Five favorites: PC Engine platformers that don't involve Pithecanthropus Computerus

At first, coming up with a list of favorite PC Engine platformers that don't feature the third wheel in the race of the 16-bit mascots--that would be the "Pithecanthropus Computerus" mentioned in the headline above, who also goes by "PC Genjin" and "Bonk"--seems like a daunting task. After all, when most folks think of NEC's pint-sized system (the Japanese one, at least), the first games that come to mind are Hudson's PC Genjin trio (otherwise known as Bonk's Adventure, Bonk's Revenge and Bonk's Big Adventure in North America).

Think about it for a bit, though, and it becomes apparent that this "little console that could"--because it ably competed with the Genesis/Mega Drive and the SNES/Super Famicom despite the fact that it wasn't a full-fledged 16-bit system--was home to a number of top-shelf run-and-jump (or hop-and-bop) titles.

The five below are my personal favorites. Notice I'm not saying that I think they're the best platformers to grace the PC Engine. Although a couple of them are sure to fit that bill, others are too flawed to be so highly considered. Still, I can't help but like them more than a few of their closer-to-perfect counterparts.

One last thing before I get on with the show, so to speak: I'm not including single-screen platformers--games like Don Doko Don and Parasol Stars--in this post, mainly because they differ pretty substantially from the side-scrolling affairs discussed below.

Bikkuriman World--What a way to start a post like this, eh? I say that because many PC Engine fans likely consider this game's successors, Adventure Island and Dynastic Hero (they're all part of the Wonder Boy series), to be far superior efforts. Although I'd agree with those folks in some respects, I've spent a lot more time playing Bikkuriman World than I have playing either of its follow-ups over the years. I can't really tell you why that is, sadly, although if I had to guess I'd say that it's because I actually like the rather antiquated look--yes, even the Kewpie doll-esque protagonist--and feel of this particular HuCard. Also, I'm a bit of a masochist, which is a must for anyone who wants to tackle this tough-as-nails title.

Mizubaku Daibouken--You certainly don't have to be masochist to enjoy this Taito-made title, which was released outside of Japan as Liquid Kids. That's because this platformer is as cute as can be, what with its bubble-tossing protagonist, adorable enemies (I especially like the ones that look like tottering strawberries) and colorful stages that take players from a lush forest, to (what appears to be) a water-filled cave, to a sandy pyramid. Just because it's cute, though, doesn't mean it's a cake walk. In fact, I've yet to see the end credits of Mizubaku Daibouken--despite spending quite a bit of time with it. My favorite part of this game: Tossing "water bombs" (yeah, I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean either) at anything and everything. Believe me when I say it's addictive.

The Great Gaymathon Review #55: PC Genjin 2 (PC Engine)

Game: PC Genjin 2

Genre: Platformer

Developer: Red Company

Publisher: Hudson Soft

System: PC Engine

Release date: 1991

Back when it was released in 1991, I considered PC Genjin 2 (aka Bonk's Revenge) to be miles better than its predecessor. Today, I'm not so sure. Oh, there's no doubt that the second PC Genjin is a more polished affair than the first one, but that doesn't mean the former is superior to the latter--or at least it doesn't in my mind. Which elements make me think Bonk's, er, PC Genjin's first pixelated outing bests his second? For starters, as much as I like the sequel's cuter and cleaner graphics, I prefer the grittier ones found in the original. (I'm especially fond of the original's enemy designs--although the bosses that can be found in its successor are also quite fabulous.) If forced to do so, I'd also choose PC Genjin's "chunkier" soundtrack over the comparably subdued one that was produced for PC Genjin 2, although I feel less strongly about that area of this pair of platformers than I do about others--such as gameplay. Speaking of which, that's another thing Hudson's 1989 release does better than its 1991 follow-up. Specifically, both titles feature a spin move (press a button to make the big-headed protagonist jump into the air and then press another, repeatedly, to make him spin/hover/fly) that is not only more useful in the older game, but more enjoyable, too. (In the newer game, the move is gimped--thanks to a slight delay that was, for some strange reason, added into the mix--to the point of annoyance.) Now, the HuCard otherwise known as Bonk's Adventure doesn't beat its descendant in every category. Case in point: The stages in PC Genjin 2 are the antithesis of straightforward, and the majority of them are a joy to explore. Also, many of said stages harbor bonus rounds and other secrets that are just waiting to be discovered. Finally, I'd be remiss if I failed to mention my favorite part of PC Genjin 2: The power-up that plasters the main character with makeup and provides him with a "kiss attack" that turns enemies to stone. In the end, I now think I prefer Red Company's initial effort to its subsequent one. That said, I consider both to be well worth buying and experiencing.

See also: Previous 'Great Gaymathon' posts

Manual Stimulation: PC Genjin 3 (PC Engine)

Despite my undying love of the first PC Genjin (Bonk's Adventure to all of you TurboGrafx-16 fans) and the second (aka Bonk's Revenge), my heart's never skipped a beat for the series' third release, known in Japan as PC Genjin 3 and in North America as Bonk 3: Bonk's Big Adventure.

The main reason I've long given this Red Company-made platformer the cold shoulder: In current verbiage, it's because PC Genjin 3 feels a little to much like an "expansion pack" for PC Genjin 2.

PC Genjin 3 tries to differentiate itself from its predecessors in at least one area, thankfully: Its instruction manual (the cover of which can be seen in the scan below).



How so? Well, for starters, PC Genjin 3's manual is about twice as long as PC Genjin 2's. Also, PC Genjin 3's manual features a comic that runs across the bottom of pretty much every page. Because I don't understand a word of Japanese, I can't say if it's a good comic or not. Regardless, it features a number of nice drawings, so at least there's that.



The rest of this manual's many pages, though, are filled with your usual assortment of instructions ("here's what the I and II buttons do," "here's what happens when you eat a giant hunk of meat," etc.) and illustrations.

Manual Stimulation: PC Genjin 2 (PC Engine)

As much as I like the instruction manual made for the first PC Genjin game (see it in all its garish glory here), I like the ones made for its successors even more.

One reason for that: PC Genjin's manual is painfully short. Also, it's surprisingly mundane. Given this PC Engine platformer's over-the-top in-game graphics, I expected its manual to include similarly wacky imagery. Sadly, that's not the case.

Calling PC Genjin 2's manual "wacky" may be a bit of a stretch, but it's certainly wackier than the one created for its predecessor. It's also quite a bit more colorful--a fact that's made clear with a simple glance at its cover.



The manual's first real inside page is mighty colorful, too. I especially like the pop-up effect its designer(s) employed.



Although I've always felt a bit crotchety (you know, in a "you whippersnappers get off my lawn!" sort of way) about the way PC Genjin's graphics were cleaned up and otherwise changed in PC Genjin 2, I'm far less conflicted about the overhaul ol' Genjin himself received in that interim. (To see what I'm talking about, compare the illustration below to the ones found here.)



The main thing of note on the following two pages of the PC Genjin 2 manual, in my opinion: The drawing in the lower-left corner of the first page that seems to show Genjin in drag. (To be honest, I'm not sure if players are supposed to think he's in drag or if we're supposed think he's literally turned into a girl. I prefer the former possibility, so I'm going with that.)

Manual Stimulation: PC Genjin (PC Engine)

Like many folks, PC Genjin (aka Bonk's Adventure, if you're a North American like I am) was the game that prompted me to pick up a PC Engine (or, rather, a TurboGrafx-16) back in the day.

I liked everything about it: The big-headed protagonist, the prehistoric setting (and the dinosaur-based baddies that populated it), the punchy, synth-heavy soundtrack. Oh, and I even liked the North American version's box art.

That said, I like the Japanese version's box art even more. And, of course, since the instruction manual of pretty much every PC Engine game serves as its box art (this system's HuCards are housed in fairly typical CD cases), I'm quite fond of the cover of PC Genjin's manual, too.



How does the inside of this platformer's instruction manual compare to its outside? Pretty darn well, if you ask me.



The colorful illustration above is nice enough, of course, but I much prefer the map that takes up the booklet's next two pages.

An artful look at Bonk's arcade cousin, BC Kid

Like any good Bonk--or, PC Genjin, as he's called in Japan--fan, I consider the character's PC Engine outings to be (basically) the only ones worth my attention. As a result, I've ignored pretty much all of the spin-offs that have been released for the GameBoy, the Famicom and the Super Famicom--I'm just going to ignore the later atrocities--over the years.

I haven't ignored all of the Bonk spin-offs, though; the arcade-only BC Kid, for instance, has always intrigued me despite the fact that it was developed by Kaneko rather than Red and Atlus.

Artist and blogger Curtis Bathurst seems to share my interest in BC Kid, at least as far as the game's aesthetics are concerned. In a recent post, Bathurst critiques the game's promotional art (right) as well as its in-game graphics.

Although he isn't a big fan of either, he ends his post on a positive note saying, "I find it wildly exciting that there was ever a coin-op Bonk’s Adventure and I love rummaging through the ‘net in search of bits and scraps about the game."

If you're at all interested in graphic design--especially as it relates to the world of gaming--I highly recommend heading over to Bathurst's site and reading his post about this quirky quarter-muncher.

PC Engine porn

Now that I've finally gotten my hands on a PC Engine, all I want to do is play it. Well, that and take photos of it.

Also, here are some Glamour Shots® of a few of the games I purchased alongside the system.

See also: 'I'm pretty sure this means I can die a happy man' and 'It's not all fun and games'