Jump to content

Air Zonk

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Air Zonk
US cover art
Developer(s)Red Company, Naxat Soft
Publisher(s)
  • NA: Turbo Technologies
Composer(s)Daisuke Morishima
Hisashi Matsushita
Platform(s)TurboGrafx-16
Release
  • NA: October 1992
  • JP: December 12, 1992
Genre(s)Scrolling shooter
Mode(s)Single-player

Air Zonk, known in Japan as PC Denjin (PC原人シリーズ PC電人), is a horizontally scrolling shooter released for the TurboGrafx-16 in 1992. Air Zonk was an effort to update the company's image with a modern, punkish character named Zonk, who bears a deliberate resemblance to the TurboGrafx-16's caveman mascot, Bonk.

The game was developed by Red Company, the original creators of the Bonk series, and also known for their Gate of Thunder series. Air Zonk features King Drool, the antagonist of the Bonk series, along with many other enemies from that series. A sequel, Super Air Zonk: Rockabilly-Paradise, was released in 1993 for the TurboDuo and has been made available on the Wii's Virtual Console.

Gameplay

[edit]

Air Zonk is a reimagining of the Bonk video game series as a scrolling shooter set in the future.[1] Artistically, the game is lighthearted, featuring humorous designs for the environment and characters.[2] Throughout the five levels,[1] the gameplay focuses on the effective use of shooting and bombing to complete each stage. At the start, the player may choose a companion character to team up with, such as an anthropomorphic gumball machine or a mummy with a drill attached to its head,[2] in order to enhance Bonk's powers.[3] Players can limit the use of designated companion characters for each level or opt not to use them at all. Each companion character, or friend, can only be used once. Air Zonk adopts the distinct visual style sometimes referred to as a "cute 'em up." There are three difficulty settings: sweet, spicy, and bitter.

Zonk can charge his shots, allowing him to fire a more powerful attack. A longer charge causes Zonk to drop a bomb, which damages all enemies on the screen. Zonk can also acquire seven types of power-ups, each of which can be charged for a unique special attack. As with most scrolling shooters, whenever Zonk acquires a new power-up, he loses the current one. If Zonk is hit while holding a power-up, he loses it but does not die, except in the case of the Mini-Zonk power-up. The Mini-Zonk power-up differs from other power-ups in that it cannot be charged and can be found in both florets and random enemy drops (while other power-ups can only be found in florets).

Zonk begins each stage alone and without power-ups. He must collect eight smiley faces, the eighth of which will appear in giant form with sunglasses, in order to summon his friend. Initially, the friend acts as a Gradius-style support, following Zonk and shooting projectiles. If the player collects another eight smiley faces, Zonk and his friend will merge into a hybrid form,[3] granting a new attack and 20 seconds of invulnerability. This new attack cannot be charged, and Zonk cannot drop bombs while in hybrid form. Once invincibility expires, if Zonk is hit, he will revert to his normal form, and his friend will leave. However, Zonk retains any power-up he had before transforming into hybrid form.

Release

[edit]

Air Zonk was released on the Wii's Virtual Console in May 2007 in Japan, July in America, and on July 13 in Europe.[4][5][6] It was also released on the Wii U's Virtual Console in Japan on June 19, 2014, in America on July 27, 2017, and in Europe on August 3.[7][8][6]

Reception

[edit]

Air Zonk received a score of 23.74 out of 30 in a 1993 readers' poll conducted by PC Engine Fan, ranking among PC Engine titles at the number 55 spot.[23] The game also garnered generally favorable reviews from critics.[24][25][26] For their 1992 game awards, Electronic Gaming Monthly honored Air Zonk as their "Game of the Year" on the TurboGrafx-16.[22]

Legacy

[edit]

Air Zonk received a sequel in 1993 titled Super Air Zonk: Rockabilly-Paradise (also known as CD Denjin Rockabilly), which was released in the SuperCD format and requires the Super System Card to play on first-generation TurboGrafx-CD consoles. As its name suggests, the game features a CD audio soundtrack consisting of rockabilly music. The game includes all-new levels, assistants, and enemies.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Rodriguez, Steven (July 10, 2009). "Virtual Console Mondays: July 9, 2007". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Shive, Chris (February 23, 2020). "Pocket Power: Air Zonk". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Tatlock, Lee (July 6, 2009). "Air Zonk". Retro Gamer. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  4. ^ "Wii | Virtual Console バーチャルコンソール".
  5. ^ "Nintendo - Official Site - Video Game Consoles, Games - Nintendo - Official Site".
  6. ^ a b "Air Zonk".
  7. ^ "PC電人 | Wii U | 任天堂".
  8. ^ "Air Zonk for Wii U - Nintendo Game Details".
  9. ^ Whitehead, Dan (July 14, 2007). "Virtual Console Roundup Review: Paper Mario and Zonk". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 2009-02-13. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
  10. ^ "NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: PC原人シリーズ PC電人". Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 206. ASCII Corporation. November 27, 1992. p. 40. (Transcription by Famitsu.com. Archived 2014-06-16 at the Wayback Machine).
  11. ^ Provo, Frank (July 24, 2007). "Air Zonk for Wii Review". GameSpot. CNET Networks. Archived from the original on 2009-02-26. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
  12. ^ "New Review Daisakusen! PC電人". Gekkan PC Engine [ja] (in Japanese). Vol. 4, no. 12. Shogakukan. December 1992. p. 156.
  13. ^ Thomas, Lucas M. (July 17, 2007). "Air Zonk (Virtual Console) Review". IGN. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2007-08-16. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
  14. ^ "新作ソフトお毒味チャート: PC原人シリーズ PC電人". Marukatsu PC Engine [ja] (in Japanese). Vol. 4, no. 12. Kadokawa Shoten. December 1992. p. 154.
  15. ^ Weidner, Martin; Lurz, Bastian (November–December 1992). "Spieletest: Air Zonk". Mega Fun [de] (in German). No. 6. Computec. p. 46.
  16. ^ Calvert, Darren (October 26, 2007). "Air Zonk (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16) Review". Nintendo Life. Nlife Ltd. Archived from the original on 2014-08-30. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
  17. ^ Delpierre, Christophe (January 1993). "Tests de Jeux: PC Kid et les Punkic Cyborgs". Player One [fr] (in French). No. 27. Média Système Édition [fr]. pp. 78–79.
  18. ^ Knauf, Andreas (February 1993). "Warpzone - PC/Engine". Video Games [de] (in German). No. 15. Markt & Technik. pp. 26–28.
  19. ^ Mandel, Josh (November 1992). "Video-Game Reviews: Air Zonk". VideoGames & Computer Entertainment. No. 46. Larry Flynt Publications. p. 52.
  20. ^ Anglin, Paul; Rand, Paul (May 1993). "Review: Air Zonk". Go! Hand-Held Video Games (supplement). No. 19. EMAP. pp. 20–21.
  21. ^ Ray (February 1993). "Turbo Duo: Air Zonk". Play Time [de] (in German). No. 20. Computec. p. 117.
  22. ^ a b Ed Semrad, ed. (1992). "EGM's Best and Worst of 1992". Electronic Gaming Monthly's 1993 Video Game Buyer's Guide (Buyers Guide). Video Game Buyer's Guide. Sendai Publishing. Electronic Gaming Monthly. pp. 13–24.
  23. ^ "PC Engine All Catalog '93 10月号特別付録". PC Engine Fan (in Japanese). Vol. 6, no. 10. Tokuma Shoten. October 1, 1993. p. 90.
  24. ^ Harris, Steve; Semrad, Ed; Alessi, Martin; Williams, Ken (November 1992). "Review Crew: Air Zonk". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 40. Sendai Publishing. p. 30.
  25. ^ Otter Matic (November 1992). "TurboChip ProReview: Air Zonk". GamePro. No. 40. IDG. pp. 128–129.
  26. ^ Halverson, Dave; Brody (December 1992). "Viewpoint: Air Zonk; Turbo Review: Air Zonk". GameFan. Vol. 1, no. 2. DieHard Gamers Club. pp. 9, 58–59.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Air_Zonk&oldid=1281219920"