A - Air Zonk

Developer: Red Company / Hudson Soft

Release Date: 1992

Alias: PC Denjin Punk Cyborg, Bonk to the Future (tm)
Game Type: Arcade Shooter

Clearly at this point, way back in 1992, Hudson was really starting to crank out some quality games and push the TG 16's hardware to the limit.  Let me just start by saying Air Zonk is a really cool game that oozes personality, has great music, and done in a very funky / unique art style.  I dig it.

Make no mistake that this is clearly the Bonk franchise re-imagined as an arcade shooter transplanted into a futuristic setting.  There are TONS of bonk art assets which have been reappropriated, reimagined, and reused for this cool little shooter... the smiley face pickups?  Check.  "skull wearing little dudes"?  Check.  King Drool? Double check.  This is Bonk... TO THE FUTURE!





Upon loading up the game I knew I was in for a unique gaming experience when I was asked to select the games difficulty which is a statement as to what to expect from this game in of itself.  The three difficulty modes? Sweet (Easy), Spicy (Normal), and Bitter (Hard)...very cute hudson, well played... all of which I tried, the latter two provided one heck of a challenge.  Each difficulty dictates how much damage the larger enemies can take and how many lives you start the game with.  Speaking of the larger enemies.. this system is known for its large boss sprites and Air Zonk is no exception.  There is some great pixel pushing on display here, in fact I was very much getting a Megaman vibe while playing.  Not a bad thing at all!

Boatman?

Bonk.. err.. Zonk, future Bonk... whatever... has a squad of warriors which will show up to help him defeat the forces of Drool.  They all have special powers, are wearing sunglasses, and have come here to kick ass and chew bubble gum... and they're all out of gum.  Only one member of the squad blows... cause he's a blowfish.  Damnit, sorry, I'll try to keep those remarks at a minimum from now on.  Anyway, "THE DANGER SQUAD" (as I came to call them) is a cool touch and before starting your quest to defeat Drool the game asks if you'd like them to show up automatically or manually.  Like Aero Blasters... the levels are varied, the enemies that all show up are fun to look at and vary in appearance, and there are a handful of pickups.  Unlike Aero Blasters however, I didn't really care for the powerups in this game... they were just lacking "umph" to me and not as plentiful!

You're dead?  So what? So lets dance!

Death doesn't come as quick as you might think in Zonk, but the harder difficulty levels do make the boss fights a real challenge... sometimes downright frustrating in fact.  But when you do die, you're treated to a surprisingly uplifting tune and some enemies dancing to said tune in front of a red background.  I suppose the red background was a must as it's the only thing after you're out of lives that just screams YOU'RE DEAD.  As stated at the beginning of this review, the sound and music in this game are both outstanding and an utter pleasure to listen to.  In fact, the theme heard in the first stage rivals some of the best themes I've heard in retro gaming... including the amazing tunes from Sonic The Hedgehog 3 (ice cap zone anyone?).  Hummable, memorable, and very slick music writing / sequencing.  Now bear in mind that I played the Hu Card version of this game.. apparently the CD version replaces these tunes with some sort of rockabilly craziness.  

Air Zonk is another winner and certainly worth checking out... wow, two in a row, maybe this is going to be easier than I thought.  I really hope the next game isn't an arcade shooter, I need a good RPG or platformer to play through, preferably something exceptionally bad for ranting purposes.  Damn, just checked, and the next game is Alien Crush....  which is followed by Andre Panza (Who?) Kick Boxing.... which should be extremely entertaining :).

Obligatory gameplay video from the tubes of you.

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