Bonk's Adventure was the headline title for the Turbografix launch in the west, seen as a parallel to Sonic and Mario, and despite being the best selling game on the console it ultimately failed to make the dent in the mascot wars but it was certainly an exciting time for owners of the console at the time.
Bonk is a 2D platformer set in a prehistoric world, where you play as the enigmatic Bonk, a bald little caveman with a serious anger issue when he eats meat! Bonk jumps, headbutts and head dives his way through the brightly coloured levels, encountering prehistoric enemies at every turn. When Bonk eats meat he transforms into a more powerful/angry caveman allowing his head dive to stun enemies after one piece of meat and brief invulnerability after a second piece. Overall Bonk controls well although a slightly quicker run speed would enhance the game in my opinion.
Graphically the game was beautiful at the time and i still think it holds up. The large sprites are full of detail and character, with eye pops being a particular highlight and the backdrops have lovely colour and a good level of scrolling. It showcased the relative power of the Turbografix 16 compared to the NES at the time.
Length wise Bonk can be beaten by an experienced player in around an hour, even more so if you are playing one of the virtual console versions, and i feel that's a good spot for a platformer of the time. I found the game fairly easy throughout and never really had any issues but the level did ramp up as the game went on and even in 2018 its a decent game.
Overall Bonk's Adventure is a classic platformer, its got great gameplay, graphics and sound but ultimately it doesn't quite stay with you as much as its contemporaries. That being said i would 100% recommend giving this game a go on the Wii U eShop, for £5 you cant go wrong!
7/10
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