Developer: Irem Publisher: Irem Release: 09/1993 Genre: Platformer
Of all the companies to jump on the mascot platformer craze one of the last I would expect is Irem. The house that R-Type built had a rich arcade lineage they would draw from for their home titles. But I guess that platformer money was too irresistible to ignore. Rocky Rodent is a forgotten title these days. Actually it was not memorable when it was released. Don’t let its lack of popularity fool you though; this is a much better game than it appears at first glance.
Rocky is a horrible glutton who will eat everything in sight at a moment’s notice. His insatiable appetite causes trouble when he accidentally eats an envelope containing Balboa’s protection money. Now Don Garcia has taken Balboa’s daughter Melody as retribution. With the promise of an all you can eat buffet Rocky becomes an unlikely hero.
Platformers after 1991 usually fell into two categories: those that followed Mario and ones that are inspired by Sonic. Rocky Rodent falls in the second category. Rocky builds up speed as he moves and while he doesn’t reach the speed of the blue blur he can book it pretty fast. You will not find loop de loops or bumpers but there are plenty of inclines, slopes, and hills to send you rocketing through levels. There are also high speed chase sequences as you run through traffic in pursuit of gangsters.
The game does distinguish itself however. Rocky Rodent’s main gimmick is his various hairstyles. Scattered through the levels are various items that give Rocky one of five hairstyles. Each hairdo offers numerous benefits that come in handy throughout the game. The Mohawk can function like a boomerang and doubles as a platform. The braid is a whip and a grappling hook. A hair curler will give you a spring which has an obvious use. But it can also push objects. The Mohawk is my favorite as it stabs enemies and lets you flip up on platforms. The rare bird gives you a partner that follows you for the rest of the game. While you are not collecting rings or anything similar your hair doubles as an extra hit point like Sega’s game. So long as you have one you cannot die.
These hair styles are more than just a gimmick. Every level in Rocky Rodent is massive. The various hairstyles grant access to alternate paths to reach the end which is extremely cool. Every level grants access to nearly every style, allowing you to pick and choose at your leisure. For the times a style is necessary the game will provide them. There is some light puzzle solving at times but for the most part most stages are a mad dash to the exit.
At least at first. Rocky Rodent is at its best when you are moving at a nice clip and bouncing around in quick succession. The latter half of the game is slower and methodical and not as interesting. The levels run too long and when they try to focus on precise platforming it feels a bit sloppy. The game adds mechanics that it was clearly not meant for that end up being frustrating rather than exciting. Any time swinging or pushing objects around is called for the game can reach controller slamming level quick. I can appreciate the attempt but they do not entirely work sadly.
The difficulty can be a bit much at time because of the inconsistent level design. Most of the moments where the game slings you around are safe. But there are occasionally times where it flings you into enemies or a pit. The game could have used a life bar rather than sacrificing a power-up as the latter portions tend to be a bit cheap. Your extra lives will disappear quickly and they are not easy to come by. At the very least the boss battles are simple but that is little comfort for the effort to reach them.
For such a low key release Irem did not slouch on the production values. Even though Rocky is not the most visually appealing protagonist his animation is pretty good. What really stands out are the game’s backgrounds. Rocky Rodent takes place in vaguely 1930s setting and the architecture and color palette capture it well. Nearly every stage has 2-3 layers of scrolling which looks striking in motion. The best I can say about the music is that it does not get in the way at least.
In Closing
Rocky Rodent is a solid game with a few flaws. I am still hesitant to recommend it however. The SNES is not starved for platformers which makes even the decent ones hard to stand out. This one ranks low on the must have scale even if it is entertaining.
