PixlBit

Bonk goes on a revenge trip, and it's his finest hour

Bonk's Revenge is the second game in the Bonk series. The Bonk series became the flagship series for NEC's Turbo Grafx-16 console, which joined the console wars in 1989. The Bonk games are platformers, of course, and manage to stay distinct from the Mario series and Sonic series. This particular game was developed by Red Company, published by Hudson, and released in 1991 (which was the same year Sonic would make his debut). Bonk's Revenge fixed some mistakes from the first game, added some great things, and is considered the best game in the series. 

The game starts by giving you a difficulty choice: Practice (which is only level 1), Intermediate (4 stage game), or Expert (Complete game). So really the "difficulty" choice has to do with how far you want to go. I'm not sure if they actually get harder as I chose to play Expert because I wanted to play the whole game. Anyways, you'll start the game and it'll feel the same as before. Bonk can still do all the same moves: head-butt, jump, and a diving head-butt. He can still use his head to bounce off enemies and can even grab ledges with his teeth and bite his way to the top. You'll recognize the same enemies too, although new ones have been added as well. 

Levels are broken into sections, and each section has a name which you'll see on a sign as you enter that area. Often there are three sections which build on one another. For example, Snow Mountain leads to Hot Springs, which leads to Mammoth Tomb. As in the first game, you'll take an elevator down to the boss chamber and fight a boss (they're not very hard to beat). Levels are designed well, being more interesting than they were in the first game. One level even has you infiltrating a huge pirate ship and attacking the deckhands. Levels are full of plenty of hazards which keep you on your toes. 

Just like in the first game, grabbing a piece of meat will transform Bonk into a stronger version. However, if you grab a giant piece of meat, Bonk will transform into "Frankenbonk" (really big head) and can shoot fire! Surprisingly, you'll find giant meat often, even hiding in blocks sometimes, which is why you should break as many blocks as you can. The game also adds a new mechanic to Bonk's repertoire: wall-jumping via head-butting walls. The game doesn't use this mechanic much, but you can reach high places and get some special stuff if you use it. 

The game also adds bonus levels, which you can access if you grab a small smiling flower. The good part about these is that each bonus stage is unique; in one you'll jump from platform to platform, collecting fruit as well as smiley faces; in another you'll make your way through an icey cave doing the same thing except it's slippery; in another you'll try to destroy radar towers for smiley faces. These were certainly a fun diversion. If you can collect 10 smiley faces by the end of the level, you'll be rewarded with a power-up going into the next level, which is a good incentive to try and get those smiley faces. You can get something even better if you can manage to get 20 smiley faces. 

Bonk's Revenge is not a hard game, although there are some tricky places. What I really like is the fact that you get to re-start right where you died (unless you use up all your lives, in which case you have to start at the beginning of the level). The bosses are mostly easy, although some of them took me by surprise and I wasn't sure what to do at first. The game never explains its title, but after beating each boss, they say something to Bonk (such as calling him a bonehead). Apparently Bonk is getting his revenge by beating up these guys. Just like the first game, this game gets really tough at the end. They end up throwing a lot of enemies at you at once; avoiding them or defeating them can be pretty tough. 

Final Verdict--4.5 Stars: Highly Recommended

Bonk's Revenge succeeds in outdoing its predecessor. Great gameplay, good power-ups, and fun bonus levels make it a win in my book. The graphics are also very colorful and the music is enjoyable. However, as good as the game is, it never really "wowed" me with anything. The game doesn't do anything completely unique, as a Mario or Sonic game would do (perhaps the reason why Bonk isn't around anymore). Still, if you enjoy platformers, you'll certainly enjoy this one, and you can buy it on the Wii Virtual Console. If you've never played a Bonk game, this is the one to get as it is the peak of the series. 

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