Dynafire has 132 chronicles

1. Great Games You've Probably Never Heard of: Part I - Rocket Knight Adventures
   

   Player Chronicle -- Posted on Apr 15 2009

   This is the start to a series I have been longing to do for a while, and now I think I have enough of a collection to start writing about some of the more obscure games I've come across that have turned out to be incredibly enjoyable.
   
   Rocket Knight Adventures is at the very least, strange. You play as a sword-wielding opossum with a jet-pak who fights an army of robot pig...things... to try and save a princess. If that doesn't grab your attention, I don't know what will. This game actually falls into two genres. It's got action/platforming elements as well as becoming a side-scrolling shooter in some stages. The game is enjoyable all the way through, but it's damn hard. You will likely die more than just a few times, especially during some of the boss fights.
   
   RKA's unique gimmick is your jet-pak. While you can't (usually) use it to actually fly, you can charge it up and use it for special attacks. If you charge it and release the button while standing still, you'll do a multiple-hit spin attack. If you're walking or pressing up or down when you release the button, you'll fly about the equivalent of a screen in that direction. There are parts of the game that will require mastery of these techniques, and will have you literally bouncing off the walls. Some sections will have you racing against something that's chasing you, and generally, a single screwup means death.
   
   In the shooting stages, you're actually flying with your jetpak and have to shoot stuff that gets in your way. It may just be me, but I find these stages the easiest part of the game, but then again I've always had a knack for bullet-hell games. I will admit however, that the last shooter stage is a pain. There's a lot going on, and every now and then, one of the main bosses will pop in to say hi with his giant gun that fills half the screen.
   
   The bosses in RKA are great. All of them are very original, if a bit over-the-top, such as the train boss, and the giant robot-pig-baby-type-thing. I wish I were making that up, but you do fight a giant robot-pig-baby-type-thing. Each boss takes a ton of abuse, and deal a fair amount of damage, so just be ready to die. A lot. Speaking of difficulty, the game ranges from hard to insane. On the hardest difficulty, everything kills you in one hit, and I mean EVERYTHING. Even the most basic of enemies and smallest sources of damage will down you instantly, leaving this a challenge for the truly masochistic gamers amongst us.
   
   As far as aesthetics are concerned, the game looks pretty good. The graphics are far from perfect, but some levels are done with multiple background levels to give a feeling of depth. However, you'll likely pay little attention to it when you're flying around the place and fighting baddies.
   
   Finally, the music. If nothing else, this game has an awesome soundtrack. The videos I submitted with this are the music/gameplay from level 5 (my favorite music in the game) and the boss music. Each one is just...awesome.
   
   Anyway, that about wraps it up for this one. Definitely give it a try if you have a Genesis. There's a sequel to RKA called Sparkster, though I haven't played that one yet. It'll come in a future chronicle, I'm sure.
   
   Boss Music: http://www.gatheringofgamers.com/profile.php?profile=488&action=view§ion=videos&video_id=1552
   
   Level 5 gameplay: http://www.gatheringofgamers.com/profile.php?profile=488&action=view§ion=videos&video_id=1554

   
   

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Dynafire has 4 comment s on this chronicle.

1. Seripha
   Posted On Apr 16 2009

   Great review. This sounds like a game that would consume a great deal of my time as well as my sanity. I've been wanting to pick up a Genesis for a while, so I can go back and play Contra Hard Corps (I played it all the time when I was a kid). However, I digress, excellent job!

2. JackDaniels624
   Posted On Apr 16 2009

   I lost it after I moved when my parent's split.
   That's evidence right there that it's harder on the kids then on the adults! I'm glad my dad just moved into an apartment so I didn't go anywhere...Anyway Dynafire, I'm assuming your saying I should play this...So if my Sega thing I downloaded works, I will!

3. Gvirus05
   Posted On Apr 15 2009

   I loved this game as a kid. I lost it after I moved when my parent's split. I've been looking for this game ever since.

4. BEN
   Posted On Apr 15 2009

   What a great way to hit your 100th GoG Chronicle!
   
   I enjoyed this rare/strange game review for sure, but also look forward to the rest of your own little mini series here
   
   10/10