Rocket Knight

Last updated

Rocket Knight
Rkcover.png
XBLA cover art
Developer(s) Climax Studios
Publisher(s) Konami
Producer(s) Tomm Hulett
Designer(s) Phil Mansell
Programmer(s) Ben Potton
Artist(s) Richard Turner
Platform(s)
ReleaseWindows, Xbox 360
  • WW: May 12, 2010 [1]
PlayStation 3
  • PAL/JP: May 12, 2010
  • NA: May 18, 2010
Genre(s)
Mode(s) single-player

Rocket Knight is a 2.5D platforming video game developed by Climax Studios and published by Konami for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows. The game was released worldwide in May 2010.

Contents

Rocket Knight is a revival of the Sparkster series, which first began with Rocket Knight Adventures . The game acts as a sequel to the Sega Genesis game Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2 . [2]

Gameplay

Like its precursors, Rocket Knight is a side-scrolling platform game where the player guides Sparkster through linear levels to defeat the end level boss or reach the goal. Sparkster can jump and attack using his sword and rocket pack. Similar to Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2 , Sparkster uses a melee attack with his sword and auto-generates power with his rocket pack. Unlike previous games, Sparkster can no longer perform consecutive boosts, but can now briefly hover in the air and shoot range projectiles, in addition to being able to defend himself from projectiles using attacks. There are other tweaks, such as Sparkster only bouncing off walls when he hits them at a 45 degree angle. [3]

The game consists of fourteen levels, divided across four worlds. Like previous games, there are side-scrolling shooting segments. In the shooting segments, Sparkster can now charge his shots and use his rocket pack to avoid obstacles. Several items and power-ups can be found spread across the levels.

Upon completion of a level, the game is saved, allowing to continue at a later time. The respective level is also unlocked in the Free Play mode, where the player can replay the levels. If the player loses all their lives, they can use a limited number of continues to resume play at the last stage where all lives were lost, otherwise the game will end and save progress will be erased, though Free Play stages will remain unlocked.

If the game is completed, the player will unlock a skin of Axel Gear for use in the game. If certain criteria is met while finishing the game on the Hard difficulty, the Gold Sparkster skin is unlocked; which halves the maximum health, increasing the difficulty.

Plot

Following Sparkster's triumph over the Gedol Empire, the Rocket Knight returns to the Kingdom of Zephyrus. In his surprise, he finds out that the pigs of the Devontidos Empire that he previously fought have taken up residence in the kingdom alongside the opossum inhabitants during his recent quest, under permission granted by the king of Zephyrus. General Sweinhart, a war veteran from the previous war between the kingdoms and current leader of the Devontidos Empire had made a truce with the king of Zephyrus. Despite Sparkster's warning claims, the king ignores his pleads and allows the pigs to stay in the kingdom; with the kingdom in peace and the Rocket Knight no longer needed by the king, Sparkster leaves the kingdom and retires.

Fifteen years later, Sparkster lives a casual farming life with his wife and son. While farming one day, he witnesses Zephyrus become subject to the invasion of an army of mountain wolves. Sparkster equips his Rocket Knight gear and departs from his home to save Zephyrus. Upon arriving at the kingdom, Sparkster encounters his arch-nemesis Axel Gear, who had been acting as Rocket Knight in his absence. After destroying a forest shredder, Sparkster is captured under the robot's metallic face, where Axel Gear takes credit for his victory against the enemy. General Sweinhart announces his declaration of war against the wolves to the pigs and opossums, receiving praise from the townspeople. Suspecting something may be amiss, Sparkster decides to head towards the Wolf Kingdom, where he faces and defeats the wolves' leader, Ulfgar. Shortly after Ulfgar's defeat, Sweinhart and Axel arrive and knock out the king and Sparkster, throwing the latter to a deep pit. Sweinhart breaks the truce and turns the pigs against the opossums once again. Sparkster awakens in the cave and makes his escape, defeating Axel once more. Sparkster makes his way back to Zephyrus. where Sweinhart confronts and attacks Sparkster using his giant pig robot, the latter emerging victorious at the end.

Sparkster is praised by the townspeople and reunites with Princess Sherry in celebration over his triumph against the Devontidos Empire. With his job done, Sparkster flies back home to his family.

Development and release

When producer Tomm Hulett joined Konami, he decided to work on a pitch for a revival for Sparkster, which was accepted after two years and four pitches. Hulett claims that "it was really a matter of reworking the concept – making the right pitch at the right time", with various recent franchise revivals receiving positive responses at the time. Hulett also said that Konami thought Climax Studios were the best pick partly due to their facial animation technology, allowing Sparkster to produce expressions respective to his 16-bit counterparts. [4] [5]

Rocket Knight is one of the games featured in Xbox's November 2021 Games with Gold lineup, where the game was made for free for the month for Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. [6]

Reception

IGN gave the game a score of 7.5, praising the inventive platforming but showing concern for the high price point. [10] Game Informer gave the game a score of eight out of ten. [11] GamesRadar gave the game 7/10, [12] praising its mechanics but criticising its fluctuating difficulty, along with the high price point. 1Up gave it a C+ grade, criticising its lack of variety. [13] Sales were near to 12,000 units as of year-end 2010. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Castlevania</i> Video game series

Castlevania, known in Japan as Akumajō Dracula, is a gothic horror action-adventure video game series and media franchise created by Konami. The series is largely set in the eponymous castle of Count Dracula, the main antagonist of the Belmont clan of vampire hunters.

The Konami Code, also commonly referred to as the Contra Code and sometimes the 30 Lives Code, is a cheat code that appears in many Konami video games, as well as some non-Konami games.

<i>Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater</i> 2004 video game

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is a 2004 action-adventure stealth video game developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2. It was released in late 2004 in North America and Japan, and in early 2005 in Europe and Australia. It was the fifth Metal Gear game written and directed by Hideo Kojima and serves as a prequel to the entire Metal Gear series. An expanded edition, titled Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, was released in Japan in late 2005, then in North America, Europe and Australia in 2006. A remastered version of the game, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - HD Edition, was later included in the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PlayStation Vita, while a reworked version, titled Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D, was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2012. The HD Edition of the game was included on the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 compilation for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on October 24, 2023. The same year, Konami announced a remake, entitled Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, set to release for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S in 2024.

<i>Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes</i> 2004 video game

Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes is a 2004 action-adventure stealth video game published by Konami, who co-developed with Silicon Knights, for the GameCube. Released in March, the game is a remake of Metal Gear Solid, originally developed by Konami for the PlayStation in 1998.

<i>Castlevania: Symphony of the Night</i> 1997 video game

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is a 1997 action role-playing game developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. It was directed and produced by Toru Hagihara, with Koji Igarashi acting as assistant director. It is a direct sequel to Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, taking place four years later. It features Dracula's dhampir son Alucard as the protagonist, rising from his slumber to explore Dracula's castle which resurfaced after Richter Belmont vanished. Its design marks a break from previous entries in the series, re-introducing the exploration, nonlinear level design, and role-playing elements first experimented with in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest.

<i>Rocket Knight Adventures</i> 1993 video game

Rocket Knight Adventures is a platform game developed and published by Konami for the Sega Genesis. The game involves Sparkster, a possum knight who wields a rocket pack and sword that can emit energy projectiles as he attempts to stop the Devotindos Empire, an evil empire that attempts to break the seal of a powerful starship.

<i>Shadow the Hedgehog</i> (video game) 2005 video game

Shadow the Hedgehog is a 2005 platform game developed by Sega Studios USA and published by Sega. It is a spin-off from the Sonic the Hedgehog series starring the character Shadow. It follows the amnesiac Shadow's attempts to learn about his past during an alien invasion. Gameplay is similar to previous Sonic games, featuring fast-paced platforming and ring collecting, but introduces third-person shooter and nonlinear elements. Shadow uses a variety of weapons to defeat enemies and complete missions that determine the plot and playable levels.

<i>Fahrenheit</i> (2005 video game) 2005 action-adventure game

Fahrenheit is an action-adventure game developed by Quantic Dream and published by Atari for Microsoft Windows, Xbox, and PlayStation 2 in September 2005. The plot follows Lucas Kane, a man who commits murder while supernaturally possessed, and two police detectives investigating the case. Gameplay involves the player in making decisions to alter the narrative.

<i>Silent Hill 4: The Room</i> 2004 video game

Silent Hill 4: The Room is a 2004 survival horror game developed by Team Silent, a group in Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo, and published by Konami. The fourth installment in the Silent Hill series, the game was released in Japan in June and in North America and Europe in September. Silent Hill 4 was released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Microsoft Windows. Its soundtrack was released at the same time. In 2012, it was released on the Japanese PlayStation Network. On October 2, 2020, it was re-released on GOG.com with patches to make it playable on Windows 10.

<i>Sparkster</i> 1994 video game

Sparkster is a side-scrolling platform game developed and published by Konami for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game, the only one in the series to be released on a Nintendo console, was directed by Hideo Ueda and released in 1994 in Japan in September, in North America in October and in Europe in 1994.

<i>Lego Batman: The Videogame</i> 2008 video game

Lego Batman: The Videogame is a 2008 action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, released for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Nintendo DS, Microsoft Windows, and Mac OS X. The game is based on the DC Comics character Batman, as well as the eponymous LEGO Batman toyline.

<i>New International Track & Field</i> 2008 video game

New International Track & Field is a sports video game by Konami for the Nintendo DS. Developed by Sumo Digital, it is the latest game in Konami's Track and Field series.

<i>Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2</i> 1994 video game

Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2, is a 1994 side-scrolling platform game developed and published by Konami for the Sega Genesis. A sequel to Rocket Knight Adventures, the game involves the character named Sparkster attempting to save Princess Cherry and to stop the evil plans of King Gedol, who plans to take over the kingdom of Zephyrus. The game largely follows the same format as its precursor, with changes to the game's mechanics.

<i>Castlevania: Lords of Shadow</i> Action-adventure video game

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is a 2010 action-adventure game developed by MercurySteam and published by Konami. It was released on October 5, 2010, for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with a PC version released on August 27, 2013. The game is a reboot of the Castlevania series. Set in Southern Europe during the Middle Ages, the story focuses on Gabriel Belmont and his quest to defeat a malevolent order known as the Lords of Shadow and resurrect his wife. The player controls Gabriel in 3D environments as he uses melee skills to defeat enemies and solves puzzles to move through the game.

<i>Silent Hill: Shattered Memories</i> 2009 video game

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a 2009 survival horror game developed by Climax Studios and published by Konami Digital Entertainment. It was released in December for the Wii and ported to the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable platforms in January 2010. In April 2014, it appeared on the PlayStation Network in Europe.

<i>Silent Hill: Downpour</i> 2012 video game

Silent Hill: Downpour is a 2012 survival horror game developed by Vatra Games and published by Konami. Downpour is set in the series' eponymous fictitious American town and centers on Murphy Pendleton, a prisoner who enters the town, periodically entering the otherworld, leading him to unlock repressed memories. The game uses a third-person view and can be played in 3D. It was released in March 2012.

<i>Otomedius Excellent</i> 2011 video game

Otomedius Excellent (オトメディウスX is a scrolling shooter video game, developed and published by Konami for the Xbox 360 video game console. It is the sequel to the 2008 game Otomedius G , a spin-off of the Gradius series. It was released in 2011 on April 21 in Japan and in North America on November 1.

<i>Metal Gear Solid HD Collection</i> 2011 video game compilation

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection is a compilation of remastered ports of Metal Gear video games released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2011 and PlayStation Vita in 2012. The compilation contains Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater on all three platforms, plus Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker on the home console versions, with the individual games all branded as HD Edition. Bluepoint Games handled the conversions of Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, while Genki worked on Peace Walker.

<i>Silent Hill HD Collection</i> 2012 video game compilation

Silent Hill HD Collection is a 2012 video game compilation of remastered video game ports of Silent Hill 2 (2001) and Silent Hill 3 (2003) developed by Hijinx Studios for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles. Silent Hill 2 centers on widower James Sunderland who travels to the titular town after receiving a letter from his dead wife, while Silent Hill 3 is a direct sequel to the first Silent Hill game and focuses on Heather Mason, a teenager who finds herself in conflict with the town's cult. Both games are categorized as survival horror and share gameplay elements with each other. Published worldwide by Konami beginning with North America in March 2012, the compilation features a graphics overhaul, new voice acting, and Xbox achievements and PlayStation trophies.

<i>Metal Gear Survive</i> 2018 video game

Metal Gear Survive is a 2018 survival game developed by Konami Digital Entertainment and published by Konami. The game was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in February 2018. It is the first Metal Gear game to be developed following the series' creator Hideo Kojima's departure from Konami in late 2015, and the first since 1990's Snake's Revenge to be made without Kojima's input. Survive takes place between the events of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, and follows the Captain, an MSF soldier who enters a parallel dimension and establishes a local command center to unravel the mysteries of a strange virus that turns people into zombie-like creatures.

References

  1. ↑ Miller, Matt. "Rocket Knight Downloadable Game Gets A Release Date". Game Informer. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  2. ↑ Parish, Jeremy (October 6, 2009). "Creative Spark: Reinventing the Rocket Knight". 1UP.com . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2014. Fifteen years have passed in-game since the last entry in the series, just as in real life, and Sparkster has grown a little in the interim.
  3. ↑ Parish, Jeremy (October 7, 2009). "Creative Spark: Reinventing the Rocket Knight". 1UP. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
  4. ↑ Parish, Jeremy (October 5, 2009). "Rocket Knight Preview". 1UP. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
  5. ↑ Laut, Cornelson (October 9, 2009). "Rocket Knight Exclusive Debut Trailer HD". 1UP. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
  6. ↑ Hryb, Larry [@majornelson] (October 29, 2021). "Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members, start the month of November off with Moving Out and Rocket Knight - yours to download and play with #GamesWithGold https://t.co/XzzUbzsdN0" (Tweet). Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2023– via Twitter.
  7. ↑ "Rocket Knight Xbox 360 Metacritic review score". Metacritic . Archived from the original on January 21, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Rocket Knight PlayStation 3 Metacritic review score". Metacritic . Archived from the original on January 20, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Rocket Knight PC Metacritic review score". Metacritic . Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Rocket Knight Review - IGN". Uk.xboxlive.ign.com. May 20, 2010. Archived from the original on May 16, 2010. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  11. ↑ Ryckert, Dan (May 12, 2010). "Rocket Knight Review: Sparkster Shines In An Overdue Return". Game Informer. Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  12. ↑ Meunier, Nathan (June 3, 2010). "Rocket Knight review". gamesradar. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Welcome to nginx eaa1a9e1db47ffcca16305566a6efba4!185.15.56.1". www.1up.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  14. ↑ Langley, Ryan (January 28, 2011). "XBLA: In-Depth: Xbox Live Arcade Sales Analysis For All Of 2010". Gamerbytes. Archived from the original on February 1, 2011. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
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.