Quarter Circle Forward: Rocket Knight Adventure 11/16/09

So I am going to apologize yet again for the tardiness of this post as this should have been done a week ago but I have been personally busy with updates or personal on goings in my life. So now I'm going to take some time & highlight one of the best games in the Sega Genesis library that I feel is must own for any one that has the 16-bit Sega box still plugged in to this day.

So where to start? As I mentioned on my QCF review in episode#11, in the early nineties the Mascot craze was wildly full in effect as made Popular by Sonic The Hedgehog & how every developer had to their Mario or in most cases a animal with "attitude"but unfortunately came out to be terribly executed in a lot of releases like the infamous Bubsy or Aero the Acrobat. Konami wished to fill this gap their staple of game franchises that they have already built upon from the NES days & that was Rocket Knight Adventures, a exclusive (before the sequels) to the Sega Genesis. At first Glance especially from the basic Boxart, you would already jump to assume that Rocket Knight Adventures falls into this category where it another uninspired creature person in a video game, but you're definitely wrong! The first thing that I wanted to point out that I feel always gets over looked within this game would be the amazing ambiance that this game sets itself into as it takes place in a early nineties kid's anime art infused look with setting being a medieval steam pink aesthetic where the game is clearly taken place within medieval times but at the same time there is a crude technology of weapons & vehicles or armaments & in this case a "Rocket" Knight. You play as the protagonist Sparkster who is the head knight of the royal court that rules your kingdom & it is under attack by the evil pig empire with your Arch Rival in their employ by the name of axel gear who is also another opossum rocket knight that only exists to make life harder from you which I really enjoy as another game has never really ventured a equally skilled rival that you would cross paths with until Sonic & Knuckles came along which was a year later. As you're fighting off the army the princess of your kingdom eventually becomes kidnapped & your adventure begins...

Heading into the what else makes up the charm & appeal of this game would be the simple yet innovative platforming & overall gameplay mechanics implemented within the game. Your attack is a sword slash that also has a energy imprint of the blade being swung from the slash ala Legend of Zelda giving your attack some range in front of you as well & not needing to be directly in front of the enemy in order to defeat it which is a welcome change again because it defeats the stereo type of jumping upon an enemie's head starting off the innovation. Going into the main technique which would be the rocket pack that is strapped to the back of your armor in where once your attack button is held, a energy meter will slowly fill up & after it's full your pack is energized & with the button being released your are able to launch with a thrust of lengthy launch with your sword in front of you as you will be using this technique often to either perform a super attack against a tough enemy or launch to an otherwise unreachable area or platform within the stage. the thrust can be performed from the ground or in mid-jump & when in mid-jump you can aim the launch within all eight directions of your D-pad launching every which way to progress through the stage of the game as well as the ability to ricochet off of walls when doing the rocket boost to get an extra inch into your thrust to make it where you need to be. the gameplay is also split up into a majority of platforming levels but also dedicated SHMUP levels inspired from Konami's own Gradius which are also exceptionally well done as your Rocket pack is at full blast & you fly through the stage defeating enemies & avoiding obstacles in your standard SHMUP format breaking up the platforming within the game & keeping it fresh, but only complait is there weren't actually enough of these stages until you were actually nearing the end of the game which I felt could have been broken up a bit more than they were. The thing that also really stands out in this game are the memorable stages that are in this game & the moments that you come across as you play the game, & to be honest I am probably going to spoil some great parts of the game but it's sixteen years old so get over it. The stage in where your vision for the most part is blocked because of stalactites that are in the foreground & block your view in the for both you, where your are going to jump, & the platforms that your are going to land on. What's below you is dangerous fatal one-hit acidic strobe light like acid that slowly rises & drops up & down at the bottom of the stage, hwoever the pool of death shows your reflection upside down, showing where you are & helping you control your jump as well as it reveals the location of the hidden platforms to move forward that are blocked by the stalactites in the foreground. Another amazing moment in the game is when you have your final face off with your arch rival nearing the endo of the game, in a giant mobile suit battle, which oddly enough is very simple but oh so fucking fun as you punch in Rock'em Sock'em robot fashion until you become the victor...& then travel into space...

Overall, I highly recommend this game & it definitely belongs within your game collection. Rocket Knight Adventures is exclusively on the Sega Genesis & unfortunately it is not available on the Virtual Console for the Wii which I still can't understand as to why being as it is a great game that should have gotten so much more praise then it received back in '93, so for more insight on the game check out Episode#11 if you haven't already listened to it, & stay tuned for Episode#12 coming out this weekend!~GeorgieboysAXE