Happily Ever After (NES)
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Happily Ever After is an unreleased action game based on the Filmation movie of the same name. It is rumored that the game was never released due to the numerous legal issues surrounding the film. However, this is unlikely, as Imagitec Design developed a SNES version of the game which was released a few years later.
In the game, the player takes on the role of Snow White, who is soon to be married to the unnamed Prince. However, Lord Maliss seeks revenge on Snow White, so he kidnaps the Prince to exact revenge. It is up to Snow White to rescue the Prince so they can live happily ever after.
The game plays as a traditional action platformer. Along the way, Snow White acquires several different powerups which allow her to get past certain obstacles, and cause platforms to appear to pass previously unpassable areas. The control is tight, the graphics are sharp and beautiful to look at, especially in the cutscenes, and the music, though not from the movie, also has a nice touch to it.
It is unknown who developed the game, but it is believed to be either Atlus or SOFEL themselves.
Screenshots
Music
Happily Ever After dons a soundtrack consisting of 10 songs by Hirohiko Takayama. Some of the songs can get annoying, as they consist of short loops, including the boss theme. Interestingly, the Cabin Theme from Friday the 13th (NES) makes a reprise in this game as Stage Theme 3. The song sounds identical to the one used in Friday the 13th, but the instrument designs have been slightly altered. It is unknown why Hirohiko reused this piece of music, but it could have been due to time constraints and/or because he thought the song fit in the game.
Hirohiko had to write his NES music the traditional way, in 6502 assembly language using hexadecimal numbers for note entries. He used Tsukasa Masuko's NES sound driver. If Atlus developed the game, it is possible Tsukasa helped out with the music.
Recording
| # | Title | Composer | Length | Listen | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Prologue | Hirohiko Takayama | 1:01 | Download | |
| 02 | Title Screen | Hirohiko Takayama | 1:09 | Download | |
| 03 | Map | Hirohiko Takayama | 1:01 | Download | |
| 04 | Stage Theme 1 | Hirohiko Takayama | 0:53 | Download | |
| 05 | Stage Theme 2 | Hirohiko Takayama | 0:29 | Download | |
| 06 | Stage Theme 3 | Hirohiko Takayama | 1:40 | Download | |
| 07 | Stage Theme 4 | Hirohiko Takayama | 0:44 | Download | |
| 08 | Stage Theme 5 | Hirohiko Takayama | 1:16 | Download | |
| 09 | Boss | Hirohiko Takayama | 0:36 | Download | |
| 10 | Ending | Hirohiko Takayama | 1:27 | Download |
Credits
- Ripper:
- Recorder: Doommaster1994
- Game Credits:
- Not Credited Composer: Hirohiko Takayama
- Not Credited Sound Driver: Tsukasa Masuko
(Source: Verification from composer; game lacks credits.)
The game has quite a nice ending, but unfortunately, no credits of any kind; surprising for a game made in 1991.
Hirohiko Takayama listed an NES game titled Snow Princess in his works. When the ROM for Happily Ever After was released, he confirmed that this was the same game. It is likely the game was to be released in Japan with that title.
