Disney's Hercules Action Game

Disney's Hercules Action Game for PlayStation is a 1997 side-scrolling platform adventure developed by Eurocom and based on Disney's animated feature of the same year. Released in North America by Virgin Interactive, the game puts players in control of the mortal Hercules on a quest to prove himself a true hero, save Megara, and earn a place on Mount Olympus. The PAL edition was published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe under the longer title Disney's Action Game featuring Hercules, while other European localizations carried their own translated names.

The PlayStation game retells the film's zero-to-hero arc through ten stages inspired by its mythological settings. Hercules begins as a trainee under Phil and moves through ancient-Greece locations filled with hazards, hostile creatures, and obstacles. The campaign works as a single-player journey with Beginner, Medium, and Herculean difficulty settings; the final two stages are reserved for the latter two choices, so the selected difficulty affects how much of the adventure is available.

Most of Disney's Hercules Action Game plays from a 2D perspective, though stairs and paths can take Hercules between foreground and background planes in a stage. He runs, jumps, climbs, and attacks with his sword, with hand-to-hand strikes available as a riskier close-range option. Several sequences change the usual rhythm into forward-moving rush stages, where quick reactions matter because Hercules cannot simply stop to fight every danger in his path.

Combat and exploration are tied together by pickups scattered across the levels. Herculade and collectible action figures increase Hercules's health capacity, while temporary Gifts of the Gods alter his sword attacks. The Lightning Sword fires bolts in the direction he faces, the Fireball Sword launches homing fireballs, and the Sonic Sword creates a nearby blast; the Cap of Invisibility briefly protects him from harm. Their energy is limited, making their placement and timing important during crowded encounters.

The game's enemies and bosses draw directly from the film's comic-book version of Greek myth. Hercules confronts centaurs, harpies, the Hydra, Stymphalian birds, skeleton warriors, Medusa, the Cyclops, Titans, and Hades. Boss situations often ask for more than ordinary swordplay, requiring an action suited to the encounter. Hidden HERCULES letters offer a way to continue from a later level, while hidden vases supply level passwords, giving exploration a practical reward beyond the main route.

Eurocom combined hand-drawn character animation with polygonal elements for a presentation tailored to the original PlayStation. Music and voice material associated with the film help connect the game to Disney's theatrical release, while its platforming design remains centered on straightforward movement, combat, and environmental interaction such as moving obstacles or using boulders against enemies. A 1998 North American Majesco reissue shortened the title to Disney's Hercules, and the PlayStation version later returned digitally as a PSOne Classic; it should not be confused with the separately developed Game Boy adaptation released in the same year.