Game Review: Rocket Knight Adventures (Mega Drive/Genesis)

Released for the Sega Megadrive/Genesis in 1993, Rocket Knight Adventures is a side scrolling platformer developed by Konami. A phenomenal game that has barely aged a day, other then having some extremely difficult moments, it is a joy to play.

Players take on the role of Sparkstar, an opossum armour wearing knight who is tasked with rescuing the Princess Sherry of the Kingdom of Zebulos. The Kingdom is under attack by the Devotindos Empire led by Emperor Devligus Devotindos. During the chaos a corrupt Rocket Knight named Axel Gear kidnapped the Princess.

It’s during the initial assault on the castle and surrounding lands that players take control of Sparkstar. Get ready for an action packed experience!

A side scrolling platformer, levels are linear. Asking players to move from one screen to the next often with huge boss battles at the end. Along the way you’ll have to blast through enemies and navigate through tricky environments. The levels are varied and to keep things even more interesting a couple of levels see Sparkster take flight in side-scrolling shooter style.

You’ll never be bored playing this and it will demand your very best. Happily, Sparkstar has a number of skills to take down the myriad of enemies. The Rocket Knight’s sword has plenty of reach and can destroy most enemies in a few hits. As well as that, his rocket pack can be charged up sending Sparkstar in different directions destroying anything in his path.

This skill is also useful for reaching areas he can’t reach. It’s responsive and the controls make everything feel really natural.

Gameplay is fantastic, fun and just the right kind of platforming difficulty. The bosses are always impressive with a several staged battle against Axel Gear really standing out.

The bright and colourful visuals hold up by even 2019 standards. With an excellent soundtrack, one that feels as epic as the game is, Rocket Knight Adventures is one of those games from the 16-bit era that everyone should have played.

It’s still not too late!