Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked Collection Reviews
Rocket Knight Adventures is a series comprising two fine games and one stellar, timeless piece of work. While the sequels are above average for '90s platform gaming, it's the series debut that really informs this review's score. Rocket Knight Adventures is a title that sits comfortably alongside Gunstar Heroes in the pantheon of exceptional games overlooked in their heyday. It does everything an arcade action adventure needs to, and more, outdoing a vast number of actual arcade games in the process. Its constantly evolving stages, incredible variety of scenarios, and driving cinematic soundtrack make it one of the best of its kind. If that's not the very definition of underrated, we don't know what is.
For fans of the franchise, this is an easy sale. You’ve got three games to play and tons of art to sift through. New players might be more cautious. The core gameplay is well-crafted for sure. And you can’t go wrong with that high-quality sprite work. But these are still punishing offerings from a bygone era. You’ll need a lot of patience and perseverance if you want to get through this collection. The rewind function is a serious advantage, but even that system requires some practice and fine-tuning to use. Retro gaming fans new and old will appreciate the Rocket Knight Adventures collection, though maybe you’ll wanna wait for a sale.
Despite the lack of 2010's Rocket Knight, the Re-Sparked collection is a video game anthology worthy of the hero Sparkster. It pulls together three noteworthy fourth-gen action-platformers — one of them, Rocket Knight Adventures, among the best of its kind — makes them more accessible than ever before thanks to save states and rewind, and surrounds them with bonus features.
Ultimately, Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked Collection is a $30 collection of three games with basic features. I’m sure it has meaning for collectors and fans of the original games, but I genuinely can’t imagine any non-fans picking this up and discovering Rocket Knight.
Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked features platforming greats that are absolute must-plays, but the overall package is bare bones. It’s great to see Sparkster and his jetpack make a return, but this awesome opossum deserves so much more.
This was, of course, during a time when degree of difficulty was a positive thing. I don't think they hold up particularly well, but perhaps I should be grateful that they're being preserved somehow, a window into the 16-bit era that I grew up with, but have mostly left behind. I suppose if you've been itching to revisit Sparkster's adventures, this is the best way to do it.
Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked Collection has an excellent game (Rocket Knight Adventures) accompanied by two others not as good. The extra features that the collection offers are nice additions, but the price charged for the package at its release is high.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
I had an excellent time revisiting the 2D action in Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked Collection. Although I was reminded just how great these games are, I also remembered how frustrating they can be but overall, this is one exceptional package. 🚀
With Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-sparked! Konami brings back from oblivion one of the best 16-bit characters in a compilation that shines for its quality and respect for the original work. A compilation that does a great job of preservation and is the perfect excuse to return to play these three action platformers that, despite having 3 decades on their shoulders, continue to give a lecture among all the exponents of the genre.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
When we put the pros and cons on a scale, this is a software with more appeal to nostalgia and may hardly be interesting to the current generation due to the charming Sparkster games difficulty. At least, the bonus in Re-Sparked! nay attract those who are real fans of the opossum knight.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked! is a basic collection but it's valid as a way to make these games accessible on modern systems. When we consider that, Limited Run Games is doing a good job, and it's excellent to know that the charismatic opossum knight isn't completely forgotten.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
I don’t want to dissuade players from picking up Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked. If you loved these games and want to replay them on your current rig without emulation, go for it, the games are here and they run great. But I also don’t want to encourage players to pay money for something that feels very lazy in the grand scheme of things. We’ve seen Limited Run Games do amazing things with modern ports and remasters, so I’m left scratching my head why Sparkster and company were given such a spartan treatment. Don’t deny yourself a wonderful gaming experience, but also temper your expectations: if it looks like a throwback title and talks like a throwback title, you’re probably getting a throwback title – and nothing else.