Overall 8.7 Graphics 10 Sound 10 Addictive 10 Story 10 Depth 10 Difficulty 6
10
Yay Bonk! geeksprout
The third Bonk game is simply amazing. Seriously, if you haven't played it, quit reading this and play it.
Our protagonist in this series is the mostly pleasant Bonk, a caveman in an ancient world. I suppose if Megaman lived in the Jetsons' future, Bonk might be his Flintstonian cousin. He can be a bit of a hard-headed lout at times but generally only when necessary. This is of course meant literally as your main mode of attack will be to bash everything with your noggin. Being a bit thick-skulled seems to have served Bonk well over the years as he has battled his way through a couple previous games worth of baddies on his quest to bash the Evil King Drool. Surprise, this is the same quest for the third installment as well. Really bad guys just don't stay down it seems. Originality notwithstanding, the quest works fine as platformers don't really need a huge plot. The setting and art and the insanity of it all together really make the game stand out in my head and I find myself inventing stories for some of the stranger critters and situations.
Now take a second and think about that method of attack. Bonk jumps into the air but instead of landing on and squishing whatever baddie might be under him at the time like say Mario, he will then do a half-flip mid-air and then land his devastating blow WITH HIS FACE. Now tell me another more bad-ass hero. He literally headbutts crocodiles to death. Often. This is part of what makes Bonk so freakin' cool, but it really only scratches the surface. What makes this caveman even stronger? Meat. I'm not sure I even truly understand what happens to Bonk's physiology during the digestion of assorted meat chunks. I merely know that I toss happy, cute, normal-sized Bonk a nice li'l chunk o' steak still on the bone and he becomes what may possibly be an angry roman senator. I think it is supposed to be a neanderthal or something, but his oversized bushy brow looks like laurel leaves to me. I prefer my version of civilized evolution and DEATH BY FURIOUS SENATORIAL HEAD-BASHERY. It is probably cooler than Scrooge's incredible pogo-cane of annihilation but with less boingery.
The gameplay was quite innovative for its time, in fact it uses many mechanics that modern platformers have yet to take advantage of. Overall, the game itself can be seen as relatively easy yet it still provides a challenge, especially for completionists. Several secrets abound in all of the games but the third in the series takes this to new levels. How changing your character's size works within the level design will certainly make folks rethink how they may have played through the level at times, for instance. This specific mechanic is the primary new trick to this game versus the older entries in the series. Gargantuan Bonk can do the big grown up kid stuff and mini-Bonk can essentially run around like the dirty li'l rat he is. Adding to the fun are pipes made by plumbers that apparently previously worked installing those old bank teller vacuum tube delivery systems that suck Bonk down and spit him out like a thirsty man in the desert who's just downed a frosty cold glass only to find the water in it was actually just acetone. The world is populated quite heavily with cute dinos that would love to devour you whole but often can't entirely swallow that ginormous head of yours and are then relegated to gagging on you whilst you button mash your way back out of their thankfully short digestive tracts. Oh and catch some butterflies while you're at it, because... hey, free butterflies!
The graphics are cutesy, cartoony and wonderful. Not Dragon's Lair wonderful, but what else is? They may be a bit reminiscent of mega man style graphics, but are all entirely original and leaning toward the ancient times of dinosaurs and cavemen instead of the futuristic. The simplistic cartoony style makes for truly memorable characters. Modern sprite designers could learn quite a fair amount from studying this game and its simple yet excellently detailed aesthetic. Tons of detail has gone into the animations as well which really adds so much to the game. Physical humor in a platform game is often unintentional, here you'll find exceptions galore. One of my all time favorites is the animation of Bonk angrily chewing his way up the side of a wall.
Sound design and the music presumably isn't going to bowl anyone over but I do not find it lacking either. The score fits and serves the purpose well without being over presumptuous and pompous. I believe it was supposed to be CD quality audio but that may have just been the TG16CD version. For the most part, it just seems like pretty nifty game music to me. Perhaps I was simply too engrossed in the awesome that makes up the game that I became deaf.
As for addictiveness, I'd say be prepared to spend a fair amount of time playing through these games but don't plan an intervention or anything. After all, Bonk is healthier for you than crack or even heroin. To get the most out of the series play Bonk 1-3 in order as the additions of stuff in the later games may make you miss those same things in the earlier ones if played in reverse order. Much like getting spoiled being able to jump out cars in the later GTA games and then going back and playing GTA3 and realizing you can't jump out as your car speeds into the side of a building. Starting at the beginning with a game series as well done as this one is the opposite of painful.
How long is the game? Average-ish maybe? How hard is it? I hardly think that is an appropriate question! How difficult is the game? Ah, this depends. It is a bit like the Kirby games in that you can generally sail through many of the levels without much difficulty, especially early on. The difficulty lies more in how many of the shiny thingies do you want to get? If you must get all the things or have an aneurysm due to your unchecked OCD, then this game is going to be quite hard I'd imagine. If you have never played a game before, this might be too tough for you to start out with but then again most old games also will be. If you are relatively comfortable with platformers and want something new (wait... old....) then I highly suggest this game.
I would recommend this game over eating, but below drinking, in terms of necessity for life.
Graphics 10 Sound 10 Addictive 10 Story 10 Depth 10 Difficulty 6
Review Rating: 5/5
Submitted: 10-21-14
Updated: 10-22-14
Review Replies: 4
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