Developer: The Sales Curve Publisher: Jaleco Release: 12/11/92 Genre: Action
It is only in the past few years that I have realized just how much I miss the single screen platformer. Games like Bubble Bobble and Snow Bros. showed how entertaining these games could be through smart design and interesting mechanics. But because they fell out of favor some of the best titles in the genre never left the arcade. Rod Land is a game that I came across while browsing a list of NES roms. It one of a few games that released in Europe but not the US which has always made me jealous. I also wonder why it never crossed the pond as it is a solid port of the arcade game of the same name. Do not let its initial looks fool you, this is not a simple Bubble Bobble clone but a title that stands on its own and is awesome to boot.
Rod Land stars Tam and Rit, two fairies out to rescue their mother who has been imprisoned at the top of a tower. The two are armed with magic wands that allow them to grab enemies and must use their wits to brave the dangers of the tower to save their parent. Rod Land was ported to a number of platforms with the NES version being the most unique. Curiously this home port, like Ufouria and Gimmick, was only released in Japan and parts of Europe. The rest of the world missed out on a good game.
At first glance Rod Land seems similar to the titles I previously mentioned. The goal of every level is to kill every enemy within the imperceptible time limit. Failure to do so activates meanie mode where every remaining monster becomes a raging beast with super speed. Rod Land differs in that you can complete levels a few ways. Killing all enemies is the straightforward means of progression. If you collect all the flowers lying around the level activates extra mode. All remaining enemies become kaburas, turnip looking beings. Kaburas drop random letters that spell EXTRA. If you spell extra you get an extra life, 10,000 points and move on to the next stage. The game rewards poor play by taking you to the next stage if you die during meanie mode. It costs a life but it works!
Rather than blowing bubbles or bludgeoning monsters Rit and Tam instead grab them with their wands and slam them repeatedly, TMNT style. Just like that game you can stun enemies by pounding them with another as it takes a few slams to kill them. Once defeated all enemies drop helpful power-ups. These single use items produce a variety of effects that can clear the screen in a pinch. From bouncing balls to multi-directional waves and even missiles, the game comes loaded for bear. Surprisingly despite the frequency of items your wand by itself is more than enough despite its slow attack.
Rod Land moves at a faster pace than its contemporaries for a variety of reasons. Even though there are more enemies on each screen than the arcade it still is not too many. You will inevitably collect most of the flowers while chasing the monsters and will probably grab all of them accidentally a few times. The time limit per level is also short which forces you to be on the move. With your ability to create a ladder you can create your own path irrespective of the map layout. Skilled gamers can finish a level in seconds in less than a minute which is a sight to behold. So while the game is derivative it still has a feel all its own.
The differences between this home port and the arcade are significant. You can turn on the ability to jump in the option screen. Not only does this make you more mobile you can also kill enemies by stomping on their heads. New side scrolling platforming levels precede the few boss battles. These are decent for what they are. They do not really add anything to the game unfortunately and are nothing more than fluff. Most importantly the game is missing the second quest that had a new story and an additional thirty levels. This is significant and hurts the game’s longevity unfortunately.
In the arcade Rod Land was a beautiful game, full of vivid colors and massive sprites. You lose some of that magic in the NES version although it does its best to mimic its big brother. Some of the differences between the two work in the game’s favor. Because everything is smaller the maps have more enemies. The game tosses around a lot of sprites with only minimal flicker. Some of the majesty of the boss encounters has been lost because of their reduction in size but they still look impressive for the hardware. More importantly the soundtrack is far better than the boring jingles of the arcade game. It is no Bubble Bobble 2 but comes pretty close.
In Closing
I like this game a lot. Rod Land went from a game I had never heard of to a new favorite. I enjoyed my run and can see myself returning to it years from now. This version is expensive due to its limited release but is worth it if you can find it at a decent price even next to the arcade game.
