Bonk's Adventure

"Boogalooga!"

A short history of Bonk...

For those yet unfamiliar with the trials and tribulations of Bonk, please allow me to add a little insight.  Bonk began his legacy in another ''Bonk's Adventure'' game, created by HudsonSoft for NEC's 'Turbo Grafx 16' system. The little Cave Man with the swollen head would set out each time to stop the Evil King Drool, a mean Dino with a little Dragon/Lizard mixed in, who was constantly causing trouble. Drool would attempt all sorts of nasty little tricks, that only, our hero, Bonk could defeat. Such as terrorizing Dinosaur Land, Brainwashing and Controlling Bonk's really big friends, and trying the old ''stealing half of the Moon and holding it's princess hostage'' formula.

With the stars in his eyes, Bonk rapidly became the most recognizable character for the system. He was on the high rode to fame, having starred in the TG-16's 3 most profile games (Bonk's Adventure, Bonk's Revenge and Bonk's Big Adventure), and his likeness was even spun-off into 2 Futurist Shooters (Air Zonk and Super Air Zonk).  I've even got 4 stickers of the little dude somewhere.  Things were definitely starting to look up, as it seemed that Bonk was at the top of his game.  But Alas there was one little problem... as high a profile character as Bonk was for HudsonSoft and NEC, only 1437 people in the Continental United States had ever HEARD of a Turbo Grafx 16. Only 421 of those people KNEW what one was, and even less actually BOUGHT one. That's when the Nintendo Systems started to come into Bonk's life.

A little exposition...

Very quietly, Bonk made the leap from TG-16 to Nintendo. With HudsonSoft bringing 4 games to the US: 1 for NES, 2 for GameBoy and 1 for SNES. But even with Nintendo's years of domination in the gaming industry, I'm almost certain that THEIR Bonk games are even more scarce than the TG-16's!  So it took me by surprise when about 6 or 7 years ago, I saw not one, but THREE different Bonk games in my local KBToys’ Bargain Bin... at the same time... just one week before Christmas! This was just unbelievable! I knew I couldn't pass these Binned games up like my last one (CastleVania: Dracula X for SNES at $20, which has come back to haunt me years later). So I scurried off to revise my Christmas List with all 3 games now included, with the hope that someone would notice. And as luck would have it, yours truly awoke Christmas day to find 1 of them under the tree. I'll let you guess which one it was.  Not to my surprise, it was an excellent adaptation of the original Bonk's Adventure, from the Turbo. Obviously, not everything is the same as it was in the original, but what is in here is all good, and I beat it in an hour.

The reason you came here to begin with... I hope...

''So, what's the story with this one?'' you wonder? Working from the Instructions and the Game itself, Bonk must travel about 5 stages as he defeats all sorts of Prehistoric Enemies, Bosses, and the Evil King Drool. All of which must happen in order to save Dinosaur Land and the Moon Princess.

But here's the twist.  Unlike many similar-type games, you have to defeat the enemy by using your head for once. I mean that literally... but you knew that.  And how does one use their head like so?  You can attack manually by standing and bonking, jumping into the air and crashing by bonking, or with a rapid-spin attack in mid air. So it's the simple 'Jump' and 'XXXX' technique we all love, from the good old times at the 8-bit wonderland.  A gentle, lighthearted time when just getting from one end of the stage to the next satisfied all that gaming systems encompassed.  And that's what this game is really all about: Having fun. Though, this isn't a game about spread-gun toting mercenaries tracking down aliens. It's not about taking out Zombies in an viral infested Mansion Lab. And it's not about giant mechs fighting in the middle of a some no-name city. It's about a guy, his head, and a tendency for smashing things. What more could one ask for?

For the loyal Bonk followers (after all, I can't be the ONLY one), as stated above, this version does not have everything that the original did. There are no volcanos spewing lava. There are no brainwashed buddies to battle. There are no living tree rides. There is no giant green dinosaur, to get eaten by, who has a boss elevator conveniently located next to his butt.  In fact, the game itself is only about 1/2 as long as the original.  It may only take you about 40 minutes to go thru, give or take.  And only has about 1/3 of the enemies. But it still has the charm that made the original great, as well as throwing a little of the ''Advanced Technology'' from Bonk's Revenge in. For those unfamiliar, I refer to a sign of machines that appeared in the Bonk games as they progressed. So don't be surprised to see some mechanical devices mysteriously in use about 65,000,000 BC.

The one drawback: You CAN'T use the constant rapid-spin to smash into everything and expect to ALWAYS hit them, and/or hit then them repeatedly in mid-air, like you could in the original. Like the rest of the Bonk games, that move has been amended. But it really only adds to the fun and challenge. Or should I say, the simplicity? But you can climb up waterfalls, spiral round and round, climb the walls and trees with your teeth, collect smiley faces, and swim all the same.  You've got dessert stages, waterfall stages, cave stages, underwater stages, cloud stages, and just plain... stages.

And for the Rouge's Gallery? Mostly new bosses. Though, Drool's understudy (T. Ractor Head) is back. As well as an apparent niece to the Ballerina from the TG-16 version of Bonk's Revenge. Lots of old cannon fodder. A whole plethora... Al E. Gators, the Oopaloopas, The Squibbs... yet no Squbbs, Henry Hatchets, Gary Geeks, Egghead Errols, The Amigos, T. Rexes, Red Riding Apes, Jerry Jellys, Blue Hawaii(s), V. L. Chures, and of course... the Venus BonkTraps.

The power-ups are all the same. On your journey from stage to stage, you'll find a variety of special items to aid you. Such as Hearts, Fruit, and BIG Hearts... which are generally found inside the most obvious of all places: Flowers. And there are all kinds of Flowers, too. Fruit Filled Flowers, High Jump Flowers (Catapult Spring), Crystal Heart Flowers (hidden crystals that actually extend your life energy as you progress), Googly Eye Flowers (For Bonus Stages. Woohoo!),  And lastly, Meat Producing Flowers.

--MEAT PRODUCING FLOWERS?!?!

*Cue 'Psycho' suspense music*

Yeah... I'm well aware that you were taught the basics of earth science in 4th grade, and that meat producing flowers sounds highly improbable.  But it's just a game.  We all must make sacrifices in order the achieve greatness, and meat in a plant is going to be one of them. I mean, It's no stranger than finding a mushroom in a square shaped block. ''But why?'' you ponder?  You see, Bonk likes to eat a lot of spicy food. All growing cavemen have to eat a balanced diet, and that's his main power-up. Mario's gets glowing stars, mushrooms, fire flowers and raccoon tails. And our hero, Bonk, eats giant slabs of spicy meat. It's something that someone like myself, with a constant case of acid reflux, would normally try to stay away from. Of course, my having a little heartburn is nothing compared to Bonk's being thrown into a seizure and having his head explode in the same process. Something that happens to Bonk a lot in this game, as there is a lot of meat to go around.

But that's a bit drastic, you say?  Well, you need to understand that meat pretty much has the same effect on Bonk as getting angry does on Bruce Banner. One bite of it and Bonk will transform into one of two new suped-up versions: Rock-Head Bonk and the Invisible Screamer.

(1) Rock-Head Bonk: The Lower Level version, transforming you into Frankenstein's monster-like caveman with a skull like granite. Your bonk is twice as powerful, and with the ability to use the ''Grand Bonk'' of all things, you can attack anything on screen just by slamming into the ground. (2) Then there is the Invisible-Screamer: A Psycho Demon Zombie looking Bonk with a Spiked Mohawk. Not only are you as powerful as Rock-Head Bonk, but you become invincible for a few seconds and can attack people by yelling at them. And what do you yell? Why, the word ''WOW!'' of course. Now, isn't THAT something? (3) And just for fun... there's even a somewhat secret Semi-Power up, that turns you into TURTLE BONK! This Bonk... well... he, um... uh... well... he turns into a turtle. Allowing him the ability to hide in his shell for a whopping 1.5 seconds! Um... ISN'T THAT AMAZING?!?!

And that's pretty much the gist of it.

How does it LooK? Sharp, very sharp. Almost too simplistic, but always detailed. Graphics are extremely clear and stick out at the screen. How does it SounD?  The Music really sets the mood for this game. It's that good. As well as being some of the best music I've ever heard on the GameBoy, with not a single screech at all. It's almost like a direct, and possibly improved, conversion of the TG-16 version.

Controls: 9.5/10 - Very quick to respond, which is good for a game like this!
Gameplay 9/10 - Everything that was fun about my gaming childhood is here.
Graphics: 9/10 - Very Crisp and Clear, without the Flashy Effects.
Replay: 8.5/10 - Knock off 3 games in 2 hours and still have time for a sandwich.
Sound: 10/10 - Some of the crispiest best gameboy music ever. Exact music from TG-16.
Story: 7/10 - Not the best in-game story. But it's got a nice ending and gets the job done.

*Special Bonus Points: 1 for Random SuperDeformed Occurrences, and 2 for Constant Exploding Heads.
 
IN THE END... This is my favorite Bonk game, after the first 2 for the TG-16. It's got the perfect feel of the good old days when playing Super Mario games were the prime of everyone's life.  So whether you've been searching for the perfect anti-action adventure game, looking for a simple game to be beaten in 1 sitting, or could never find/afford the Turbo Express for all your portable 'Bonk' playing needs... this should be the perfect game for you.  If you can find it and like classic gameplay, go ahead and BUY IT. Sub Score: 9.33/10, Final Score: 9/10.
 
 
 
 

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/05/01, Updated 11/05/01