What makes Bonk good?

[crazydean]

I don't think Bonk is a good game. Many of you love this game, so I hope to find out why!

I have played the first and third installments, and don't care for either. They both feel like slow, average platformers. I'm a huge lover of platformers on the NES and SNES, but this one doesn't hold my interested. Of course, it's better than Keith Courage, Darkwing Duck, JJ and Jeff, and many others on the system. Is it good compared to other platformers of the era or just those on the Turbo?

[MisterCrash]

I think it was good for the TurboGrafx at the time it came out. There weren't a ton of decent platformers on the Turbo in the early days, and Bonk was halfway decent. The controls can be a little frustrating, though.

That said, you should give Bonk's Revenge a try. Most people think it's the best of the series.

[esteban]

I don't think Bonk is a good game. Many of you love this game, so I hope to find out why!

I have played the first and third installments, and don't care for either. They both feel like slow, average platformers. I'm a huge lover of platformers on the NES and SNES, but this one doesn't hold my interested. Of course, it's better than Keith Courage, Darkwing Duck, JJ and Jeff, and many others on the system. Is it good compared to other platformers of the era or just those on the Turbo?

Well, although I personally think the first game holds up well, many folks feel that the sequel (Bonk's Revenge) is the apex of the series.

I used to feel the same way, but then I rekindled my interest in the first installment.

I also used to completely dismiss the third installment as mediocre, at best, but after years of fellow pcefxers saying that the the third game deserved another chance, I have slowly evolved...the third game is a decent game...

(0) The "headbonk" and "spin" mechanics are nicely implemented and really fun to use (I love freezing the ground and causing earthquakes...so much fun)...similarly, I love chaining "midair headplants" on enemies, especially bosses...it's just fun to see how many times I can keep it going). Now, some other mechanics are a bit trickier to get ahold of (chewing up vertical obstacles, jumping while chewing, spinning on trees, bonking off walls to ricochet up vertical obstacles).... but when you do figure out the controls, it's a lot of fun to exploit these moves, too (many levels are designed with bonus items tucked away in places that require some creative use of aforementioned maneuvers). 

(B) Level design, at times, is basic, but still fun. Many levels, even the basic ones, encourage exploring for flower (bonus stage), in addition to the usual heart containers... this is not to say that some levels aren't pretty darn creative with level design. I am looking at the totality.

(C) The games are pretty easy, but still fun, so the series is very accessible to a wide range of skills.

(4) Endearing character design/aesthetics throughout game/series.

(5) Superb music complements gameplay

(6) The themes/motifs/humor are consistent and enjoyable...

(7) The atmosphere and "world" of the series is a place I want to explore and spend time in.

( I find the game addicting....at first, I just wanted to find all the hidden stuff...then I wanted to beat it as fast as possible...then I wanted to have fun exploiting the mechanics (chaining hits)...

[esteban]

(9) Princess Za is totally under-appreciated.

She is a minor (somewhat enigmatic) character, but perfectly used.

Her character design is perfect—elegant, endearing, tormented.

Tormented! She suffers in silence. Frozen. Numb. A zombie.

A somber, icy fog has descended upon her once vibrant existence.

I want to help her. Cliche? Yes, this is the same hackneyed "rescue the princess" trope...but it is so nicely executed that it is charming. Very few games can pull off "charming"...

You may laugh, but I think the somber atmosphere/mood of the (basic) story is particularly well executed...thanks in large part to music and the "frozen" motif...which makes freeing your comrades/Princess Za very nice (cold hearts turn warm, zombie trance is broken...)

Clearly, I have thought about this way too much.

[Gypsy]

Bonk isn't that bad. It's not SMB3, but I would prefer Bonk 1/2 over Sanic.

[majors]

I don't think Bonk is a good game. ...
... it's better than Keith Courage, Darkwing Duck, JJ and Jeff, and many others on the system.

So you don't like the game is what your saying. Would you say does nothing game breaking wrong that you would toss it like the other lesser games you mention, namely DD on that list.

I enjoy playing Bonk...when I start a new game, sometime I feel the delay from standing still to walking (or turning around) gets on my nerves but it sets a pace for the rest of the game and by level 3, I no longer notice it. Getting lot's of "laughing man" smileys for the level end bonus always brings me warm fuzzys. To me it's a must have for any TG/PCE owner.

P.S. OP does go by "Crazy"...

[Necromancer]

They may not be the best platformers ever made, but there's plenty to like:  good tunes, cute cartoony graphics, level design, chasing down smileys, etc.

But why should I justify a series that existed on several systems?  It obviously has fans and isn't shit, but it's okay if you don't like it.

[GoldenWheels]

I was always hooked more by the art/character design and sprite size more than the gameplay, but the gameplay is no slouch either. The graphics just always "did it" for me.

[crazydean]

But why should I justify a series that existed on several systems?  It obviously has fans and isn't shit, but it's okay if you don't like it.

Ha, I know it isn't shit. I made this thread because there is so much love for the series. I'm just trying to find out why because it feels mediocre to me.

I'll be giving it another shot soon, keeping in mind what people in this thread say about it. I may even change my mind about it.

[MisterCrash]

I will also say that my kids love to watch Bonk. If I turn on my Duo, they get excited and ask to watch "the Bonk game". At that point, it doesn't matter that I wanted to play Gate of Thunder or Dungeon Explorer or Devil's Crush...it's now Bonk time. They like the art style and the big sprites, and they love the animation when Bonk eats meat. They just start cracking up when they see that.

[Dicer]

I don't think Bonk is a good game. Many of you love this game, so I hope to find out why!

it's better than Keith Courage, Darkwing Duck, JJ and Jeff

Hold the f*cking phone...HOLD IT!

JJ and Jeff is the BEST platformer on the system. What are you on?

Bonk is a step above average at least for the first two installments then it just goes idk the f*ck where, until Super Bonk 2 and well that's not on our platform.

[KingDrool]

I often cite Bonk's Adventure as my favorite game of all time, but I'm the first to admit that it's almost completely out of nostalgia. But that doesn't mean it's not a good game in its own right, and it definitely stands above most of the other me-too games that were part of the platform/mascot craze of the era. I loved the setting, but I mostly loved the cartoon enemy designs and the music. I loved the little bits of dialog from the freed bosses at the end of every round, and that during the end credits, they listed all the enemies and their names. It really helped it seem like a cast of characters in a cohesive world.

So, no, it doesn't have the depth or length of games like Mario 3 or Super Mario Land, but it's still a really fun game with gorgeous graphics and great sound.

[gex]

love Bonk talk, I'll have to give my thoughts later

I often cite Bonk's Adventure as my favorite game of all time, but I'm the first to admit that it's almost completely out of nostalgia.

But yeah, pretty much^

[Lost Monkey]

So, no, it doesn't have the depth or length of games like Mario 3 or Super Mario Land, but it's still a really fun game with gorgeous graphics and great sound.

What games honestly do?  In terms of 1989-91, there are not many games that can rival the Mario games in terms of depth, play mechanics etc... Bonk's Adventure in the context of 1989 games was REALLY good. 

[Michirin9801]

When it comes to platformers on the Turbo I'm much more of a fan of the likes of New Adventure Island, Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu, Ninja Spirit, Dragon's Curse and Legendary Axe 2, to me Bonk is more on an A- tier (I'd say B tier if we were to compare it with platformers on the Nintendo systems), but once I got the hang of the controls, and it took a while to get the hang of them, but still, when I did I started to appreciate the games a lot more...
Esteban describes it well enough in his post, but if I may add my own two cents, Bonk is a game that the more you play, the more you're acquainted with how it works and feels, the more you'll probably like it, I mean, when I first played Bonk I thought it was just okay-ish at best, but I'm at a point right now where if I start playing either Bonk's Adventure or Bonk's revenge, I'll only stop either when I beat the game or get a game over, I just don't want to stop playing for as long as I don't run out of lives!
Oh yeah, that's another thing that Bonk does that I love, is how it handles lives, like, when you die you don't go back to the beginning of the stage, (or god forbid, the beginning of the game) you don't have to re-do anything, you just lie there for a couple of seconds and then re-start from where you stopped!

Also, my dad doesn't have a lot of knowledge or interest in games, but he has watched me playing games on lots of systems a few times, Super Nintendo, Mega Drive, Playstation, Wii, NES, but when he saw me playing Bonk's Adventure, that was the first time ever where he actually praised the game's graphics... I don't know if that means anything, but I thought it was worth noting...