Why is there a Bonk shmup?
Anyways, this here's a cute shmup starring Bonk and friends with super colorful graphics and some pleasant music. It didn't manage to be that good, however.
The game starts out as a very basic shmup: you have some weapons you can employ if you find them, and a layered system for your buddy: once you find a big smilie they will be called to act as an option, and with the next one you'll fuse into a stronger creature.
Despite being pleasant, Zonk isn't particularly interesting. Most stages are separated into two, with two bosses in them. However, each subsection of the level feels like it drags on for a while, reusing the same enemies and situations for a few minutes too many, while the levels themselves are rarely anything but just scrolling backgrounds.
I also question devs' love towards one of the power-ups you can find: the power to make you small seems to appear WAY more often than other ones, and I don't really get it. It's usually not an issue, Bonk did have some size shenanigans, it's just that when an end-level boss approaches, it becomes really tough to survive the battle in that mode considering the background is a mess of fast-moving bubbles.
One thing that the game really learned from Bonk, however, is that last stage sucks. If you've ever played Metal Slug 3, there's your comparison. While featuring more sections and bosses and being probably the most interesting, it's also really stingy with power-ups, featuring boss refights even of bosses you fight in this very stage, and having a really tanky last boss.
Overall, I didn't like Air Zonk very much: for most of the game it's way too simplistic before going into an overdrive, and the power-ups don't feel that great, especially the one the game really wants you to use at all times.
Anyways, this here's a cute shmup starring Bonk and friends with super colorful graphics and some pleasant music. It didn't manage to be that good, however.
The game starts out as a very basic shmup: you have some weapons you can employ if you find them, and a layered system for your buddy: once you find a big smilie they will be called to act as an option, and with the next one you'll fuse into a stronger creature.
Despite being pleasant, Zonk isn't particularly interesting. Most stages are separated into two, with two bosses in them. However, each subsection of the level feels like it drags on for a while, reusing the same enemies and situations for a few minutes too many, while the levels themselves are rarely anything but just scrolling backgrounds.
I also question devs' love towards one of the power-ups you can find: the power to make you small seems to appear WAY more often than other ones, and I don't really get it. It's usually not an issue, Bonk did have some size shenanigans, it's just that when an end-level boss approaches, it becomes really tough to survive the battle in that mode considering the background is a mess of fast-moving bubbles.
One thing that the game really learned from Bonk, however, is that last stage sucks. If you've ever played Metal Slug 3, there's your comparison. While featuring more sections and bosses and being probably the most interesting, it's also really stingy with power-ups, featuring boss refights even of bosses you fight in this very stage, and having a really tanky last boss.
Overall, I didn't like Air Zonk very much: for most of the game it's way too simplistic before going into an overdrive, and the power-ups don't feel that great, especially the one the game really wants you to use at all times.
Um ótimo jogo de "navinha" para quem não é pro nesses jogos, jogo muito bonito, com uma dificuldade acessivel, só começa a subir demais na fase final, vários poderes malucos e variados que deixam a gameplay divertida. Recomendo para fã de SHMUP e tmb quem quer entrar no genero.
Super colorful and addicting cute'em up! Features plentiful of weapon power ups, various additional allies help you out, unique charge shots that are particular to the weapon you have equipped, and a giant pink turd (rocket) as bomb.
A banger, I need to play more Turbo Grafx games. Also one of the bosses is Pizza the Hut
A future cyborg version of Bonk becomes the main character in a horizontal shmup. Gives you a rapid fire attack, an automatic shooting burst of flame from your feet when enemies get behind you, a charged weapon shot that if held long enough leads to a reusable bomb attack, and a large variety of weapon pickups with their own charged attacks, friend characters that follow and attack with you, and multiple combination forms where you merge with your friend. Colorful, varied enemy and boss designs, and a well praised soundtrack.
Didn't like it. Never found the actual shooting of enemies to be satisfying, didn't like their often strange attacks, and wasn't personally as fan of the soundtrack. The flashing enemies when you hit them and the effects from certain attacks and using your bomb tended to take away from the good look of the graphics as well as make it difficult to see what was going on in terms of enemy shots.
Screenshots: https://twitter.com/Legolas_Katarn/status/1561091766144512002
Didn't like it. Never found the actual shooting of enemies to be satisfying, didn't like their often strange attacks, and wasn't personally as fan of the soundtrack. The flashing enemies when you hit them and the effects from certain attacks and using your bomb tended to take away from the good look of the graphics as well as make it difficult to see what was going on in terms of enemy shots.
Screenshots: https://twitter.com/Legolas_Katarn/status/1561091766144512002
This is really fun! The graphics are so nice and colorful, and the music is good too. I love all the different powerup friends, and the many different weapons. The only thing that holds this game back from being great is that it's only five levels long, though the final level is by far the longest. It's also a little on the easier side, but considering some of the harder games I've been playing recently that's a welcome change.
A little cheaper than Coryoon, and I don't like the zany Saturday-morning-cartoon visuals of this one quite as much (though they are fun in their own right)... BUT, the power shot is actually useful, there's tons of cool weapons, and the ally system adds a unique element. I dig it.
Amazing shoot em up until you get epilepsy from how insane the parallax scrolling & flashing backgrounds are.
Best described as a shmup that thinks it's a platformer. This was one of the first games I got off the Wii Eshop as a kid and it more or less introduced me to the Turbografx16. Even back in the early 2000s...those things were hard to come by and so I only had a SNES and Genesis. It's very accessible for non shm'up players and doesn't outstay its welcome. If you were to play just one game out of the entire TG16 library, I would say go with this one.
I fell in love with this silly ass shoot ‘em up at a Toys R Us that I used to visit after school. They had a TG-16 hooked up and playing a few different games. My favorites were Air Zonk, Alien Crush and Devil Crush. The last two are pinball games, and I will get around to giving them reviews too.
Now, Air Zonk is made by Hudson soft, who made the Bonk games, so Zonk looks like Bonk with Ray Charles shades on. But he’s also a robot.
Ok, so I don’t know the story, exactly. I just played the game last week, but I never pay attention to the story.
Basically each level you choose a partner to join you. They help you out kind of like Options from Gradius or Lifeforce. But you get a certain power up and Air Zone no and his buddy combine into a new form that unleashes hell all across the bad guy army.
It’s satisfying getting to the boss and grabbing this random power up.
The music is also really good.
This is a fun game. If you get the chance and you like shoot ‘em ups, definitely give it a whirl.
Now, Air Zonk is made by Hudson soft, who made the Bonk games, so Zonk looks like Bonk with Ray Charles shades on. But he’s also a robot.
Ok, so I don’t know the story, exactly. I just played the game last week, but I never pay attention to the story.
Basically each level you choose a partner to join you. They help you out kind of like Options from Gradius or Lifeforce. But you get a certain power up and Air Zone no and his buddy combine into a new form that unleashes hell all across the bad guy army.
It’s satisfying getting to the boss and grabbing this random power up.
The music is also really good.
This is a fun game. If you get the chance and you like shoot ‘em ups, definitely give it a whirl.
Desperate Turbografix kid trying to tell you why this game is the coolest thing ever
Not many people know this but I created the Air Zonk series
A bullet hell game that is just past my ability level.
Bonker Status: Zonked
Bonker Status: Zonked
Fun game with unique friends, weapons that all change the charge shot (except 1?) and isn't a bullet hell.
This is my favorite shmup game for sure. I can't do bullet hell games, and this is a more standard shmup game, but also has much more interesting stuff going on visually than say, 1942 or Gradius. The visuals are so colorful and there's always some weird thing happening on screen that never left me bored. Music is also fun and upbeat, and the game is just a joy from start to finish.
good space shooter carried heavily by Dem Aesthetics