Bonanza Bros.

Last updated
Bonanza Bros.
Bonanza Bros flyer.jpg
Japanese/English arcade flyer
Developer(s) Sega
Publisher(s) Sega (arcade/consoles)
U.S. Gold (computers)
Composer(s) Koichi Namiki
Platform(s) Arcade, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Amiga, Master System, PC-Engine/TurboGrafx-CD, Mega Drive/Genesis, Sharp X68000, ZX Spectrum
Release
June 1990
  • Arcade
    Mega Drive
    • JP: May 17, 1991
    • NA: October 1991 [3]
    • EU: December 15, 1991
    X68000
    • JP: October 18, 1991
    Mobile phones
    • JP: December 31, 2002
    • EU: February 2, 2007
Genre(s) Stealth, platform, shooter
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer
Arcade system Sega System 24

Bonanza Bros. [a] (sometimes written Bonanza Brothers) is a 3D-style, 2D side-scrolling stealth action game developed and released by Sega in 1990. It is one of the earliest arcade games powered by the Sega System 24 arcade system board. It was ported to various home systems, including the Mega Drive/Genesis, Master System, PC-Engine/TurboGrafx-CD, and several home computers.

Contents

Bonanza Bros. received praise for its graphics, soundtrack, and character dialogue. It has been remastered and rereleased several times.

Gameplay

Arcade screenshot ARC Bonanza Bros. (Bonanza Brothers).png
Arcade screenshot

Bonanza Bros. is a side-scrolling stealth action game, [4] with shooter and platform game elements. The players take the roles of one or both of the brothers Robo (1P, red) and Mobo (2P, blue) (Mike and Spike in some PAL versions), who may have been modeled on The Blues Brothers.[ citation needed ] The object of the game is to travel stealthily around each building while avoiding guards, retrieve several objects within a time limit, and move to the roof where a blimp is expecting the player with the loot. In this fashion the plot and gameplay resemble the Atari 2600 game Keystone Kapers , but with additional features similar to ones in Lock 'n' Chase . Two players can play cooperatively at the same time, as the screen is always split in two.

The places the brothers burgle include a bank, a millionaire's mansion, a casino, a mint, an art gallery and a treasury. While similar in graphics and gameplay, the story and the Bonanza Bros.' role changes from the original Japanese to the early western versions: in the former, the duo are thieves attempting to steal valuable treasures for profit whilst avoiding getting arrested; in the latter, they are recruited by the Police Chief of Badville to test security facilities and help the police recover evidence from various crooked businesses and institutions, but on the threat of jail if they fail to do so.

The player can walk, jump, shoot and move behind a column or large furniture, which allows both hiding and dodging shots from the guards, who can only be stunned for a few seconds with the gun or by slamming a door on them. They are alerted by sounds or with the Brothers entering their field of vision, and then either hide, call for help or fire against the player. Some guards have a riot shield and can only be hit when moving away. A player loses a life if hit by a guard's projectile or melee attack, attacked by a dog, pressed by a door, or by failing to make a jump onto a springboard or zipline and landing stuck in the ground. Losing a life in these ways causes the player to drop all items. Running out of time both costs players a life and forces them to restart the stage.

Development

According to Sega, they used "top-flight computer graphics" to "create super-vivid characters and scenes" for the game. [5]

Ports

The arcade game was ported to the Sega Mega Drive, Master System, TurboGrafx-CD (Japan only), ZX Spectrum (Europe only), Amstrad CPC (Europe only), Commodore 64, Amiga, X68000 (Japan only) and Atari ST, with minor graphics differences, depending on the system, and some changes in the gameplay, mainly in the bonus stages.

Reception

Game Machine listed Bonanza Bros. on their July 15, 1990 issue as being the third most popular arcade game in Japan at that point. [14]

Julian Rignall of Computer and Video Games praised the arcade game's originality and "stunning" graphics, calling it a "rather nerve-wracking game of hide and seek" and "a very different sort of game that taxes your brains rather than your reflexes." [7] Sinclair User recommended the arcade game to those who like the use of planning and timing rather than sheer speed of reaction. [8]

Mega Zone magazine enjoyed the Mega Drive version for its usage of digitized speech, stating, "The best thing about this game though is it's witty. The whole idea is clever and the way the characters act is like an old Laurel and Hardy or Keystone cops movie." [12] MegaTech said the two player mode action is fun but does not have challenge, giving criticism to the game's difficulty for being too easy. [11] Console XS praised the genesis version saying it has a very decent presentation and neat graphics and they criticized the game's difficulty being very easy. [10]

Gamesradar ranked Bonanza Bros. at #47 in their "Best Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games of all time". [15]

Legacy

It was included in the Japanese version of Sonic Gems Collection (it was removed in the Western release). It has also seen a Sega Ages release on the PlayStation 2, and that version was included in the English compilation Sega Classics Collection . The game appeared as part of the Sega Genesis Collection for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. The game next appeared in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game is also playable in Sega Genesis Classics for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.

There are also three spin-offs to the game. The first is called Puzzle & Action: Tant-R which was released in the year 1992, the second called Puzzle & Action: Ichidant-R , which was released in the year 1994. These two arcade games were ported to the Sega Mega Drive and Sega Saturn, and later packaged with the Sega Ages release of Bonanza Bros. on the PlayStation 2. They are considered spin-offs as they do not follow the action genre of the original game, as they are instead puzzle games. A third arcade game, Puzzle & Action: Treasure Hunt , was released in 1995 by Sega and ported to the Sega Saturn in Japan by CRI.

Bonanza Bros. was also included in Sonic Gems Collection but only for the Japanese Market. Due to its violent content, it was removed from the US and PAL releases along with the Streets of Rage series in order to preserve its universal rating. [16] However, Bonanza Bros. made its first appearance on the recent Sega Genesis Collection for the PS2 in North America as the PS2 version of Sonic Gems Collection remains in Japan and Europe.

On January 29, 2007, the Mega Drive/Genesis version of Bonanza Bros. became available for download on the Wii Virtual Console in America. [17] It was later released in Europe on February 2, 2007. It was also released for cell phones using SoftBank Mobile.

The title was referenced in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair.[ citation needed ]

Robo and Mobo, the protagonists of Bonanza Bros., appear as playable characters in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing , and made a cameo on the "Race of AGES" racetrack in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed .

A "Bonanza Bros." slot machine has been released by Aristocrat Leisure. [18]

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: ボナンザブラザーズ, Hepburn: Bonanza Burazāzu

Related Research Articles

<i>Ghouls n Ghosts</i> 1988 Video game

Ghouls 'n Ghosts, known as Dai Makaimura in Japan, is a side-scrolling platform game developed by Capcom, released as an arcade video game in 1988 and ported to home platforms. It is the sequel to Ghosts 'n Goblins and the second game in the Ghosts 'n Goblins series.

<i>Columns</i> (video game) 1989 video game

Columns is a match-three puzzle video game released by Jay Geertsen in 1989. Designed for the Motorola 68000-based HP 9000 running HP-UX, it was ported to Mac and MS-DOS before being released commercially by Sega who ported it to arcades and then to several Sega consoles. The game was subsequently ported to other home computers, including the Atari ST.

<i>Ristar</i> 1995 video game

Ristar is a 1995 platform game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis. The game stars an anthropomorphic cartoon star who uses his hands and long, stretchable arms to both move and fight enemies. Reception for the game was generally positive, but the game's initial release was overshadowed due to the imminent ending of the Genesis's lifecycle and the succession of the Sega Saturn and other fifth generation video game consoles.

<i>Altered Beast</i> 1988 video game

Altered Beast is a 1988 beat 'em up arcade video game developed and published by Sega. The game is set in Ancient Greece and follows a player character chosen by Zeus to rescue his daughter Athena from the demonic ruler of the underworld, Neff. By collecting three power-ups in a level, the player character transforms into one of five magical beasts. It was ported to several home video game consoles and home computers. Altered Beast was the pack-in game when the Genesis launched in North America and the Mega Drive in Europe.

<i>Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle</i> 1989 video game

Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle is a side-scrolling platform game developed and published by Sega for the Genesis. It is the only 16-bit platform game starring Alex Kidd, and the fifth game in the Alex Kidd of video games.

<i>Fantasy Zone</i> 1986 video game

Fantasy Zone is a 1986 arcade video game by Sega, and the first game in the Fantasy Zone series. It was later ported to a wide variety of consoles, including the Master System. The player controls a sentient spaceship named Opa-Opa who fights an enemy invasion in the titular group of planets. The game contains a number of features atypical of the traditional scrolling shooter. The main character, Opa-Opa, is sometimes referred to as Sega's first mascot character.

<i>Golden Axe</i> (video game) 1989 arcade game

Golden Axe is a 1989 beat 'em up game developed and published by Sega for arcades, running on the Sega System 16B arcade hardware. Makoto Uchida was the lead designer of the game, and was also responsible for the creation of the previous year's Altered Beast. The game casts players as one of three warriors who must free the fantastical land of Yuria from the tyrannical rule of Death Adder, who wields the titular Golden Axe.

<i>Flicky</i> 1984 video game

Flicky is a platform game developed by Sega and released as an arcade video game in May 1984. It was licensed to Bally Midway for distribution in the United States. In Flicky, the player controls the eponymous blue bird and must gather all the small birds called Chirps in each round and bring them safely to the exit. There are cat and lizard enemies which can disperse the Chirps and kill the player, but Flicky can use items on the playing field to protect herself and the Chirps from danger.

<i>Sonic Gems Collection</i> 2005 compilation video game by Sega

Sonic Gems Collection is a 2005 compilation of Sega video games, primarily those in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. The emulated games span multiple genres and consoles—from the Sega Genesis to the Sega Saturn—and retain the features and errors of their initial releases with minimal edits. Player progress is rewarded with demos of other Sonic games, videos, and promotional artwork spanning the history of the Sonic franchise. While its 2002 predecessor, Sonic Mega Collection, comprises popular Sonic games, Gems Collection focuses on more obscure games, such as Sonic CD (1993) and Sonic the Fighters (1996). Other non-Sonic games are included, but some, such as the Streets of Rage trilogy, are omitted in the Western localization.

<i>Streets of Rage 2</i> 1992 video game

Streets of Rage 2, known as Bare Knuckle II in Japan, is a 1992 beat 'em up game developed and published by Sega for the Genesis/Mega Drive. A sequel to Streets of Rage (1991), the characters Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding return while the game also introduces two new characters: Max Thunder, and Eddie "Skate" Hunter, the younger brother of Adam Hunter from the first game.

<i>OutRunners</i> 1993 video game

OutRunners is a 1993 racing video game developed by Sega AM1 on System 32 Multi hardware. It constitutes the third release in the arcade Out Run series, after Turbo OutRun (1989), and was ported to the Sega Genesis home console in 1994.

<i>Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse</i> 1990 video game

Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse is a 1990 platform game developed and published by Sega and released for the Mega Drive/Genesis. An 8-bit version of the game was later released for the Master System and Game Gear. The game follows Mickey Mouse on a quest to save Minnie Mouse from the evil witch Mizrabel. It is the first game in Sega's Illusion video game series starring Mickey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sega Genesis</span> Home video game console

The Sega Genesis, known as the Mega Drive outside North America, is a 16-bit fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master System. Sega released it in 1988 in Japan as the Mega Drive, and in 1989 in North America as the Genesis. In 1990, it was distributed as the Mega Drive by Virgin Mastertronic in Europe, Ozisoft in Australasia, and Tectoy in Brazil. In South Korea, it was distributed by Samsung Electronics as the Super Gam*Boy and later the Super Aladdin Boy.

<i>Alien Storm</i> 1990 video game

Alien Storm (エイリアンストーム) is a beat 'em up shooter released as an arcade video game by Sega in 1990. It was ported to the Genesis/Mega Drive and Master System. The Mega Drive version was re-released on Wii's Virtual Console in 2007 and was also included on Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game was also re-released on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack in 2022.

<i>Golden Axe II</i> 1991 video game

Golden Axe II is a side-scrolling beat 'em up video game developed and published by Sega, first released on the Sega Mega Drive in December 1991. It is the home console sequel to the popular game Golden Axe, marking the second game in the series, though the arcade did see a followup of its own in 1992, titled Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder. Golden Axe II was only released on the Mega Drive, while the original was released on many other platforms. The game later appeared in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, as an iOS app on iTunes, and on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.

<i>ESWAT: City Under Siege</i> 1990 video game

ESWAT: City Under Siege, released in Japan as Cyber Police ESWAT, is a 1990 side scrolling action platform video game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis and Sega Master System video game consoles.

<i>Insector X</i> 1989 video game

Insector X is a horizontally scrolling shooter developed by Hot-B and released in arcades by Taito in 1989. It was ported to the Mega Drive and Famicom.

<i>Crack Down</i> 1989 run and gun video game

Crack Down (クラックダウン) is a run and gun arcade game released by Sega in 1989 and ported to the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in 1990 in Japan and 1991 in North America by Sage's Creation. It was also ported and released to a number of home computer platforms by U.S. Gold.

<i>Puzzle & Action: Tant-R</i> 1993 video game

Puzzle & Action: Tant-R, is a puzzle video game developed and published by Sega in 1993 for the Sega System C in Japan. The first instalment in the Puzzle & Action trilogy, it is a spin-off of Bonanza Bros.. The characters from Bonanza Bros., Robo and Mobo, are featured as protagonists, functioning as detectives. A prison escapee is chased, and his henchmen interfere. A series of timed mini-games must be completed to defeat the henchmen. The game features references to western culture.

<i>Kid Chameleon</i> 1992 video game

Kid Chameleon is a 1992 platform game developed and published by Sega released for the Sega Genesis. In the game, a boss character with artificial intelligence in a virtual reality video game begins abducting players and the main protagonist Casey goes in to beat the game and rescue them. He does this by using masks to shapeshift into different characters in order to use different abilities. It was later released in Japan. After its initial release in 1992 for the Genesis, it was later re-released a number of times in the 2000s, including part of the Sega Smash Pack 2 for the PC in 2000, the Sega Genesis Collection for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2 in 2006, as a digital release on the Wii's Virtual Console in 2007, Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2009 and for the Sega Forever service in 2017.

References

  1. ↑ Akagi, Masumi (13 October 2006). アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971–2005) [Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971–2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. p. 36. ISBN   978-4990251215.
  2. ↑ Akagi, Masumi (13 October 2006). アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971–2005) [Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971–2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. p. 131. ISBN   978-4990251215.
  3. ↑ "Bonanza Bros". Sega Retro. 29 January 2022.
  4. ↑ Kalata, Kurt (December 1, 2016). "Bonanza Bros". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  5. ↑ "New Products". RePlay. Vol. 16, no. 1. October 1990. pp. 164, 166.
  6. ↑ "Bonanza bros. Allgame Sega Genesis Review". Archived from the original on 2014-11-15.
  7. 1 2 Rignall, Julian (16 August 1990). "Arcade Action: Bonanza Brothers". Computer and Video Games . No. 106 (September 1990). Future Publishing. p. 70.
  8. 1 2 "Coin Ops: Bonanza Brothers - Sega". Sinclair User . No. 102 (August 1990). 18 July 1990. p. 56.
  9. ↑ "Software A-Z: Master System". Console XS . No. 1 (June/July 1992). United Kingdom: Paragon Publishing. 23 April 1992. pp. 137–47.
  10. 1 2 "A-Z Software". Console XS (1): 127. June 1992. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  11. 1 2 Bonanza Bros. Review. United Kingdom: EMAP. December 1991. p. 76. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  12. 1 2 Costello, Brian (February 1992). Bonanza bros review. Mega Zone. p. 31.
  13. ↑ "News Digest: Yo, Michael! Superstar's Video Game Hits Coinbiz Map". RePlay. Vol. 15, no. 12. September 1990. p. 15.
  14. ↑ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 384. Amusement Press. 15 July 1990. p. 33.
  15. ↑ Gamesradar staff (2017-06-21). "Best Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games of all time". gamesradar. Archived from the original on 2012-07-26. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  16. ↑ kombo (May 4, 2012). "Mario Kart 64, Contra III, Comix Zone, Bonanza Bros". GameZone. Archived from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Wii-Kly Update: Four New Classic Games Announced for Wii Shop Channel". Nintendo of America. 2007-01-29. Archived from the original on 2007-02-08. Retrieved 2009-12-15.
  18. ↑ "Aristocrat debuts Bonanza Bros game". www.casinojournal.com. March 12, 2010. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.