Bonk's Revenge (1991)

Preliminary: I absolutely loved the first Bonk game, but it also was a harkening of the next gen. I hope its sequel can stand up., despite now games like Legend of Mystical Ninja and SMW having come out.

At first I was reallll unsure cuz it was feeling quite clunky, coming straight from Legend of Mystical Ninja. But I quickly remembered things like spinning/bonking in mid-air to elongate jumps, and bonking off one enemy after the other. I also picked Expert right off the bat cuz I wanted the complete game? Not sure if that was the right choice but here goes nothing.

Day 1

Lol I definitely remember the meatwithbone powerup thing but I don't remember the ultimate meatwithbone powerup that was fun. And I don't recall breathing fire either :-p The jump and platforming parts still feel a bit clunky, but I can't help but love the bonk mechanics.

They definitely shouldn't have had this bone platforms above the lava in the Cavern segment so early in the game, I could definitely see this turning off new players. I probly would've stopped playing if I didn't love the first one and already know the intricacies of the bonk and bonk-mid-air mechanics. Something really slippery and clunky about jumping across these bone platforms and it's annoying.

I reallllly was questioning whether to play through this, but the first boss had the classic Bonk tune I love so much and I love the continuous bonk mechanic for bosses. And the music that played after I defeated it was so good lol. I just wish the main levels get better

Another boss done and on to Round 3 but meh, that really was quite disappointing. And the delay in when you can jump continues to be a headache. Looks like there are 10 stages. Unless this gets a lot better, I'm thinking completing 5 stages will be enough and this'll be a 3 or at most 4 star cuz of the link to a Favorite game.

Ah I read the manual. There are only 7 levels in total, might manage that. But also by choosing Expert mode it really just limited my number of hearts and gave me access to all the levels. Since Intermediate has you play through Levels 1-4, I'm thinking the end of 4 will be my stopping point, unless I'm into it enough to do all 7 Expert levels.

I'm loving the music of this ice-themed world as I head to the Hot Springs, but dang the Level Design just does not match the mechanics. No wonder the bonks aren't held in as high a regard as I wanted after playing the first one.

Day 2

Well, I'm feeling a bit fresher about this. I sure do love some of the Look, and like I said, the Ice-themed area's tune is really good.

I also love the face you make when you take damage :-p I guess I just needed more stuff updated and expanded and improved for it to justify another game, in the era of SMW and Mystical Ninja etc.

Still, even with this slight rejuvenation, I'm definitely not going past Stage 4. I just finished the boss from the Ice World. The level design is still just not jiving. The Ice boss was annoying. But dang some of these tunes are so good. And I love the Look of this next area

Nice, and I'm getting more opportunities for series of bonks. And I still love that upon death you start right where you were.

Welp, I got to here in the Warship Hold of Stage 4 and decided to call it quits. Not having enough fun. And at this point in the chronology project, games should be great to be finished, not just pretty good.

Look: 8.5/10 One of the highlights for sure. Love the Bonk universe.

Sound: 8.5/10 Another highlight.

Play: 7/10 Tho it feels weird to rate this so lowly, and it really probly should be a 7.5, I just am disappointed that they didn't improve some things from the first one, which was impressive for its time. It just didn't allow for that tremendous fun of bonking around, tho the Look, Sound, and intricacies screamed a game they loved making, the lack of improvements and level design said otherwise.

Feel: 7.5/10

Attachment: 7/10 I'll stick to the first one.

Overall: 7.7/10

Completion: Partway through Warship Hold

Playtime: ~1 hour

Platform:

Turbografx-16 version.

Graphics/Sound:

I already liked the look of the first and I think they have kept the same formula but have improved details. For example the scenery feels more alive with butterflies or small fish swimming around which are not hazards. The new bosses look cool too, and I also liked the upbeat happy songs here. The game moves away a bit from the prehistory setting of the first, or at least mixes it with more modern and sci-fi elements.

Gameplay:

The controls of Bonk himself haven't changed from the first, overall the whole game keeps the formula of the first but adds some details. For example based on your performance in each level there is a bonus in the end, that you can take into the next. There is mini bonus stages hidden throughout where if you die you just return to the main level. The powered up Bonk now also has a projectile attack, and there is a new umbrella-like powerup that lets you float downwards very slowly. The leveldesign in this one seems way more varied and interesting than in the first, but it still keeps the linear formula, without backtracking or having to find keys, it's just that the linearity here isn't limited to "walk to the right", as in the first.

Difficulty:

The game isn't any easier than the first, except for the fact that I managed to find way more 1ups here, and one more heart container. Some things really require precision jumping which, as I already explained in the first Bonk review, isn't that easy to do with these controls. The last boss battle is seriously underwhelming compared to the first Bonk I think.

It keeps the spirit of the first up while improving on it. All the improvements fit the Bonk universe and gameplay very well so I would call this a good sequel. Check it out if you liked the first.