Tarzan is a platformer based on the animated Disney film of the same name, developed for the PlayStation by Eurocom. The game follows the story of a boy raised by gorillas in the African jungle and lets players relive the film's key moments — from Tarzan's childhood through his first encounter with humans to the final confrontation with the hunter Clayton. A defining feature is movement along vines and through trees, which lets Tarzan traverse levels quickly and fluidly, giving the gameplay a rhythm distinct from typical platformers of the era and letting the player truly feel like the lord of the jungle.
The levels are designed as fairly open jungle environments full of collectibles and hidden nooks, with the game alternating classic jumping with sections focused on fast vine-swinging, running along tree trunks, and swimming. The visual presentation aimed to evoke the film's atmosphere with colorful tropical backdrops and music inspired by the movie soundtrack, which made the game appeal especially to younger audiences and fans of the original, who also appreciated characters like Jane or Kala brought into the game. The difficulty was tuned for a broad range of players, and the controls remained simple and understandable even for less experienced players.
As a typical movie license, the game received mixed but generally positive reviews — critics praised its faithfulness to the source material and the pleasant vine-swinging controls, while criticizing its lesser depth and short playtime compared to more ambitious platformers of the time. Tarzan ranks among the solid representatives of the late-nineties movie-platformer genre and is still remembered today as one of the better video game adaptations of a Disney film from its era, though today it mainly feels like a nostalgic curiosity for those who grew up alongside the animated original.
Why play it: For its faithfulness to the film and pleasant vine-swinging controls — despite less depth and a short playtime, it's a solid, nostalgic adaptation for those who remember the original.
Game 123 of 215 for Sony PlayStation
