365//365: Day 240 – Bonk’s Adventure (TG-16)

For several generations of gaming, each console would have a designated “mascot” to help give their system an identification. A character and franchise that would help mold what consumers would envision when their system is mentioned. While gamers have seen how successful it is to have a character that is synonymous with the system at hand (Mario with Nintendo, Sonic with Sega), many seem to forget one specific mascot and the failures of the system he was affiliated with — Bonk, and the TurboGrafx 16.

Bonk was the face of a then up-and-coming 16 bit platform, the TurboGrafx 16. The system was supposed to be a 16 bit console that was superior to the likes of any other console out on the market at its time. Unfortunately, developers did not flock to this console, and the games featured, failed to resemble anything within the realm of 16 bit power. Bonk’s Adventure was the first of a trilogy of titles on the system. Being the “face” of the brand, you would think there would be a meticulous care in crafting this particular title. Given the systems track history, it was not the case.

Taking place in prehistoric times, Bonk is a caveman of sorts, in a 2D platform world, involved in a cliched storyline of a princess needing to be rescued from her captor, which is a King. Granted this plot device was one of the most abused aspects of gaming back in the days, it’s not necessarily a detraction from the package. Unfortunately there were no real strides to carve out their own identity, meshing together little innovations with a myriad of cliches.

Would it matter if I said that this was the highlight of the game?

Bonk cannot stomp his enemies, but rather “bonk” them with his head. He can either do this while standing next to an enemy, or jump in the air and unleash a head drop on his foes. One of the problems that occurs with the ground based assault is the fact that you need to be so close to your enemy in order to eliminate them. The reuse time lags enough to allow an enemy to slip by and deliver a hit on you. Aeriel attacks will leave you momentarily stunned, once again leaving you in harms way. Overall movement control works well, and the ability to change the height of your jump based on the length of time the button is pressed down, is a commendable addition that helps somewhat with the pace and command of the gameplay.

Bonk’s Adventures graphics lack any distinction from any of the lesser powered systems, such as the Sega Master System, or the NES. They are on par with the best the NES have to offer, or the least impressive Sega Genesis game you can find. Texture details retain a look found in 16 bit titles, yet the character design, backgrounds and overall stage layouts are so elementary, they fail to impress. The audio is a true mixed bag. While the sound effects lack the pop and power you’d expect, the music contains a couple of pretty rock solid tracks, with the composition of those preferred tracks coming off as some of the stronger 16 bit tunes out there. Sadly, it’s only a select few tracks, as the majority of the rest are about as entertaining and soulful as furiously shaking a can full of pebbles.

The demise of the TurboGrafx 16 can be attributed to a plethora of factors. Unfortunately, Bonk’s Adventure is the face of failure, both for the systems inability to garner a strong enough following, and for the game its self lacking any important distinctions to separate its self from a sea of 2D platform titles. The gameplay has faulty elements, the graphics manage to feel dated and the audio is a stone short of a rock slide. While there are a few gems to be found on the TG-16, Bonk’s Adventure is no diamond in the rough.

Rating: 4.6