Developer: Sculptured Software Publisher: LJN Release: 03/92 Genre: Action
I certainly did not expect to like this one. T & C Surf Designs is an absolutely terrible game that somehow must have sold well. It is so bad in fact I am actively avoiding reviewing it. Someday though. So the prospect of a sequel was less than enticing. But I owe it to a glowing review in Gamepro magazine for actually giving it a chance. While it is not as great as that particular review makes it out to be T&C II: Thrilla’s Surfari is a far better game than it has any right to be.
One need only look at the box art to get a full dose of the 90s. T&C II stars Thrilla Gorilla on a quest to save his girlfriend Barbie Bikini from the witch doctor Wazula. Unlike the grab bag approach of its predecessor Thrilla’s Surfari is more focused. This is primarily a platformer but it still somewhat manages to incorporate the various elements of the prior game. That focus yields a much better game and one of the best titles that LJN would ever publish. Imagine that.
I do not know why I expected a subpar looking game but Thrilla’s Surfari looks great. The game is lush and packed with detail. The jungles and various river based environments are rife with minute details and densely packed. But more impressive than that is the great animation of Thrilla. As you move about he does various tricks such as a 360 spin or board grabs. These are just for show but still look cool nonetheless. The boss battles should be impressive as they are large screen filling beasts. However these fights are subject to atrocious slowdown and flickering. At least they tried.
For the majority of the game you control Thrilla on a skateboard or surfboard as he navigates around obstacles and enemies. Each level has all manner of jungle animals, from angry giraffes to scorpions and spear chucking natives. At first a single hit will equal death but eventually you will build up a life meter. For the most part you can cruise by at a decent speed but soon enough you’ll need to build momentum for the bigger jumps. In many ways this reminds me of the Turbo Tunnel in Battletoads with its ramps and such. In between levels you can use the coconuts collected to play the shell game for extra lives.
While ramp based hijinks form the majority of the game it does offer some variety. There are three segments involving surfing down a waterfall. While that sounds exciting it is incredibly cheap as the rocks are densely packed, leaving little time to dodge. You will also hop on the back of a shark for some underwater action! It looks just as ridiculous as you would expect. These stages along with the challenging boss battles break up the monotony of the repetitive jungle platforming.
Thrilla’s Surfari is a long game which works against it. The game has seven levels with four or five sub-levels each. Early on the variety is much appreciated and executed well. But halfway through the game begins to repeat itself. Nearly all of its jungle levels are the same with the only distinguishing factor being layout. When they focus on one idea its cool but that isn’t often. You can only skate or surf through the same jungle so many times before it gets boring. By the time you reach the end game volcano you’ll just want it to end. If they removed two stages the pacing would have been significantly better. Had the game been better vetted it would truly have been amazing.
During the course of Thrilla’s Surfari you’ll have plenty of opportunities to rack up extra lives. After a few levels you will see why. Death comes frequently and unexpectedly due to the viewpoint. It is not always clear if obstacles such as rocks and trees will hit you, resulting in instant death. Eventually you get used to it but it is still frustrating. The frequent shifts kill your momentum which also leads to cheap deaths when it comes to jumping over pits. By the middle of the game the levels tend to run long, making this even worse. When everything is working fine it is exciting; when it doesn’t you might chuck the controller in anger. Do not even get me started on the cheap boss battles.
In Closing
For a game that I had no expectations of Thrilla’s Surfari surprised me. Overall this is a pretty cool title with more platforming thrills than most similar titles. While I wish they had trimmed the fat I still found it to be a nice way to kill an afternoon. This is a massive improvement over its dreadful predecessor and a good game overall.
I like this game in theory, but it’s so damned hard. I could never get past the second or third level, maximum.