Rocket Knight Review

It has been almost twenty years since the original Rocket Knight game, a classic Sega Genesis platformer that never saw a sequel. That is until now. Konami has decided to bring back their franchise with a spruced up 3D graphics engine that maintains the side-scrolling mechanics. But for $15 is Rocket Knight worth your time and money?

Rocket Knight has its strength in the core platforming mechanics. The main character has a rocket pack on his back, so he can fly in short bursts in any direction. This plays a strategic benefit against enemies who will expect you to be in front of them rather than behind. It also comes into play when trying to solve some of the puzzles. This game has some of the more clever level designs in recent memory.

Aside from the traditional platforming and puzzle solving, the game has some flight segments where you shoot at enemies and avoid obstacles. There are also boss fights, which can vary from being pretty cool to slightly easy. Overall, the game is a lot more forgiving than the original on the Genesis, but that is almost to be expected with games these days. That said, it is not a pushover. Rocket Knight will give you a decent challenge.

One of the great things about the PC version of the game is that it both takes advantage of Steam, along with their achievement system, as well as the Xbox 360 controller. This makes controlling Rocket Knight infinitely easier on the PC and essentially a comparable experience to the consoles. Furthermore, since this is a side-scrolling game, you can play either with the analog stick or with the d-pad.

Fans of the original Rocket Knight Adventures for the Sega Genesis should definitely check out the new Rocket Knight game for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. People that have never played Rocket Knight before will be amused by the flying mechanics in the game, the quality level design and the snazzy looking graphics. The best thing that it has going for it is that it is just a fun game to play. If you can tolerate the short length (only a few hours), the somewhat difficult gameplay and the $15 price tag, I fully recommend this game to you.