Disney's Beauty and the Beast: Roar of the Beast (Genesis) review "Well, it’s another licensed game of Disney’s, and this time around, the game is simply horrible. Beauty and the Beast: The Roar of the Beast is a straightforward, side-scrolling platform game in which you play the role of the Beast. The object of the game is to simply destroy all enemies you encounter. It sounds easy, but believe me, this game is the exact opposite of that idea. Here, I’ll tell you why . . . "

Well, it’s another licensed game of Disney’s, and this time around, the game is simply horrible. Beauty and the Beast: The Roar of the Beast is a straightforward, side-scrolling platform game in which you play the role of the Beast. The object of the game is to simply destroy all enemies you encounter. It sounds easy, but believe me, this game is the exact opposite of that idea. Here, I’ll tell you why . . .

Gameplay
Okay, here’s the deal. You play the role as the savage beast. Your mission: To kill hoards of rats, bats, snakes, wolves, and badgers. And if you manage to get far enough, you might be able to encounter some people. The basic controls are the standard jump, scratch, and jump attack moves. The big guy’s “special” attack is his mighty roar, which pauses all of the enemies on screen for about ten seconds. There are also several slight power-ups scattered throughout the stages to “shake things up.”

Okay, enough pretending. This game just reeks. The first glaring problem is the INSANE amount of difficulty. It’s a kids game for crying out loud! Even the most seasoned hardcore gamer won’t be able to complete the first stage. If the Beast is such a strong and savage animal, why does he have so much trouble with a bunch of forest critters? I mean, COME ON!!! You’re up against a bunch of snakes, bats, and rats in the first level, but yet you still die every time. Is there something wrong with this game?

Besides the INSANE level of difficulty, there are other problems with this game. (GASP!) The level designs are simply horrible! (Well, I’ve only seen the first level, but if that’s a sign of things to come, then it’s enough evidence.) Have you ever seen those cartoon scenes where Tom will be chasing Jerry through the house, and the backgrounds just keep repeating themselves? If you have, then you’ll find quite a resemblance between Tom & Jerry cartoons and this game. Plus, the levels are way too long for anyone to survive. I mean, with all those rats running around, the Beast just simply has no chance. Come on, did you actually think the Beast could last with rats?!?! You would have to be INSANE to think that.

Oh, and about the Beast’s special attack. You know, the roar. It has to be simply the worst special attack in videogame history. I mean, it freezes all of those bats in the air and the snakes on the ground, but how is that supposed to help you if those frozen critters can still hurt you?!?! And the Beast’s big clunky body doesn’t help much either. When you try to jump over one of those frozen serpents, you’ll jump straight into one of those suspended bats. Do you still want more?

Gameplay Rating: 1/10

Graphics
Well, I have to be honest. The graphics in Beauty and the Beast: Roar of the Beast are only below average. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. “What!?! You mean they are not INSANELY horrible!!!” No, I’m sorry. The cartoonish animations are only sub-par. For being on the Genesis, the graphics aren’t too bad, but they certainly could be better. The animations are slow and sluggish, which certainly doesn’t help the game any. And who knew that the Beast walked like a zombie from Michael Jackson’s Thriller? Well anyways, the characters themselves are average, consisting of a few jagged edges, but certainly nothing unexpected from a Genesis game. Lastly, there are the backgrounds, which are dull, bland, and just plain ugly. Well, seeing how there is only one playable level, I guess any background would get tedious after playing over and over a hundred times. Now you see, I told you they weren’t INSANELY horrible.

Graphics Rating: 4/10

Sound
But the developers of this game had to be INSANE to make a game this bad. And the audio does not help the game one bit. The game only consists of three songs: the title song from the movie, the menu music, and the gameplay song. The title song should be familiar to anyone who has seen the movie. Yeah, that’s right! I saw the Beauty and the Beast! I bet you have too. That’s what I thought.

Anyways, the other two songs are dull and boring. I mean, who wants to listen to boring classical music while you’re trying to destroy those tough spiders and rats? (See: Sarcasm) The sounds effects on the other hand, shouldn’t be on the other hand. They’re just as bad and mind-numbing as the songs. And does anyone know why the beast sounds like he’s burping every time he gets hurt? Yeah, I don’t know why either.

Sound Rating: 2/10

Controls
Do I really need to commit a whole section to the game’s controls? That’s INSANE!!! Oh well. I feel a little insane right now anyways. The game’s controls are pretty simple. A is to attack. B is to jump. C is to use your “special” roar attack. And you can crouch by pressing Down. That’s it. It’s simple, but the game is pretty simple. You just try with all your might to kill the endless parade of rats, badgers, and bats, and end up dying. Resistance is futile.

Controls Rating: 4/10

Replay Value
Oh man. This is the absolutely worst part of the game. The first level is simply unbeatable. So why would you ever play the game again? Well, maybe if you catch a communist spy, you can torture him by forcing him to play this game. Or you can give it as a gift to the school bully and make him cry like a little school girl. But I guess the game isn’t really being played there. Then there is of course the ever-popular “coaster.” But Genesis games don’t really make good coasters. Well, I’m fresh out of ideas. Just hope that you never ever have to play this game. Your life will be better off that way.

Replay Value Rating: 1/10

Overall
In conclusion, this game is INSANELY terrible! The gameplay is simply mind-boggling. How can such a simple game be so damn hard? The graphics are only lukewarm. The music and sound effects are good treatments to people with sleep difficulties. The controls are, well, simple. And the replay value is simply non-existent. And now for my final thought(s). Anyone in their right mind who plays this game is obviously not in their right mind. I pity the company who made this game. *Looks in the direction of Sunsoft and shakes his head*

Community review by cdbavg400 (November 15, 2004) A bio for this contributor is currently unavailable, but check back soon to see if that changes. If you are the author of this review, you can update your bio from the Settings page.