PixlBit

A classic Metroidvania game before that was even a thing

You remember The Goonies, right? A classic '80s movie in which a group of kids (the Goonies) find a long-lost treasure. Believe it or not, a Goonies game was released in Japan, but never made it to the States. Then, a year later, a sequel was released: The Goonies II, which was released in Japan, North American, and Europe. No, this doesn't mean that there was a Goonies II movie. And yes, this is a strange case when a movie gets a sequel as a video game. Anyways, Goonies II was released for the NES in 1987; it was developed and published by Konami and is a Metroid-style platformer (meaning it's an exploration-based game). 

You play as Mikey, whose friends have been captured by the Fratellis (the bumbling bad guys from the movie). Mikey must rescue all six friends plus a mermaid named Annie (because why not?). As Mikey, you can jump and attack with your yo-yo. Enemies will appear out of nowhere, so you have to be careful. Armed gunmen will also show up and try to shoot you; two hits will knock them down for a brief time before they get up again. 

Apparently Mikey is exploring a big mansion. The further down you go will take you into underground caverns. By pressing Start, you can look at the map, which is useful, although it's easy to get lost and go in circles. But atleast the game HAS a map. Enemies will sometimes drop hearts (to replenish your health) and keys (which you can use to open safes). In order to find Goonies, you have to find magic locator devices. 

Rooms play a big role in the game. When you enter a room, the game changes to an adventure-style game with a menu of options. Four choices are dispalyed at the top left: Go, Hit, Take, and Tools. If an item is sitting in the room, you can pick it up with Take. If a door is in front of you or on either side, you can choose Go and move in that direction. If there's a safe, you can use a key to open it, but opening a safe will only give you a hint. Some rooms are completely dark (you can try to go in different directions) while others are dead-ends. You will also meet all kinds of weird characters in rooms such as wizards, eskimos, monks, and even a super hero with a cape. Their dialogue is often humorous due to a poor translation. Ex: if you choose to Hit the guy, he'll say "Ouch! What do you do?" 

Some rooms are "warp zones," which will transport you to another section of the map. This is where it can get confusing. The map has a "front" and "back." This probably means the front of the house and the back of it. I ended up warping all over the place and retreading the same areas. I kept going through the same doors, not sure if I had checked them previously. It's best to check every door, but a lot of doors are dead-ends or will take you to a place you've already been. So this game certainly takes patience and perseverence. 

The graphics are very primitive, even for the NES. Mikey's sprite has pink hair and pink pants, which is just weird. Keep in mind that this is a very old game. When climbing vines or ladders, you must climb all the way down; you can't jump off of them. This is a little tedious, but keep in mind this game is old. However, when you die, you will start right where you died, even if you use a continue, which is wonderful. Having said that, the game itself is not hard, just tricky due to all the exploration. 

Konami did a good job with the different areas in the game, and there's a lot of them. Not only the house, but all kinds of caves and caverns await you, each one having its own enemies. Exploring is also rewarded with key items. You can find new weapons such as the boomerang (helpful because it goes out much farther than the yo-yo). The hardest part of the game is finding the Goonies, who are very well-hidden. The game also has a password system if you choose to quit.

Final Verdict--4 Stars: Recommended

Goonies II is a cult classic, and I can see why. While the exploration can be confusing, it was also fascinating for its time. The game is certainly dated, and it would be unfair of me to judge it harshly after so many years. It looks old and can feel clunky, but the many doors, areas, items, and characters hidden within its world are quite impressive. If you enjoy Metroid, you'll probably enjoy this one too, but you'll need patience and perseverence if you want to finish the game. Not bad for an old movie sequel. 

Join me for Retro Review every other Saturday as we examine games of yore.