 |
| OVERALL RATING |
4.0 |
| Presentation |
 |
4.5 |
| Control |
 |
4.0 |
| Gameplay |
 |
3.5 |
| Fun factor |
|
4.0 |
| User Rating |
 |
3.5 |
 |
 |
Posted: October 26, 2006
Bonk’s Return marks the homecoming for a classic game character that first went toe-to-toe against Mario and Sonic during the 16-bit era. The poster child for the TurboGrafx 16, the caveman with the huge cranium has found new life in hopes of endearing himself to a new generation of gamer.
The game is based on Bonk’s original adventure and features 19 levels of classic head-butting action plus the final confrontation against King Drool. Bonk must make his way through jungles, mountains and icy terrains fending off enemies at every turn. As with most platform games, jumping and climbing come into play but Bonk’s main form of attack is using his gigantic noggin to squash the baddies.
Initially, there are only three lives available to get through the entire game but a few extra can be picked up along the way. This also goes for heart containers that extend his life and, of course, food is available to fill those containers, including meat that will render him temporarily invincible. Once all of the lives are gone you must start from the beginning all over again, however, if you need to stop the game at any point, a Save feature is implemented.
Aside from the story mode, Bonk’s Return features a challenge mode where four different trials are in place and the object is to clear them as quickly as possible. These have no bearing on the game itself, or provide any type of reward, but suffice to add a break from the standard adventure and can be played over and over to better your time and score.
The game is easily one of the better-looking titles around and certainly is a joy to watch. Bonk is infused with personality and charisma that brings him to life in a way not seen before on mobile. It’s quite impressive. The audio is also quite strong in terms of setting the right atmosphere but unfortunately it is then whittled down to standard sound effects during game play. It’s a bit of a let down but it’s one of those limitations that still must be dealt with.
Bonk’s Return is a fun platform game overall and bodes well for a genre that has seen both good and bad days on mobile. It won’t be as complete as the original, if you so happen to remember playing it, but still, it’s cute, it’s inviting, and most important, it remains true to its roots and does a fine job on establishing the franchise once again. At least on mobile it does.
