Developer: Dual Publisher: Hudson Soft Release: 1993 Genre: Shooter
I love Air Zonk. In a sea of shooters it rose to the top to be one of the best shooters for the Turbo Grafx-16. I will admit when I first saw that Bonk was getting a spinoff that was a shooter I was disappointed. The last thing the Turbo Grafx-16 needed was another shooter, especially in the US. But the game’s quality made me overlook that and it is probably one of my top 10 favorite games on the platform. So it hurts to see that the sequel Super Air Zonk is so disappointing. Super Air Zonk is not flat out bad, far from it. But you cannot help but to have expected more.
Super Air Zonk: Rockabilly Paradise was released a year after the first game. Hudson Soft knew they had a hit on their hands and tried to feed the beast as soon as possible. However rather than having the original developer Red Company handle development duties little known studio Dual was chosen instead. There only notable works at the time was Psychosis, a shooter with a cool premise that did not live up to its potential and……Predator for NES. Like their previous works Super Air Zonk has the look of a winner but misses the mark.
The weapon system has seen some changes, some for the better and some that are worse. You no longer choose a partner prior to each stage. Instead every level has a designated creature at the halfway point you can merge with if you save it. This functions similarly to the original but you have a few more options. At the touch of a button you can separate briefly with your partner flying around dealing damage for about ten seconds. After they will follow you like an option in Gradius. You keep your transformation even after death which is cool. You lose the freedom of choice from Air Zonk but gain a more versatile system in its place.
Unfortunately your basic weaponry outside of that is not so great. Collecting meat will upgrade your main cannon, from normal shots to lightning bolts to a laser gun. But overall when you are not partnered up you are extremely weak. Air Zonk had a large cache of weapons to play around with, many of them goofy yet strong so that even if you miss your chance to partner up you still felt powerful. Super Air Zonk relies on its buddy system a little too much to drum up excitement. The combination when you transform is just as wacky as the previous game but damn, you cannot ignore the basics.
One of the few flaws of Air Zonk was its short length. It was an extremely memorable experience that left you wanting more. Super Air Zonk is longer but unfortunately not as interesting. The level design despite its best efforts falls flat. Air Zonk focused on measured enemy waves in wide open fields. Here they try to spice it up with obstacles and walls you must navigate. But outside of the last level the awful pacing and general design ruin it. There is a lot of dead air as well which the lethargic pacing exacerbates. The bullet sponge bosses do not help matters either. Together with the lack of any challenge you have a game that most will struggle to want to complete.
Air Zonk was one of the easiest shooters I have ever played. Somehow this is even easier. The game awards extra lives routinely. Every 100 smiley faces you collect grant a 1-up. You will gain at least three extra lives on every stage. You do not have a life bar but can sustain two hits before death. As I said the laid back pace means you will rarely die outside of the lengthy boss battles. As much as I am disappointed with the game it is at least worth one run. But at the prices it goes for it is not a priority.
Rather than a Hucard sequel Super Air Zonk is a CD title. With that come certain expectations. Somehow Super Air Zonk looks worse than its predecessor! The overall color palette is just as vibrant and the enemy designs are just as wacky and creative. But the gorgeous parallax scrolling has been completely removed leaving the game completely flat. As a late generation title it looks old. The lone bright spot of the presentation would be the excellent soundtrack. The game certainly lives up to its subtitle. Rockabilly as a style of music is old and rarely used but no less fantastic. It gives the game a unique flair few games match. I just wish it were in a better game.
In Closing
Super Air Zonk falls short in many categories but is still competent overall. But following up such a strong title in the original means you have to bring your A game and they clearly did not. Super Air Zonk is a game that has the look but lacks the passion that made its predecessor great. As one of the last Turbo Duo games released in the US this was a sad note to go out on.
