The Little Mermaid (3/677)
Overview:
The Little Mermaid was released in August of 1991 by Capcom. In this game Ursula is trying to take over the the sea. Your goal is to release the sea creatures from Ursula's spell. To do this you will need to make your way through five levels and defeat Ursula.
Controls:
The controls for this game are straightforward and function very well. The D-Pad- allows Ariel to swim in all directions.
The A button performs a few functions. While not moving, it swishes Ariel's tail. This can be used to uncover hidden items. When on dry land it will allow Ariel to hop across the platform. Hitting the A button while moving the D-Pad in any direction it will fire a bubble. This is your primary attack and we will talk more about this in the next section.
The B button makes Ariel swim faster.
The Start button pauses the game and shows the status screen. This screen shows your weapon level and number of lives.
Weapons/Items:
The only "weapon" that Ariel has in this game is the ability to shoot bubbles. The bubbles can be upgraded by finding red and green pearls. The red pearls increase your bubbles power. This allows you to capture larger enemies in bubbles. The green pearls allow your bubbles to travel farther.
Dinglehoffer and Snarfblatts can be collected for additional points. As far as I'm
aware there isn't a bonus provided for points.
Hearts and Ariel Dolls can also be found throughout each level. The hearts provide and additional hit and the Ariel dolls provide an extra life.
What I like:
1. Good intro/storyline
While gameplay, music, and graphics are all very important aspects of a game, the story is as equally important. The game starts with several nice animations explaining the plot of the game. Between each level you are provided with an additional animation and a brief update to the plot explaining the level theme.
2. Unique attack that functions well
The attack in this game isn't my favorite, but it's something unique that performs well. It reminds me of bubble bobble. Ariel has the ability to shoot bubbles at her enemies. The enemy are trapped in a bubble. While in the bubble you can move past the trapped enemy or shoot it towards another enemy.
3. Enemies and bosses that actually make sense for the game
Most of the stage bosses can be recognized from the movie. The only two that are not recognizable are the walrus on stage three and soldierfish on stage four.
Stage One: Glut the Shark
Stage Two: Flotsam and Jetsam
Stage Five: Ursula
What I didn't Like:
1. Items buried in sand to open chest with no indication they are there
Items can be found hidden in walls, in treasure chests, or buried in sand. The buried items have no indication of their location. To find these you will need to search aimlessly. If your weapon is fully upgraded there isn't a need to uncover all of these hidden items.
2. Game is too easy
While this is obviously the game is designed for younger audiences, it's almost too easy. There wasn't a point during the game where I was ready to give up or throw my controller. It took just over 20 minutes to complete the game on my first playthrough.
Fun Facts:
I was only able to locate one Nintendo Power appearance for The Little Mermaid. In issue 26 there is a four page spread; however, it doesn't provide much more help than the manual. The only added benefit in the NP article are the level maps. These maps show all of the hidden items throughout the game.
While the last level is a maze it can still be difficult to maneuver if you don't know the tip. There are very few enemies in this level so the biggest thing is make your way to Ursula. To make this level easier you can mark your path. There is a big hint to get you through this level in the Nintendo Power and manual.
Conclusion:
Like most Capcom games on the NES this is a good game. The story, graphics, and gameplay are all above average for the system. If you are looking for something that you can easily beat during a single sit down this is a good choice.
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