Rocket Knight Adventures
Encyclopedia
is a 16-bit generation side scrolling platformer
produced and released in 1993 by Konami
for the Mega Drive/Genesis console, designed by Nobuya Nakazato, designer of several titles in the Contra series such as The Alien Wars
, Hard Corps
and Shattered Soldier
. Its protagonist is Sparkster, an opossum knight who fights an army of robot
s and pig
s, many of whom are piloting various mechanical vehicles
. Sparkster is armed with a sword
that can project energy over a short distance and a rocket pack that allows him to fly.
The "past" tells you about how the first King El Zebulos fought against some would-be invaders who sailed in a powerful ship called the Pig Star, and lead his clan against them with courage and conviction. After defeating the invaders, El Zebulos was made ruler of the land, and The Pig Star was placed under a magic seal so it wouldn't fall into enemy hands; because the Pig Star has the power to destroy entire worlds.
The "Key to the Seal" would be guarded and passed down by El Zebulos, and his Royal Family. Generations into the future, the kingdom has been subject to attack by neighboring countries which want control of The Pig Star. To protect the kingdom of Zebulos, an elite group of warriors known as the Rocket Knights had been formed. These Warriors wore armor with Rocket Packs, wielded mystical swords, and harnessed awesome combat skills.
During this time, Sparkster had become a War Orphan and was taken in by Mifune Sanjulo; a friend of the King, and was at that point the leader of the Rocket Knights. Sparkster would later become a promising Rocket Knight at an early age. Later on, a corrupt Rocket Knight by the name of Axel Gear would try to steal an ancient book, which contained the secrets of the rocket knights. This book was kept by Mifune himself only to be caught. Axel and Mifune fought, and Mifune was severely wounded, leaving him permanently disabled. Sparkster would then become the new leader of the Rocket Knights, but he wants revenge for his adoptive father's suffering.
For 10 years Sparkster would wander, posing as an outlaw as he searched for Axel Gear, only to return to Zebulos and hear rumors about Axel Gear's return.
The Present describes what's going on in the game itself. The Kingdom is under attack by the Devotindos Empire, which is led by Emperor Devligus Devotindos; Whom is said to have powers of hypnosis. Sparkster rushes to the castle, sensing Axel Gear's Presence. Sure enough, Axel Gear has kidnapped the Princess Sherry in attempt to blackmail the king into surrendering The "Key to the Seal". However It just so happens that the Princess is the only one who knows of its location. Sparkster rushes through jungles, caves, and even into Devotindos territory to save the princess.
Sparkster Would finally confront Devilgus himself, who quickly flees after he has obtained the key to the Pig Star from the Princess and takes off into space. The Princess cast a spell on Sparkster which would allow him to go after Devilgus and into The Pig Star. Sparkster fights the Emperor himself, only to discover he was a machine all along. After Devilgus' destruction, Sparkster runs into Axel Gear, who tries to jettison Sparkster into Space, only to have himself sucked into space instead. Sparkster then goes to destroy the Core of the Pig Star, to get rid of the threat once and for all. Upon reaching the core, Sparkster discovers that Devligus has uploaded his memory into the core, and attempts to destroy Sparkster. However Devilgus' efforts fail as The Pig Star explodes, and he makes a last ditch effort to kill Sparkster while he's defenseless in an escape pod. Sparkster manages to escape in one piece and reaches the castle with Princess Sherry. Sparkster is pleased with the safety of the Princess and the Kingdom itself, but accepts no reward as he blasts off into the horizon, leaving the King, and Princess to simply wave goodbye instead.
Gameplay is often a side scrolling platform, with linear runs through levels. The player is able to jump, attack with Sparkster's sword, either directly or by "shooting" energy forward when swung, or charge up their rocket pack and go flying in one of the 8 standard directions, depending of the direction the player presses (if no direction is pressed, Sparkster performs a stationary spinning attack).
Levels are occasionally switched up with alternate styles of gameplay. Some levels are horizontal scrolling shooters (akin to Gradius
, often with in-level references to that game), while one level has the player control a large machine to duel with Axel Gear.
The difficulty levels in the game are differently presented in each regional version of the game. Both the Japanese and European versions have two difficulty levels accessible normally via the options menu, while in the American version four are enabled by default.
version of Rocket Knight Adventures was planned, but was never released.
Rocket Knight Adventures later had a sequel for the Mega Drive, named Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2
, and a spin-off
for the SNES, named Sparkster
. While both games were produced at roughly the same time and shared the same name and same box art, they were totally individual games, as with other Konami 16-bit releases with the same name, and aside from character design and a common music score, they did not relate to each other. However, the Mega Drive/Genesis game is actually referred in Japan with the subtitle Rocket Knight Adventures 2, which also was used overseas in the game introduction, and it is also the true sequel to Rocket Knight Adventures, due to the stated continuity from the events of the original game on the same console, whereas the Super NES version is more of a spin-off of the same game following an alternative storyline. Like their predecessor, neither of both games were mainstream successes.
In October 2009, Konami announced they would release another sequel, titled Rocket Knight
, made by the British developer, Climax Group
. The game was released on Xbox 360
, PlayStation 3
and Steam on May 12, 2010. Nobuya Nakazato was not involved with this title in any way, though it was credited by the developers in the Special Thanks section of the game credits.
Sparkster himself has appeared as a playable character in a few recent titles, such as New International Track & Field
for Nintendo DS
and Krazy Kart Racing for iPhone
and iPod Touch
. He also has recognisable cameos in Ganbare Goemon 2: Kiteretsu Shogun Magginesu
for the SNES, Snatcher
for the Mega-CD, Jikkyou Power Pro Wrestling '96: Max Voltage
for the SNES, Mitsumete Knight
for the PlayStation
, and a figure resembling him also appears in an alternate ending to Contra: Shattered Soldier
for the PlayStation 2
.
There was also a story of Sparkster written by Nigel Kitching
in the UK-made Sonic the Comic
. It was based on the Mega Drive/Genesis version of Sparkster. In an interview, Kitching said that Sparkster was the easiest game to adapt into a story, due to being similar to the Sonic the Hedgehog games. He was working on a second Sparkster story, but the plan was dropped when Fleetway
were unable to obtain permission from Konami to use the character.
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
produced and released in 1993 by Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
for the Mega Drive/Genesis console, designed by Nobuya Nakazato, designer of several titles in the Contra series such as The Alien Wars
Contra III: The Alien Wars
Contra III: The Alien Wars, released in Japan as and in the PAL region as Super Probotector: Alien Rebels, is a run and gun game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System produced by Konami...
, Hard Corps
Contra: Hard Corps
Contra: Hard Corps, released in Japan as and in Europe and Australia as Probotector, is a side-scrolling run and gun-style shoot-'em-up video game released by Konami for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive in...
and Shattered Soldier
Contra: Shattered Soldier
Contra: Shattered Soldier, published in Japan as is a video game that is part of the Contra series by Konami. It was developed by Team Kijirushi, a group of staff members within Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo, and released for the PlayStation 2 in 2002...
. Its protagonist is Sparkster, an opossum knight who fights an army of robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s and pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
s, many of whom are piloting various mechanical vehicles
Mecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...
. Sparkster is armed with a sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
that can project energy over a short distance and a rocket pack that allows him to fly.
Plot
According to the Game's instruction manual, the story takes place in a World called Elhorn, the home of the Kingdom of Zebulos. The instruction manual also describes the "past" and "present" events of the game's back story.The "past" tells you about how the first King El Zebulos fought against some would-be invaders who sailed in a powerful ship called the Pig Star, and lead his clan against them with courage and conviction. After defeating the invaders, El Zebulos was made ruler of the land, and The Pig Star was placed under a magic seal so it wouldn't fall into enemy hands; because the Pig Star has the power to destroy entire worlds.
The "Key to the Seal" would be guarded and passed down by El Zebulos, and his Royal Family. Generations into the future, the kingdom has been subject to attack by neighboring countries which want control of The Pig Star. To protect the kingdom of Zebulos, an elite group of warriors known as the Rocket Knights had been formed. These Warriors wore armor with Rocket Packs, wielded mystical swords, and harnessed awesome combat skills.
During this time, Sparkster had become a War Orphan and was taken in by Mifune Sanjulo; a friend of the King, and was at that point the leader of the Rocket Knights. Sparkster would later become a promising Rocket Knight at an early age. Later on, a corrupt Rocket Knight by the name of Axel Gear would try to steal an ancient book, which contained the secrets of the rocket knights. This book was kept by Mifune himself only to be caught. Axel and Mifune fought, and Mifune was severely wounded, leaving him permanently disabled. Sparkster would then become the new leader of the Rocket Knights, but he wants revenge for his adoptive father's suffering.
For 10 years Sparkster would wander, posing as an outlaw as he searched for Axel Gear, only to return to Zebulos and hear rumors about Axel Gear's return.
The Present describes what's going on in the game itself. The Kingdom is under attack by the Devotindos Empire, which is led by Emperor Devligus Devotindos; Whom is said to have powers of hypnosis. Sparkster rushes to the castle, sensing Axel Gear's Presence. Sure enough, Axel Gear has kidnapped the Princess Sherry in attempt to blackmail the king into surrendering The "Key to the Seal". However It just so happens that the Princess is the only one who knows of its location. Sparkster rushes through jungles, caves, and even into Devotindos territory to save the princess.
Sparkster Would finally confront Devilgus himself, who quickly flees after he has obtained the key to the Pig Star from the Princess and takes off into space. The Princess cast a spell on Sparkster which would allow him to go after Devilgus and into The Pig Star. Sparkster fights the Emperor himself, only to discover he was a machine all along. After Devilgus' destruction, Sparkster runs into Axel Gear, who tries to jettison Sparkster into Space, only to have himself sucked into space instead. Sparkster then goes to destroy the Core of the Pig Star, to get rid of the threat once and for all. Upon reaching the core, Sparkster discovers that Devligus has uploaded his memory into the core, and attempts to destroy Sparkster. However Devilgus' efforts fail as The Pig Star explodes, and he makes a last ditch effort to kill Sparkster while he's defenseless in an escape pod. Sparkster manages to escape in one piece and reaches the castle with Princess Sherry. Sparkster is pleased with the safety of the Princess and the Kingdom itself, but accepts no reward as he blasts off into the horizon, leaving the King, and Princess to simply wave goodbye instead.
Gameplay
Levels are occasionally switched up with alternate styles of gameplay. Some levels are horizontal scrolling shooters (akin to Gradius
Gradius
The Gradius games, first introduced in 1985, make up a series of scrolling shooter video games published by Konami for a variety of portable, console and arcade platforms. In many games in the series, the player controls a ship known as the Vic Viper...
, often with in-level references to that game), while one level has the player control a large machine to duel with Axel Gear.
The difficulty levels in the game are differently presented in each regional version of the game. Both the Japanese and European versions have two difficulty levels accessible normally via the options menu, while in the American version four are enabled by default.
| Version | Difficulty Level | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | Normal | Hard | Very Hard* | Crazy Hard* |
| European | Easy | Hard | Very Hard* | Crazy Hard* |
| USA | Children | Easy | Normal | Hard |
| * Only accessible using cheat code | ||||
Ports, sequels and spin-offs
A SNESSuper Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
version of Rocket Knight Adventures was planned, but was never released.
Rocket Knight Adventures later had a sequel for the Mega Drive, named Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2
Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2
is the sequel to the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis game Rocket Knight Adventures. Another game under the same title, Sparkster, but without the Rocket Knight Adventures subtitle and not continuing the plot of the first game, was released on the SNES...
, and a spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
for the SNES, named Sparkster
Sparkster (SNES)
is a 16-bit generation side scrolling platformer produced and released in 1994 by Konami for the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System, directed by Hideo Ueda...
. While both games were produced at roughly the same time and shared the same name and same box art, they were totally individual games, as with other Konami 16-bit releases with the same name, and aside from character design and a common music score, they did not relate to each other. However, the Mega Drive/Genesis game is actually referred in Japan with the subtitle Rocket Knight Adventures 2, which also was used overseas in the game introduction, and it is also the true sequel to Rocket Knight Adventures, due to the stated continuity from the events of the original game on the same console, whereas the Super NES version is more of a spin-off of the same game following an alternative storyline. Like their predecessor, neither of both games were mainstream successes.
In October 2009, Konami announced they would release another sequel, titled Rocket Knight
Rocket Knight
is a 2.5D platformer and a revival of the Rocket Knight series, which first began with Rocket Knight Adventures. It was developed by Climax Studios and published by Konami for Xbox Live Arcade , PlayStation Network and Steam on May 12, 2010...
, made by the British developer, Climax Group
Climax Group
Climax Group is a British independent video game development company. It was founded by Karl Jeffery in 1988 and is based in Portsmouth, Hampshire....
. The game was released on Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Steam on May 12, 2010. Nobuya Nakazato was not involved with this title in any way, though it was credited by the developers in the Special Thanks section of the game credits.
Sparkster himself has appeared as a playable character in a few recent titles, such as New International Track & Field
New International Track & Field
, is a sports video game by Konami for the Nintendo DS. Developed by Sumo Digital, it is the latest game in Konami's Track and Field series.-Overview:...
for Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
and Krazy Kart Racing for iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
and iPod Touch
IPod Touch
The iPod Touch is a portable media player, personal digital assistant, handheld game console, and Wi-Fi mobile device designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The iPod Touch adds the multi-touch graphical user interface to the iPod line...
. He also has recognisable cameos in Ganbare Goemon 2: Kiteretsu Shogun Magginesu
Ganbare Goemon 2: Kiteretsu Shogun Magginesu
is a Super NES game by Konami released only in Japan, and the second of the SNES Ganbare Goemon games. This game was re-released along the first SNES Ganbare Goemon: Yuki-Hime Kyūshutsu Emaki in a Game Boy Advance compilation, which also remained in Japan...
for the SNES, Snatcher
Snatcher
is a cyberpunk-themed graphic adventure game produced by Konami, originally released in Japan for the NEC PC-8801 and MSX 2 computer platforms in 1988. It was followed by a CD-ROM-based remake released for the PC Engine video game console in 1992, which was subsequently ported and localized into...
for the Mega-CD, Jikkyou Power Pro Wrestling '96: Max Voltage
Jikkyou Power Pro Wrestling '96: Max Voltage
is a Super Famicom video game that was released in 1996 for an exclusively Japanese audience.-Summary:This game is officially dedicated for those people who enjoy professional wrestling. Mostly in Japanese, the game is based on the strategies found in Japanese professional wrestling...
for the SNES, Mitsumete Knight
Mitsumete Knight
Mitsumete Knight is a dating simulation game produced inconjunction by Konami and Red Company . It was released in 1997 for the PlayStation...
for the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
, and a figure resembling him also appears in an alternate ending to Contra: Shattered Soldier
Contra: Shattered Soldier
Contra: Shattered Soldier, published in Japan as is a video game that is part of the Contra series by Konami. It was developed by Team Kijirushi, a group of staff members within Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo, and released for the PlayStation 2 in 2002...
for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
.
There was also a story of Sparkster written by Nigel Kitching
Nigel Kitching
Nigel Kitching is an illustrator and writer in comics and in books.He is best known for his work in British comics, especially Sonic the Comic.-References:*-External links:***-Interviews:*...
in the UK-made Sonic the Comic
Sonic the Comic
Sonic the Comic, known to its many readers as STC, was a UK children's comic published fortnightly by Fleetway Editions between 1993 and 2002...
. It was based on the Mega Drive/Genesis version of Sparkster. In an interview, Kitching said that Sparkster was the easiest game to adapt into a story, due to being similar to the Sonic the Hedgehog games. He was working on a second Sparkster story, but the plan was dropped when Fleetway
Fleetway
Fleetway, also known as Fleetway Publications and Fleetway Editions, was a UK publishing company which mainly produced comic magazines. For a time owned by IPC Media, they are now a division of Egmont Publishing....
were unable to obtain permission from Konami to use the character.