Retrospective: going bananas over Tarzan

I spent a good portion of my childhood swinging on vines, throwing fruit at furry creatures and using a spear to defeat a deadly sabre-toothed tiger. No, I didn’t grow up in an Amazonian jungle – I had a particular weakness for the PS1 game _Tarzan_.

Tasked with overcoming the ultimate evil in the form of gorilla poacher Clayton, one must complete a series of levels increasing in difficulty. From avoiding the snapping jaws of a cluster of crocodiles to jumping on the backs of elephants, all whilst collecting the maximum amount of coins, dodging pesky fruit-throwing monkeys and unlocking bonus games and film reels by collecting letters that spell out ‘Tarzan’.

Often dinner time was filled with tales of how I couldn’t master the triple vine swing, or surf on a tree without getting hit by a branch. A particular obstacle was provided by the baboon chase and then the attack of the sabre-toothed tiger, which I vividly remember pausing repeatedly because I was genuinely scared. And this was only Level 6.

Each level becomes more sinister as Tarzan journeys further into the jungle to rescue his captured friends, following the plot of the 1999 Disney film. From campsites to tree-houses and boats, the locations change but the aim remains the same – to get to the end of the game segment, denoted by Jane’s umbrella, without dying.

It’s certainly child’s play (this is PS1 we’re talking about after all) and the graphics don’t compare to the technological advancements of today’s games, but sometimes old school wholesome fun is really the best kind. The scenery itself is a mixture of 2D painted backgrounds and textured, interactive sets such as the waterfall in ‘The Elephant Hair Dare’, while the mixture of atmospheric and emotive movie themes and jungle jingles add to the theatrical style of it all.

While the style of the game is certainly not uncharted territory, the game being reflective of the movie’s progression as well as incorporating fun, new elements such as riding on the back of a stork in a bonus level bring a new depth and variety.

What’s more, Tarzan is a great character to play. He is wonderfully flexible in movement, and is capable of all sorts of physical skills. A good part of the delight from this game is garnered from discovering what he can do. Of course there’s the vine-swinging, but also climbing up walls, trees and flag poles, pounding the ground to break open hidden fruit, power jumping off animal’s backs and tents, swimming and using weaponry ranging from knives and spears to parasols.

Though it doesn’t say much about my level of gameplay that one review said experts will finish it within two to three days and amateurs about a week, and I played it consistently for about five years and only on recent revisitation actually completed the final level. In my humble opinion there is a decent amount of replay value and you can easily retrace the levels to aim for 100 percent and other bonuses. At least that’s what I tell myself as an excuse for still playing it even though I’m 20.