Developer: A.I Co., Ltd Publisher: Hudson Soft Release: 07/28/95 Genre: Platformer
I’ve always liked the Bonk series. For a brief time there when NEC went head to head with Sega and Nintendo the little caveman that could was mentioned in the same breath as Sonic and Mario. But despite the lofty position of mascot he never truly had that breakout hit. This of course was because of the platform his most popular titles were released on. Super Bonk could have been the one with a little more care but despite being a decent title was a bit bland. Super Bonk 2 corrects its flaws and is a much better title for it. It is too bad it never left Japan as it could have been a winner.
One of the biggest criticisms of the first game was its bland appearance. For a series known for its vivid colors and such to see it reduced to an overly grey aesthetic was disheartening. Super Bonk 2 rectifies that and goes all out with its production values. The overall color palette is higher than on the Turbo Grafx-16 and its backdrops have unique stylized tiles that give them a distinct look. The sprites are smaller than in prior titles but have more frames of animation as a result. On top of that the boss designs are some of the best in the series. Hudson Soft and Red nailed it with the presentation which makes playing it a lot more enjoyable.
To a degree the control has always been a little sluggish in this series and that still applies here. Bonk is slow to react which I think is deliberate as he has a sense of weight. But it does not feel good in practice. Without the turbo option of the Turbo Grafx-16 controller the aerial spin move is less reliable and not as effective. But while the control is not as tight as I would like it is still manageable and the various power-ups shore up its deficiencies.
The developers have largely stuck with what works in terms of the game’s mechanics. The lackluster big and small candy mechanics have been wisely dropped. Instead the game borrows the transformation system from the Gameboy version of Bonk’s Revenge. Bonk can take on numerous different forms depending on the items you collect. The shovel turns him into drill Bonk, able to bore through blocks. An egg turns him in to Fester Bonk allowing him to fly. The rare candy creates tiny Bonk who can shout letters to create platforms. Meat comes in three flavors with unique powers as well. With green meat you become thief Bonk who throws smiley faces like a ninja. Cute Bonk returns with pink meat and can double jump. Normal meat leads to the familiar angry Bonk except now he creates waves of flames by pounding the ground.
These various power-ups inject a lot of life into the gameplay. The game moves from one weird scenario to the next to take full advantage of the differing forms. One moment you will trudge through a Wild West set piece and the next you control a helicopter with your teeth as the rotor. Each stage dishes out at least one or two transformations to play around with and that open up alternate routes if you can hold on to them long enough. But while they are fun the game does not use them as a crutch. The stages are the appropriate length; long enough to play around in but not to drag on. Together with the much better boss battles and you have a game that is borderline fantastic if not for the loose control.
Super Bonk 2 might be the most difficult game in the series although it is still not all that challenging. You restart at a checkpoint after death which means brute forcing is out of the question. There are some brutal sections where it is easy to take lots of damage if you screw up. Life restoring fruit is plentiful of course but can only go so far, especially toward the end. The boss battles are a highlight but can be frustrating. Your opponents this time are a quintet of mecha piloting dinosaurs who give the game personality. While I enjoy the fights some are not that intuitive despite their creativity. This makes the final level which is far too long for my liking a slog as you go through the requisite boss gauntlet. I appreciate a little bit of challenge but they did not completely nail it with this one.
In Closing
It does not matter in the long run however. Super Bonk 2 is a vast improvement over its predecessor and a game I am sure would have found an audience if it left Japan. If fucking Aero the Acrobat was popular enough to get a sequel and a spinoff I do not see why Bonk could not. And I like Aero! Ignore the nonexistent language barrier and play this import gem, its great.
