Developer: Traveller’s Tales Publisher: Disney Interactive Release: 10/10/95 Genre: Action
Toy Story was one of the movie events of 1995. In terms of CGI animation it was a new benchmark that video games would chase for decades. But beyond that it has an enjoyable story that remains entertaining to this day. Disney Interactive and developer Traveller’s Tales were ready with a video game adaptation the same year and it was one of the most notable titles of the Christmas season, especially on the Genesis. Toy Story impresses with its rendered graphics but the gameplay does not rise to the same level.
The game follows the story of the movie pretty closely with only slight detours for gameplay reasons. The developers do a good job of picking and choosing which sections of the film to create levels from and have crafted a long and varied experience. Toy Story has platforming, racing, and even a first person maze a la Doom if you can believe it. Multi-genre mashups often suffer from a lack of focus with their constituent parts lacking polish. That pretty much describes Toy Story although I will say it is still worth at least one play through.
Toy Story is primary a platformer although some of its levels span genres. The gameplay is typical of a 2D platformer from the 90s. Players navigate through various levels, each with its own set of challenges. These include platforming sections, avoiding hazards, and collecting items. The difficulty level is moderate, which makes it accessible to younger players, though it may feel a bit repetitive for more seasoned gamers.
The controls are simple and sadly where the game stumbles. They can feel a bit stiff, especially when performing platforming. Toy Story attempts the kinds of precision platforming that makes the classics great but falls on its face. Woody’s jump in particular is awful and makes the platforming in the latter half of the game a nightmare. The swing mechanic is also iffy; when it is on auto pilot it feels great. When you have to do it manually it is terrible. This is the just the platforming. The racing levels are similarly not good and just barely cross workable. The controls are touchy and grazing a wall leaves you spinning. You waste precious time orienting yourself and it feels like a gratuitous way to show off the animation rather than a penalty for bad driving. At least it is better than the SNES version which is small praise.
Toy Story is harder than you would expect for a kids game. You can only take five hits and the game is stingy at restoring health. It does not even restore health between levels. There are cheap hits left and right which lends the game an element of trial and error. Any level with a clock is strict on time to its detriment. The auto scrolling levels rely on memorization too much for my liking as the gotcha element is high. The late game is heavy on the platforming and sadly that is an area this game does not excel at. At least this version lacks the hit detection issues of its Nintendo counterpart so it is at least enjoyable despite its flaws. But it could be better.
SGI rendered graphics were en vogue at the time thanks to Donkey Kong Country. While they were prevalent on the SNES it was less so on the Genesis and you can kind of see why. Due to the limited color palette there is heavy dithering and it can look muddy at times. That said they make smart palette choices that make certain levels more aesthetically pleasing in my opinion. The animation is more fluid and the hit detection is better, making this the better playing version of the game. Some subtle special effects are present like an occasional layer of parallax scrolling and lighting that is missing in the SNES game as well. In addition there is an extra level not present in the other versions like the original Earthworm Jim. Just like their earlier work in Mickey Mania, the Genesis version is the lead SKU and it shows.
In Closing
Toy Story is a game with flaws that could have been better with more polish. Traveller’s Tales have done a good job imbuing the game with variety. However it could have been exceptional if the mechanics were tighter. While it may not be a standout title in the platformer genre, it’s still an enjoyable experience for fans of the Toy Story movie. Its problem is its competition: by 1995 2d platformers were on fire with some of the best games in the genre released that year. Toy Story’s deficiencies are all the more apparent in light of those classics.
