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Bonk's Adventure is a 2D platform video game by Hudson Soft and originally released in 1990 for the TurboGrafx-16 and is available through the Wii and Wii U Virtual Console service.
A Game Boy version was released in 1992 and a Nintendo Entertainment System version was released in 1994.
Plot[]
The game takes place in a fictional prehistoric era. Its protagonist is Bonk, a strong and bald caveboy who battles anthropomorphic dinosaurs and other prehistoric enemies. Bonk's mission is to rescue Princess Za (a small pink Pleisiosaur-type reptile) who has been kidnapped by the evil King Drool (a large, green, Tyrannosaurus-type dinosaur). In the arcade version, Bonk is also assisted by a female version of himself.
Gameplay[]
The game's protagonist is Bonk, a strong caveboy who battles dinosaurs, particularly the lizard King Drool, who has kidnapped Bonk's friend Princess Za. Bonk can use pieces of meat as power-ups, these lend him special abilities and make him stronger. There are three stages of powerup: his normal self, a second stage during which he can stun enemies by pounding on the ground, and third stage where he becomes temporarily invulnerable. In the original game, the second stage turns Bonk into a caveman, but in Japanese versions of the second and third game, he becomes a cavewoman. This gender transformation was scrapped for the US entries in the series. Another unique facet to the game that was kept in all versions was how Bonk climbed trees. Since ladders were not used in prehistoric times, Bonk is shown biting the tree to gain leverage. Also unique was that some bosses were revealed to have been hypnotized by King Drool, or bamboozled into being his slaves, after Bonk defeats them, such as the first boss, whom Bonk realized was a friend of his put under Drool's spell.
Development and release history[]
In 2003, Hudson Soft included a 3D remake of Bonk's Adventure in their Hudson Selection series of games released exclusively in Japan for the Nintendo GameCube.
The TurboGrafx-16 version was released for the Wii Virtual Console on November 21, 2006, and as of December 6, it is one of the most purchased games. It was later released on the Wii U's Virtual Console as well.
Reception[]
Entertainment Weekly picked the game as the #3 greatest game available in 1991, saying: "Cute, cartoony, and highly imaginative, this is one of the rare games that’s as much fun to watch as it is to play." In 1997 Electronic Gaming Monthly editors ranked the TurboGrafx-16 version as number 85 on their "100 Best Games of All Time", citing its imaginative level designs and hilarious player character.
External links[]
- Bonk's Adventure at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Bonk's Adventure at GameFAQs
- Bonk's Adventure at MobyGames
- Bonk Adventure at Nintendo's Wii Virtual Console page (North America)
- Bonk's Adventure at Nintendo's Wii U Virtual Console page (North America)
- PC Genjin at Hudson Soft Virtual Console page (Japan)
- PC Genjin at Nintendo's Wii U Virtual Console page (Japan)
- Bonk's Adventure at Virtual Console Reviews
| Bonk series | |
|---|---|
| Main series | Bonk's Adventure • Bonk's Revenge • Bonk 3: Bonk's Big Adventure • Super Land: Viva! Chikkun Ōkoku • Super 2 • Hudson Selection Vol. 3 Air Zonk • Super Air Zonk: Rockabilly-Paradise |
| Related | Hudson Soft • Red Entertainment • Naxat • Pi Studios |
This Virtual Console-related article is a stub. Please help by expanding it. 