Retro Aladdin, Lion King games coming back in $100 cartridges

Classic Disney games Aladdin and The Lion King are being re-released on modern consoles on Oct. 29 — but publisher Nighthawk Interactive is offering a version you can play on the original platforms, too.

Nighthawk Interactive has partnered with production company iam8bit to sell retro versions of Aladdin and The Lion King with retro packaging for Nintendo Switch. But Genesis and SNES fans can purchase $99 cartridges for each title, too. The Retro Retail editions and Legacy Cartridges are available for pre-order on Oct. 24 — the retro editions will ship on Dec. 10 for $49.99 with the Legacy Cartridges coming in early 2020 for $99.99.

Both games are expected to have “upscaled graphics to support high definition displays and additional upgrades to enhance playability” on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One. The Retro Editions are available only for the Switch version of each game, though, in new different options: Clamshell Style (Genesis) and Boxed with Tray (SNES). Each comes with a retro-style manual and an exclusive fold-out poster.

Only 4,500 Legacy Cartridges each for Aladdin and The Lion King are available. Each has restored artwork, a playable cartridge, and “retro pack-in surprises.” Here’s what’s extra cool: each is essentially a “blind box” with regard to the cartridge inside — most people will get a standard one, but one out of eight people will get ultra limited ones, glow-in-the-dark purple for Aladdin and glow-in-the-dark yellow for The Lion King.

Neither iam8bit nor Nighthawk Interactive can “guarantee which version you will receive,” it said in a press release. “It truly is completely random.”

Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King, a bundled version of the games, will be available on Oct. 29 for $29.99.