Disney’s Hercules: Action Game

About the Game

Hercules (also known as Disney's Hercules, Disney's Hercules Action Game, Hercules Action Game, Disney's Action Game Featuring Hercules,and Disney's Action Game Featuring Disney's Hercules in Europe) is a 1997 platform video game developed by Eurocom Entertainment Software. It is based on the 1997 film of the same name. It was released on the PlayStation and Microsoft Windows, along with an abridged version developed by Tiertex Design Studios for the Game Boy released by THQ the same year.

Plot

Defend Thebes from the evil Centaurs and Harpies! Fight off the menacing Titans on Mt. Olympus! Defeat the multi-headed Hydra and send a hot-headed Hades back where he belongs. Hey, it's all in a day's work when you're trying to earn your place among the gods.

The game follows the same storyline as the animated film. Hercules, son of Zeus, is stripped of his godhood and must prove that he is a true hero in order to regain his immortality, and join Zeus and the other gods on Mount Olympus. To do that, Hercules must pass several tasks and defeat many villains, and in the end, face Hades, the ruler of the underworld, who is also responsible for Hercules' loss of immortality.

Gameplay

The game is mainly two-dimensional, although the player can walk to other planes via pathways or stairs in many missions.There are ten levels and three difficulty modes: Beginner, Medium, and Herculean. The last two levels are playable only on Medium and Herculean difficulties. There are three rush levels in the game in which the player must run forward through the map and avoid obstacles without being able to stop or fight.

The player's health can be increased by picking up Hercules Action Figures and drinking Herculade cups found throughout the game. The player's main weapon is the sword; Hercules can also punch, but this is a much more difficult way to defeat enemies. Temporary weapon power-ups, known as "Gifts of the Gods", can be found throughout the game. These include the Lightning Sword, which shoots lightning in whichever direction Hercules aims; the Fireball Sword, which shoots fireballs that seek out onscreen enemies; and the Sonic Sword, which affects enemy targets at close range with a circular sonic blast; the Cap of invisibility, which grants the player a few seconds of invulnerability when activated. Power-ups have limited action, and once their energy has depleted, they can no longer be used.

In many levels, there are hidden letters that, if collected, will form the word HERCULES and allow the player to spawn directly at the next level, instead of starting the game over from the beginning. There are also four hidden vases in each mission that, upon collection, will give the player a password save for the current level. Most of the bosses cannot be defeated by conventional fighting and require the player to perform special actions to pass. Among the enemies that Hercules faces are Nessus the Centaur, the Minotaur, the Harpies, the Hydra, the Stymphalian birds, the Thebans, skeleton warriors, the Gorgon, Hades, several Titans, and a Cyclops.

Re-Releases

The PlayStation version of the game was re-released by Majesco Sales in 1998 with an E rating (which replaced the ESRB's "Kids to Adults" rating the same year) and the words "Action Game" removed from the title.

The PlayStation version of the game was re-released as a PSOne Classic on the PlayStation Store on March 8, 2011. The PC version of the game was re-released on GOG.com and Steam on May 17, 2019.

Disney’s Hercules: Action Game Trailer