Did you know there was an NES game based on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs? No, not the Disney one, but the 1993 animated film Happily Ever After by Filmation, the studio behind He-Man. Don’t remember that one, well that might be because the film bombed and was overshadowed by the re-release of Disney’s 1937 classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Like any kid’s film in the 90s, Happily Ever After was scheduled to have an NES game. Made by Japanese company SOFEL, the game was originally slated to release in 1991, around the time of film’s original theatrical release in the US. In an article by Nintendo Player, Retro Enthusiasts Sean McGee found a prototype cartridge for the unreleased game, and released a ROM for everyone to play. The full article is worth a read, as it not only talks about the game but also the film’s delayed release, legal battles with Disney, and even gives a little insight into the animation industry.
While Happily Ever After bombed at the box-office and was panned by critics, the NES game is surprisingly fun. You play as Snow White, who must rescue the Prince from the Evil Lord Maliss. The game follows the film’s basic plot, and along the way Snow White gains new powers from the Seven Dwarfs, who are all female and follow Gaia the Goddess of Earth.
The game is your typical NES platformer, with Snow White jumping over enemies and defending herself with a glamorous spin attack. While some of the evironments look unfinished and pixels clip into each other, the game has some good pixel-art. The platforming isn’t crazy hard, but still challenging, and the Dwarfs power’s give the game variety in the later levels. This unreleased game looks better than many games that were actually released for the NES.
Interesting enough, there was a Super Nintendo and Genesis version of Happily Ever After that did get released in 1993. Made by American Softworks corporation, the 16-bit version was similar to the NES, although Nintendo Power’s review of the game didn’t speak too highly of it. Maybe they were more critical since it was 16-bit, or maybe the NES game is just more fun than the SNES version.
It’s always fun to see a lost game get rediscovered, especially now that people on the internet can get a chance to enjoy the game. It’s hard to say whether a Snow White NES game is cooler than a lost Neo Geo fighting game, but it’s great that these games don’t get completely lost in time.