaming space.
Fortunately, Disney saw fit to bring these two masterpieces back, offering up a bundle for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in October of 2019. They may not have been hard-hitting modern re-imaginings, but they were certainly worthy editions to any retro gamer’s collection.
8 Would Be Awesome: Toy Story 4
In 2020, Pixar’s Toy Story franchise is beginning to feel a bit stale. Twenty-five years and four movies on, Woody, Buzz, and the gang don’t quite offer the same on-screen gravitas they once did. Plus, games based on the property were seldom known for their quality, so why would the absence of a new title based on the fourth movie be any major loss.
Quite honestly, the video game adaptation of Toy Story 3, which was developed by Hogwarts Legacydevs Avalanche, was far better than it had any right to be. It was an extremely enjoyable action platformer, and we’d love to see if they could make lightning strike twice.
7 Can Play Right Now: DuckTales: Remastered
DuckTales is often revered as a Capcom classic equal in quality to the first six Mega Man games. However, a relatively rare find these days, few gamers have the chance to experience it.
Rather, that would have been the case had Capcom and WayForward not released a ground-up remaster back in 2013. Unfortunately, it was eventually pulled from shelves, likely due to licensing issues. The title was completely missing for a period before returning in March of 2020. Though it may not quite have the appeal of the NES original, this is one gamers ought to pick up on modern hardware before it disappears again.
6 Would Be Awesome: Mulan
Unlike the previously-mentioned films, Disney’s Mulan did actually receive a console-based adaptation in the form of Disney’s Story Studio Mulan on the original PlayStation. That said, it’s more or less an interactive storybook and only counts as a video game in the academic sense. Unfortunately, we have yet to see a genuine video game translation of Mulan.
With the recent—albeit controversial—release of Disney’s live-action rendition of the animated classic, we dare to imagine what a combat-focused modern Mulan game might look like. Ghost of Tsushimawith a coat of Disney paint, perhaps?
5 Can Play Right Now: Kingdom Hearts III
We’ll admit that this one bends the rules just a bit; Kingdom Hearts III can’t really be said to be based on anyone specific Disney animated movie. However, it operates as an homage to dozens of the Mouse House’s finest works, and, convoluted as it is, it’s an awesome experience for hardcore Disney fans.
It may have received relatively mixed reviews thanks to its utterly indecipherable plot, but adding Final Fantasy narrative elements into the mix would complicate even the most straightforward stories. Admittedly, KH III probably isn’t the best introduction to the series, but it remains a definite audiovisual treat.
4 Would Be Awesome: The Incredibles II
When it debuted in 2004, The Incredibles was a stunning animated feature that married the lighthearted comedy and vivid visual appeal of typical Disney films to darker, more mature themes not often seen in films released under Micky’s banner. It received a slew of average action platformer titles, but the property’s true potential would never really be explored.
We did get pretty close to a perfect Incredibles II video game adaptation with the release of LEGO The Incredibles in 2018, which reviewed particularly well. However, we’d still love to see a genuine Incredibles II release on modern consoles.
3 Can Play Right Now: Lego Star Wars The Force Awakens
Disney’s new trilogy of Star Wars sequels never received any direct video game adaptations, though games like Star Wars Battlefront II and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order have gotten pretty close. However, much like the aforementioned Incredibles II, the LEGO franchise delivered a fairly accurate re-creation of the movies, albeit with a whole lot more plastic than what was seen in the original.
As silly as it may seem, LEGO Star Wars The Force Awakens is actually a seriously entertaining reinterpretation of the events of Disney’s 2015 return to a galaxy far far away. Dripping with personality and surprisingly faithful to the source material, LEGO Star Wars The Force Awakens shouldn’t be overlooked.
2 Would Be Awesome: Indiana Jones
There have been a number of casualties as a result of Disney’s numerous acquisitions over the past decade, and Lucasfilm’s Indiana Jones, which Disney acquired back in 2012, has been one of the most tragic. Though Harrison Ford is set to helm another entry in the series in 2021, in terms of gaming, we’ve seen nothing from the property since the late 2000s.
This is a major shame, as the popularity of games like Uncharted and Tomb Raider have proven how wildly popular titles like this could be. You can’t convince us that a modern Indiana Jones third-person shooter wouldn’t be awesome.
1 Can Play Right Now: Star Wars: Squadrons
Though it wasn’t quite the triumphant return of the beloved Star Wars: Rogue Squadron games of the sixth console generation, games like Star Wars: Squadrons and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order feel significant in that they feel like genuine games instead of elaborate ATM machines, as was the case for 2017’s maligned Star Wars Battlefront II.
Squadrons technically doesn’t follow any one of the movies, but major events like the destruction of Alderaan and the Battle of Endor do crop up. What’s more, in VR, its the sort of thing that must be seen to be believed, and we imagine that kids in the 70s and 80s yearned desperately for the day when a gaming experience of this caliber would release.
NEXT: Star Wars: Squadrons Flight Stick Buyers Guide For Newbies
