Rocket Knight Adventures

From Sega Retro

n/a

Rocket Knight Adventures Title.png

Rocket Knight Adventures
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Konami
Developer:
Distributor: Ecofilmes (PT), Hent Gruppen (SE rental), Datart International (CZ), Samsung (KR)
Sound driver: Konami/Hyperstone Heist
Genre: Action[1][2]

















Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Mega Drive
JP 		¥7,800 (8,034)7,800e[3] T-95063
Sega Mega Drive
US 		T-95046
Sega Mega Drive
EU 		T-95046-50
Sega Mega Drive
DE 		DM 110.00110.00[11] T-95046-50
Sega Mega Drive
PT 		MD95046
Sega Mega Drive
UK 		£39.9939.99[9][10] T-95046-50
Sega Mega Drive
SE
(Rental)
Sega Mega Drive
CZ
Sega Mega Drive
AU 		$109.95109.95[12] FROC06SMC
Sega Mega Drive
KR 		GM93028JT
Sega Mega Drive
AS

Rocket Knight Adventures (ロケットナイト アドベンチャーズ) is a 1993 platform game developed and published by Konami for the Sega Mega Drive.

Story

Rocket Knight Adventures, Introduction.png

Sparkster

The first king of Zebulos, El Zebulos, led his clan to defeating an evil empire that had constructed a starship known as the Pig Star. Knowing the Pig Star, which had the power to destroy planets, would be sought by evildoers, the King magically sealed the starship and protected the "Key to the Seal" by having it guarded and passed by his royal family over generations. He formed an elite group of warriors known as the Rocket Knights to protect the kingdom.

An orphan named Sparkster was taken in by Mifune Sanjulo, a friend of the King, and current leader of the "Rocket Knights." Sparkster was trained to become a Rocket Knight at an early age. Sparkster would become the new leader of the Rocket Knights after banishing Axel Gear, a corrupt "Black Knight," from Zebulos for destroying Mifune.

Now the kingdom of Zephyrus has come under attack by the Devotindos Empire, led by Emperor Devilgus Devotindos, who has come in search for the Key to the Seal. Sparkster heads to the Zephyrus castle to find Axel Gear kidnapping Princess Sherry, who is the only one who knows the location to the key.

Gameplay

Rocket Knight Adventures, Sparkster.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Cutscene.png

Axel Gear abducts Princess Sherry

Rocket Knight Adventures, Pig Star.png

The Pig Star

The game is a side-scrolling platform game starring an opossum named Sparkster, who carries a sword and rocket pack, in his quest to rescue Princess Sherry from the sinister Axel Gear. Stages are mostly linear platforming stages, composed of several sections, usually ending with a boss fight. Several sections of the game are played similar to a horizontally scrolling shoot-'em-up.

Sparkster moves with Left and Right. He ducks with Down and jumps with B. Sparkster hangs off tree branches with his tail and can move horizontally along them, jump off them, or attack while hanging. When underwater, Sparkster floats upwards and moves in any direction with the D-Pad.

Sparkster's primary weapon is his sword, which he uses with A or C. Swinging his sword emits a projectile that travels about half the distance of the screen, but the sword does more damage when it strikes an enemy directly. The player can charge Sparkster's rocket pack by holding A or C, which increases an energy meter. The meter can be charged while moving but resets if Sparkster takes damage. Releasing the button when the meter is filled and flashing causes Sparkster to perform a stationary spin attack, whirling his sword in all directions. This maneuver is useful when Sparkster is surrounded. Releasing the button while holding the D-Pad in a direction launches Sparkster in that direction in a rocket attack with his sword in front of him. He can propel himself in eight directions from the ground or midair. When he hits an enemy, he damages it and bounces off of it. He bounces off surfaces like walls and can rebound off multiple surfaces to climb up a tight passage. He passes through enemy projectiles while using his rocket pack.

Sparkster has a limited number of health hearts that he loses when he is hit by enemies, projectiles, or hazards. He loses a life if he loses all of his health hearts, if he falls into a bottomless pit or outside the stage, touches the spikes in the cart segment of the second stage, or touches the lava at the beginning of the third stage. Sparkster can replenish vitality by collecting apples and bananas. The game ends if the player runs out of extra lives, but the player is given a limited number of continues for restarting at the beginning of the stage. Extra lives are given at 20,000 points and then every 60,000 points after that.

The game features multiple difficulty settings, with harder difficulties increasing the power of the enemy attacks and reducing the number of lives and continues that the player begins with. The North American version of the game has four difficulties initially selectable (Children, Easy, Normal, and Hard). The Japanese and European versions have only two difficulties normally (Normal and Hard in the Japanese version and Easy and Hard in the European version), but two additional difficulties are available with a cheat code (Very Hard and Crazy Hard).

Items

Rocket Knight Adventures, Items.png
 Apple
Restores a health heart, except on higher difficulties where it has no effect.
Rocket Knight Adventures, Items.png
 Banana
Restores multiple health hearts, depending on the difficulty level.
Rocket Knight Adventures, Items.png
 Gemstone
Awards 10 bonus points.
Rocket Knight Adventures, Items.png
 Power Pack
Lets Sparkster fly continuously for the rest of the section and increases his projectile range.
Rocket Knight Adventures, Items.png
 1-Up
Gives the player an extra life.

Stages

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 1-1.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 1-2.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 1-3.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 1-4.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 1-5.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 1-6.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 1-7.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 1-8.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 1-9.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 1-1.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 1-2.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 1-3.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 1-4.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 1-5.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 1-6.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 1-7.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 1-8.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 1-9.png

Kingdom of Zebulos
The first stage begins with a walk through a burning village. Wide open spaces and high walls give the player a chance to practise their rocket pack skills. After defeating the first mini-boss, Sparkster takes flight using the Power Pack item. This part of the stage plays like a shoot-'em-up, with waves of small enemies followed by a dragon mini-boss. Once in the castle, Sparkster must rebound off the walls with his rocket pack in order to ascend to the stage boss.

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 2-1.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 2-2.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 2-3.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 2-4.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 2-5.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 2-6.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 2-7.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 2-8.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 2-9.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 2-1.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 2-2.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 2-3.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 2-4.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 2-5.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 2-6.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 2-7.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 2-8.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 2-9.png

Mountain Range

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 3-1.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 3-2.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 3-3.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 3-4.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 3-5.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 3-6.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 3-1.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 3-2.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 3-3.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 3-4.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 3-5.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 3-6.png

Going Underground

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 4-1.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 4-2.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 4-3.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 4-4.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 4-5.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 4-6.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 4-1.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 4-2.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 4-3.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 4-4.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 4-5.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 4-6.png

Flying Battleship

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 5-1.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 5-2.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 5-3.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 5-4.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 5-5.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 5-6.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 5-7.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 5-8.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 5-1.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 5-2.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 5-3.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 5-4.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 5-5.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 5-6.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 5-7.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 5-8.png

Kingdom of Devotindos

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 6-1.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 6-2.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 6-3.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 6-4.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 6-5.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 6-1.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 6-2.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 6-3.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 6-4.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 6-5.png

Deep Space

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 7-1.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 7-2.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 7-3.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 7-4.png

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Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 7-6.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 7-7.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 7-8.png

Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 7-9.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 7-1.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 7-2.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 7-3.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 7-4.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 7-5.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 7-6.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 7-7.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 7-8.png

  • Rocket Knight Adventures, Stage 7-9.png

The Pig Star

History

Legacy

Rocket Knight Adventures was the first in a line of successful games, continuing with Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2 for the Mega Drive and an unrelated game named Sparkster for the Super NES, both released in 1994. More recently, the series was revived with Rocket Knight for the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and Windows PCs in 2010.

Production credits

Source:
In-game credits
Rocket Knight Adventures MD credits.pdf
[13]

Magazine articles

Main article: Rocket Knight Adventures/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Main article: Rocket Knight Adventures/Promotional material.

Artwork

  • Rocket Knight Adventures Sparkster Concept Sketch by Tom duBois.jpg

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
86 №13, p20/21
95
95
Sega Mega Drive
 92
Based on
3 reviews
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
(RU)
50
[14]
(DE)
83
[15]
(JP) NTSC-J
68
[16]
(IT) PAL
95
[17]
(FR)
85
[18]
(UK)
88
[19]
(JP) NTSC-J
85
[20]
(UK)
70
[21]
(US) NTSC-U
83
[22]
(US) NTSC-U
80
[23]
(UK)
91
[24]
(JP) NTSC-J
70
[25]
(US) NTSC-U
91
[26]
(US) NTSC-U
90
[27]
(IT) NTSC
89
[28]
(US) NTSC-U
83
[4]
(DE)
87
[29]
(UK) PAL
92
[30]
(US) NTSC-U
78
[31]
(JP) NTSC-J
60
[32]
(ES)
90
[33]
(AU)
84
[34]
(FR) PAL
96
[35]
(UK) PAL
81
[36]
(UK) PAL
94
[37]
(UK)
94
[38]
(DE)
78
[39]
(FR)
97
[40]
(DE) PAL
87
[41]
(UK) PAL
90
[42]
(UK) PAL
92
[43]
(RU)
90
[44]
(UK) PAL
91
[45]
(FR)
97
[46]
(DE) PAL
90
[47]
(UK)
85
[48]
(NL)
87
[49]
(CZ)
73
[50]
(DE)
87
[51]
(UK) PAL
82
[9]
(UK) PAL
89
[52]
(UK) PAL
92
[53]
(UK) PAL
79
[54]
(SE)
88
[55]
(JP) NTSC-J
79
[56]
(ES)
89
[57]
(ES)
92
[58]
(RU)
72
[59]
(DE) PAL
83
[60]
(US) NTSC-U
70
[61]
Sega Mega Drive
 84
Based on
50 reviews

Rocket Knight Adventures

Mega Drive, JP
Rka md jp cover.jpg
Cover
RocketKnight MD JP CartTop.jpg
RocketKnightAdventures MD JP Cart.jpg
Cart
Rocketknight md jp manual.pdf
Manual
Mega Drive, US
Rka md us cover.jpg
Cover
RocketKnightAdventures MD US Cart.jpg
Cart
Rocket Knight Adventures MD US Manual.pdf
Manual
Mega Drive, EU
Rocket Knight Adventures MD EU Box.jpg
Cover
Rocket Knight Adventures MD EU Cart.jpg
Cart
Rocket Knight Adventures MD EU Manual.pdf
Manual
RKA MD EU pcb.jpg
PCB
Mega Drive, FR (Blister pack)
RKA MD FR blister back.jpgRKA MD FR blister front.jpg
Cover
Mega Drive, PT
RKA MD PT box back.jpgNospine.pngRKA MD PT cover.jpg
Cover
Rocket Knight Adventures MD EU Cart.jpg
Cart
Rocket Knight Adventures MD PT Manual.jpg
Manual
Rocket Knight Adventures MD EU Manual.pdf
EU Manual
Mega Drive, SE (rental; Hent; orange)
RocketKnightAdventures MD SE rental Box.jpg
Cover
Mega Drive, CZ (Datart)
Rocket Knight Adventures MD CZ Box.jpg
Cover
Rocket Knight Adventures MD EU Cart.jpg
Cart
Notavailable.svg
Manual
Mega Drive, AU
Rocket Knight Adventures MD AU Box.jpg
Cover
Rocket Knight Adventures Megadrive AU Manual.pdf
Manual
Mega Drive, KR
RKA MD KR Box.jpg
Cover
RocketKnightAdventures MD KR cart.jpg
Cart
Mega Drive, Asia

RocketKnightAdventures MD AS Cart.jpg
Cart
Mega Drive, SG/MY/BN
Rocket Knight Adventures MD SG MY BN Box.jpg
Cover

Technical information

Main article: Rocket Knight Adventures/Technical information.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://sega.jp/history/hard/megadrive/software_l.html (Wayback Machine: 2020-07-02 23:21)
  2. ↑ File:RKA MD KR Box.jpg
  3. ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "July 1993" (JP; 1993-06-08), page 7
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 GamePro, "September 1993" (US; 1993-xx-xx), page 30
  5. ↑ Mega Play, "June 1993" (US; 1993-0x-xx), page 40
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Computer & Video Games, "June 1993" (UK; 1993-05-15), page 14
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Mega Power, "September 1993" (UK; 1993-08-19), page 59
  8. ↑ Sega Pro, "October 1993" (UK; 1993-09-09), page 34
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Sega Power, "September 1993" (UK; 1993-08-05), page 66
  10. ↑ Mega, "September 1993" (UK; 1993-08-19), page 35
  11. ↑ Sega Magazin, "September/Oktober 1993" (DE; 1993-09-01), page 91
  12. ↑ Megazone, "November 1993" (AU; 1993-11-03), page 29
  13. ↑ File:Rocket Knight Adventures MD credits.pdf
  14. ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 195
  15. ↑ Aktueller Software Markt, "September 1993" (DE; 1993-08-09), page 40
  16. ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "August 1993" (JP; 1993-07-08), page 21
  17. ↑ Console Mania, "Ottobre 1993" (IT; 1993-xx-xx), page 82
  18. ↑ Consoles +, "Septembre 1993" (FR; 1993-0x-xx), page 122
  19. ↑ Computer & Video Games, "September 1993" (UK; 1993-08-15), page 42
  20. ↑ Dengeki Mega Drive, "August 1993" (JP; 1993-07-08), page 37
  21. ↑ Edge, "October 1993" (UK; 1993-08-19), page 88
  22. ↑ Electronic Games (1992-1995), "September 1993" (US; 1993-08-24), page 64
  23. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "November 1993" (US; 1993-xx-xx), page 48
  24. ↑ Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide, "" (UK; 1993-11-18), page 85
  25. ↑ Famitsu, "1993-08-13" (JP; 1993-07-30), page 40
  26. ↑ GameFan, "Volume 1, Issue 9: August 1993" (US; 1993-xx-xx), page 10
  27. ↑ Game Players, "Vol. 6 No. 12 December 1993" (US; 1993-1x-xx), page 201
  28. ↑ Game Power, "Ottobre 1993" (IT; 1993-xx-xx), page 77
  29. ↑ Gamers, "August/September 1993" (DE; 1993-07-23), page 36
  30. ↑ GamesMaster, "September 1993" (UK; 1993-08-19), page 60
  31. ↑ Game Informer, "September/October 1993" (US; 1993-0x-xx), page 43
  32. ↑ Hippon Super, "September 1993" (JP; 1993-08-03), page 48
  33. ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Septiembre 1993" (ES; 1993-xx-xx), page 60
  34. ↑ Hyper, "December 1993" (AU; 1993-xx-xx), page 44
  35. ↑ Joypad, "Septembre 1993" (FR; 1993-0x-xx), page 60
  36. ↑ Mega, "September 1993" (UK; 1993-08-19), page 34
  37. ↑ Mega Action, "September 1993" (UK; 1993-08-12), page 10
  38. ↑ Mega Action, "December 1993" (UK; 1993-11-04), page 80
  39. ↑ Megablast, "4/93" (DE; 1993-09-29), page 41
  40. ↑ Mega Force, "Septembre 1993" (FR; 1993-0x-xx), page 88
  41. ↑ Mega Fun, "09/93" (DE; 1993-08-18), page 70
  42. ↑ Mega Power, "September 1993" (UK; 1993-08-19), page 56
  43. ↑ MegaTech, "August 1993" (UK; 1993-07-20), page 44
  44. ↑ Magazina Igrushek, "1/1996" (RU; 1996-xx-xx), page 58
  45. ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "September 1993" (UK; 1993-07-30), page 82
  46. ↑ Player One, "Septembre 1993" (FR; 1993-08-xx), page 92
  47. ↑ Play Time, "9/93" (DE; 1993-08-04), page 114
  48. ↑ Power Up!, "Saturday, October 02, 1993" (UK; 1993-10-02), page 1
  49. ↑ Power Unlimited, "Nummer 4, November 1993" (NL; 1993-10-27), page 54
  50. ↑ Score, "Únor 1994" (CZ; 1994-02-01), page 46
  51. ↑ Sega Magazin, "September/Oktober 1993" (DE; 1993-09-01), page 90
  52. ↑ Sega Pro, "September 1993" (UK; 1993-08-12), page 50
  53. ↑ Sega Zone, "October 1993" (UK; 1993-09-xx), page 46
  54. ↑ Sega Force Mega, "October 1993" (UK; 1993-08-19), page 44
  55. ↑ Sega Force, "8/93" (SE; 1993-12-09), page 12
  56. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "September 1995" (JP; 1995-08-08), page 85
  57. ↑ Super Juegos, "Septiembre 1993" (ES; 1993-0x-xx), page 44
  58. ↑ Todo Sega, "Septiembre 1993" (ES; 1993-0x-xx), page 34
  59. ↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 148
  60. ↑ Video Games, "9/93" (DE; 1993-08-25), page 98
  61. ↑ VideoGames, "September 1993" (US; 1993-0x-xx), page 50


Rocket Knight Adventures

Rocket Knight Adventures Title.png

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Sega Mega Drive
Prototypes: Sample



Sparkster blast sprite Rocket Knight Adventures games for Sega systems
Rocket Knight Adventures (1993) | Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2 (1994)
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