Rocket Knight Adventures

"Konami's gift to Sega"

Ah, Rocket Knight Adventure, released in the early '90's when seemingly everybody had an anthromorphic animal mascot. These mascots were of course in response to the staggering popularity of Sega's own Sonic the Hedgehog. Everyone wanted to emulate Sega's success and as a result, the market was flooded with platform animal characters "with attitude" such as Bubsy and Aero the Acrobat. Many of these animal characters were ill conceived and starred in some pretty poor games. Konami's Rocket Knight Adventures (RKA) was a rare exception. RKA starred Sparkster, a jet-pack wearing opossum armed with a suit of armor and sword. RKA featured strong gameplay with great 16-bit graphics.

Graphics (8/10)
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Konami was known to produce great graphics for the Genesis and this game is no exception. Character sprites are large and well-animated. The graphics are colorful, making great use of the Genesis' limited palette. Backgrounds are detailed and multi-layered. The graphics move consistently fast with very little slowdown.

The best part of the graphics are the various special-effects used throughout the game. Great effects like reflective lava pools and wavy fire effects really help this game stand out.

Sound (8/10)
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In a word: solid. The music is catchy, if not a little childish. The music fits the heroic knight theme well.

Sound effects are solid as well, though a little on the cute side. Overall, this game makes great use of the Genesis' sound capabilities.

Gameplay (10/10)
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The gameplay can be best described in a single word: variety. The game is constantly changing styles, forcing the player to adjust to new situations. The rapid change of play styles could prove frustrating, but RKA pulls this off flawlessly. For example, a level may begin as a simple side-scroller and quickly change into a 2D shoot 'em up (like R-type or Gradius). Other memorable sections include a mine cart ride and a platforming section that requires the player to use their reflection to time the jumps, due to an obstruction over the player sprite in the foreground.

The game itself plays like a typical sidescroller during most stages. Sparkster can walk, jump and swing his sword. Swinging the sword also fires a short-range projectile. Furthermore, the sword is often effective at blocking enemy attacks and providing protection. The main twist to the game is the ability to charge up Sparkster's jet-pack. Holding down the attack button charges Sparkster's jet-pack. When fully charged, Sparkster can rocket off in any direction, allowing the player to cover a large distance or reach high areas. Sparkster will hold his sword in front of himself while flying with the jet pack. Therefore charging the jet-pack can provide a potent attack against enemies.

RKA features 7 levels, each broken up into several sub-levels. The game allows the player to continue from the start of the sub-level the player is currently on if a life is lost. This reduces frustrations and prevents the player from having to repeat the same area of the game many times.

The overall challenge level is quite high. The game has multiple difficulty levels which affects the number of continues and lives the player initially starts with. The game does not feature a save or password system and thus must be completed in a single sitting. RKA remains consistently fun despite the high challenge level.

Overall (9/10)
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It is difficult to describe the greatness of this game. RKA is truly greater than the sum of its parts. Great gameplay, detailed graphics and solid sound combine to form a truly unique gaming experience. They don't make games like this anymore. Highly recommended.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/04/07