Nerdicus NES Review #95 : Bonk's Adventure

Title : Bonk's Adventure

Publisher : Hudson Soft

Genre : Platformer

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1994

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $300-$350

Just say BOOGA LOOGA. Yup, we all remember this lovable, bald headed cave-kid who would run around with a juicy flank all in a quest to beat up dinosaurs. Oh, and that bald head serves a purpose you know. It's called BONK for a reason, because you literally BONK creatures with that huge cranium of yours. Don't laugh, it's a serious problem afflicting cave-kids today.

But who can resist that sort of hilarity?

Entertaining? Oh yes, of course it is. Expensive? OH BOY was it. I'm saying expensive for two reasons. One, was that my family wasn't about to shell out the money to buy another gaming console when this was released for the TurboGrax-16. They already bought the SNES, so I was good with that. I had rented this game at a video store for the NES though because I just had to play it, and to this day, I regret not buying it when it was being sold. 

Why?

Because this is one of the most expensive and rarest NES games out there today. If you find one..you buy it...it's worth the investment as there are not many floating around in circulation today. I doubt it was released in mass quantities as it was at the end of the NES era.

Then again, if you have one now....care to part with it????

In the meantime, let's see how this bad boy holds up in 1994 for the NES, shall we?

Now I played most of the Bonk's games on the TurboGrafx16, and I actually played them pretty recently. Probably within the last 5 or 6 years, and I have to say they hold up pretty well. The series follows a simple, but effective formula and it's true claim to fame is probably the comedic and cartoony portrayal of the characters. Bonk truly is a clever little mascot if there ever was one.

Unfortunately, we're dealing with a port here. A port from a graphically superior system, to a system that was on its way out. So my expectations are low. I mean here we are, going back in time to 1994. What can this game possibly give me that I haven't played before on the NES?

Well, the kid's got spunk I'll give ya that. But not much more. The platforming elements are tiresome, as you just go around smashing enemies and collecting fruits and veggies. Rinse and repeat for the next level, and that about does it.

One of the best moments of the game is where you collecting your leg of lamb in order to turn into a crazed lunatic. Basically, it's invincibility mode, but just looking at Bonk's face turn all psychotic is enough to give me a few laughs while I play this game.

Oddly enough, you don't need this power up at all to survive. The game on the NES is WAY too easy. Give yourself a half hour, and you can breeze through this game. There is little to no challenge, besides a few awkward jumps. And herein lies the problem with this game. It's played out, and for the NES, it's not inventive enough to hold my interest.

This is a game that was meant to be played on the other consoles, as that is where it was truly given it's moneys worth. I can honestly say avoid playing this game if you're looking to experience Bonk. You need to try it on the system it was designed for, and not a half arsed version.

Don't get me wrong, visually it's not bad for the NES, but when you're competing with the big bad 16-bit systems, you're not going to be able to impress me with games like this. That was the real problem from 1992-1994 with the NES. There was just nothing creative done to make people hold their interest in the system. It was phased out, and it needed to be accepted. 16-bits were the new generation. 

Then again, if you're just looking for a quick platformer, with a big bald headed kid, then go right and play Bonk. But I don't expect you to play it more than once. The real value in this game is it's rarity and desirability. It's a collectors dream, so make it your goal to own it, but not play it.

And like I said before...if you have it, do you want to sell it? :)

Final Score (out of 5) :

Until next time. Keep on gaming!