Rocket Knight

released on May 11, 2010

Rocket Knight is a classic side-scrolling rocket action series. Our favorite opossum hero returns home after 15 years to find the kingdom of Zephyrus in shambles. Use your wits and Sparkster's trusty rocket pack to dodge and defeat a menacing wolf army threatening the lives of his people. Rocket Knight is a revival of the Sparkster series, which first began with Rocket Knight Adventures. The game is a sequel to the Sega Genesis game Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2, and not a remake of Rocket Knight Adventures.


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most terrible, soulless revival to a konami classic that was (originally) oozing style and character. It's one of those games that will make you go "sigh" if you're in the loop

Sure, it feels like a cheap remake from a MegaDrive/Genesis gem, but it plays nicely enough to be approved.

Yup, that's an Xbox Live Arcade game, alright.

Nothing horrible, but nothing that great if you're not nostalgic for or charmed by that Xbox Live Arcade smell.

The presentation, for the most part, does what it sets out to do. The stage design reminds me of the Donkey Kong Country Returns revival duology in the sense that floating platforms in the sky are eschewed in favor of every platform showing why it's placed or moving the way it is. The visuals themselves sometimes felt striking to me, though occasionally I noticed where concessions were made in regards to this game's status as a digital-only title from 2010. The story wasn't anything huge, but for platformers - especially mascot platformers - I don't expect a groundbreaking story.

Everything Sparkster is known for doing - hanging onto poles, the jetpack, the sword, the shooting, the dedicated shooting stages - is still here and accounted for, and he still felt satisfying to play as, even when the levels didn't. The bosses did remain challenging throughout - the final boss reached the point of frustration because of his random movements - but that's about it. My advice to anyone wanting to feel something when playing this game: Play on Hard Mode. Normal is too easy.

I'm happy I got the chance to try a Rocket Knight game out, and I daresay I'm growing to like this series, but this particular entry isn't really anything special.

The game's presentation is so 2010 I can feel it oozing out of every frame and I honestly dig it. The game's really easy and levels aren't as interesting nor is the music, but I still liked it. Rocket Knight Adventures was possibly my first ever game, so it was worth it just to zip around, even if a little plain and really short.

Wish the PC version was updated to include the prompts of your system, it's weird to use a 360 Controller but still have keyboard prompts.

It’s the odd one for not being the Konami-developed one, but despite the odd visual choices here, I do like the game!
While it’s not directly on par with the original 16-bit trilogy, it does have a fair amount of sharing aspects that make it a solid platformer to enjoy. Sparkster still controls well, and his new moves rock too. The level designs are okie too, and some mechanics feel balanced out enough for me to stay unique and almost never outstay their welcome.
I will say I’m not really a fan of the design style used in this game since it feels weird-ish after being with the original 2D art styles for so long, so this 3D transition is odd-ish. Some aspects of the soundtrack are great but they don’t feel as memorable to me in comparsion to the 16-bit trilogy. This is just me but there’s also some aged design aspects like the limited continues system being present and fewer boss battles than the past games. Aside from those, it’s a good enough one but I feel like I enjoyed the 16-bit games more.

This game was not very good and too long (even at less than 90 minutes). It was free though. Would rather play it than more Star Fox.