In the 16-bit days Konami was a nearly unstoppable force. They, along with Capcom, sat on a throne as one of the most influential video game developers with their stable of popular franchises and memorable characters. In the early days of this generation they put all their eggs in the Super Nintendo basket, but they later re-strategized and showed the Sega Genesis some major love. They released several exclusive games for the platform, but none are as widely celebrated as Rocket Knight Adventures. Most animal based mascot platformers have been forgotten about since then, but not this one. What’s also interesting is the fact that it was never ported anywhere else. There exists a modernized version, it was never really made available on any other hardware. Today I’m here to finally review this amazing game.
Rocket Knight Adventures pits you as a Sparkster; he’s an oppossum and leader of the rocket knights in a magical anthropomorphic kingdom. A group of evil pigs, as well as Sparkster’s former colleague Axle, are bent on reviving a dormant evil power in order to enslave the world and it’s up to the goofy marsupial protagonist to stop them. It’s a pretty typical story complete with a damsel in distress, but at least the game has a good sense of humor and never takes itself too seriously. RKA even managed to get a few chuckles out of me with its silly animations and over-the-top gameplay scenarios.
Speaking of gameplay this is a side scrolling action platform game. You move from left to right fighting enemies (usually the aforementioned pig soldiers) and have a few different moves at your disposal. You can walk, jump and slash your sword by default. Holding the attack button charges your rocket pack which propels you offensively in a single direction. Your health is determined by hearts at the top of the screen that deplete as you take damage thus costing you a life.
Sounds pretty basic, right? On paper yes, but this game has several surprises under its belt. First of all the variety in the stage designs is simply unmatched. One level has you skating down a waterfall while another has you climbing on the underbelly of a blimp. From there you’re blasting off into space and even manning a giant robot to battle against Sparkster’s rival. The developers clearly had a lot of great ideas and managed to squeeze them all into this experience and that’s just what it is; an experience. Gameplay variety is not something this game is lacking.
Adding further to this is the fact that several other levels play like a full blown shmup with Sparkster taking to the skies with his rocket while shooting projectiles from his sword. These were some of my favorite sequences in the game, and really go a long way toward keeping the experience fresh. Rocket Knight Adventures had me constantly giddy to see what new gameplay elements were waiting for me just around the corner. It plays like a Treasure game in that regard.
Let’s get one thing out of the way before I go any further. Rocket Knight Adventures is a difficult game. Scratch that; sometimes it’s downright UNFAIR. Specific areas of the game require you to go as fast as possible and it doesn’t always explain this. It wouldn’t be so bad but the game cuts it so close that you often don’t have a second to spare. This includes areas where the game scrolls vertically and also a sequence where you’re being chased by Sparkster’s rival atop a giant robot. Being squashed in these instances means instant death, and suffered many a game over because of how difficult it can be. The regular stages without this mechanic can be pretty challenging as well. This game will really test your reflexes and hand eye coordination.
Rocket Knight Adventures throws a lot of different challenges your way. Thankfully the controls are crisp and responsive giving you every opportunity to succeed. This feels like the type of game that wouldn’t be possible on a three button controller but it is. You can run, jump, attack and blast off all with great ease and accuracy. Your failure is never the game’s fault, and not many other titles can claim this. The developers included a lot of subtle touches in this regard such as in the first flying stage going underwater creates resistance against your character. Other neat things I noticed are that you slide up and down diagonal climbing slopes, and momentum is a huge part of landing any jump.
In screenshots Rocket Knight Adventures looks pretty standard for a Sega Genesis title. It’s a little more colorful than most, and features pleasantly large sprites and an art style that harkens to Saturday morning cartoons. You have our goofy humanoid animal based character with big eyes and loads of personality battling against evil pigs using machines and robots. The art style is charming, and there’s even some steam punk elements that I rather liked. Rocket Knight Adventures really shines when you see it in motion. The action is fast and chaotic, and the game rarely has any slowdown. Some of the animations look almost like something you’d see on the Sega Saturn. It pushes the console in a pretty significant way; Rocket Knight Adventures looks amazing.
I always go into a Sega Genesis game worrying that the soundtrack is going to be hard on the ears. The sound chip on the console produces a lot of screeching notes and ‘robot farts’ as they’re commonly referred to. Rocket Knight Adventures transcends the limitations of the hardware. The main theme of the game emulates trumpets really well. It gets you pumped for the grand and action packed adventure you’re about to set out on. All of the music is really well done. It’s fair to consider this soundtrack a classic by now.
I remember the first time I played Rocket Knight Adventures. I was completely blown away by the sheer variety in gameplay, the amazing graphics and fun art style, and the excellent music. After giving it another go I realized that I’m still just as impressed as I ever was. This is one of those once in a lifetime games that is so tightly tuned that you’ll be completely immersed in the action. I’ve never played anything that introduces so many different concepts into one game. The developers had some real ideas and passion when it came to this project. It’s a real shame what Konami has since become because this shows just how legendary a developer they were in their prime.
