Recently revived publisher Sunsoft released an incredible number of licensed games during their heyday – covering everything from Batman to Road Runner. When it comes to creating retro collections nowadays, this is largely problematic, limiting the number of potential re-releases. Coupled with the fact that Blaze is more than likely holding back several titles for a second collection, this package feels less of a feast and more like a sampling platter, featuring just six games.
All six stem from Nintendo platforms. There’s the SNES platformer Aero the Acro-Bat, the early (1985!) Famicom arcade conversion of Arabian, bleak sci-fi NES run ‘n gunner Journey to Silius, the incredibly late (1993!) and desirable NES platformer Mr. Gimmick, and a double whammy of Blaster Master and its handheld counterpart Blaster Master Boy.
Arabian dates to when Sunsoft was known as Sun Electronics, taking the form of a single-screen platformer where our hero must dodge or kick enemies, collect items, and leap on magic carpets. It’s simple, as you’d expect for 1985, but has an addictive quality. It’s peculiarly reminiscent of Bruce Lee on the C64 due to the protagonist’s comically overpowered kick. Ideal for a five-minute fix, and historically important too – together with Mr. Gimmick, this collection features Sunsoft’s first and last NES games. Play both back-to-back, and you’ll be pushed hard to tell they’re on the same system.
The side-scrolling Blaster Master and its lesser-known top-down spin-off Blaster Master Boy are both cult classics, with the former usually closely associated with Sunsoft. I was surprised to learn Blaster Master released as early as 1988 – it pushes the NES hard, with slick presentation, detailed visuals, and a catchy theme tune. It’s innovative, too – a nimble tank is your primary method of transport, and it’s possible to exit the vehicle and enter doorways that lead to new areas. Not only this but also enter top-down shooter sections that feature larger sprites. It’s easily the best game present, although Blaster Master Boy isn’t without merit. It plays like Bomberman – and was even linked to Konami’s franchise in Japan – but offers a lot more depth, mostly via its power-ups and inventory system.
Aero the Acro-Bat was born from the ‘90s trend of mascot platformers, and instead of originating from Japan, it was a Western effort developed by Iguana. The circus theme is curiously inviting, allowing for stages peppered with trampolines, cannons, hoops, unicycles, and more, and it controls well – true to his name, Aero can dive through the air. Again, there’s innovation on display, with each level having an objective to complete to unlock the exit. However, it falls short in a lot of other areas. The theme tune is ear-abrasing – imagine a distorted, out-of-tune, rendition of Sonic 3’s Carnival Night theme – and a combination of precariously placed enemies and cramped level design can frustrate. Much like Piko Collection 3’s 40 Winks, if you don’t have nostalgia for it, it’s unlikely to gel.
If you watch retro gaming videos on YouTube, you may have caught wind of Journey to Silius. It’s often championed as a hidden gem for the NES, and while there is an element of truth in this, it isn’t exactly one of the system’s finest run ‘n gunners, pale in comparison to something like Contra. Competent, would be the best way to describe it – it controls well, and the checkpoints and proficiently placed, but it’s lacking pizazz. Played the best the NES has to offer? Well, here’s the second best. Not exactly a glowing endorsement, is it? Curiously, though, Journey to Silius started out as a Terminator tie-in, and one of the more interesting things about it are the remnants, such as the intro and wartorn locations. In short: it’s good, but not great.
This leaves us with Mr. Gimmick, which gained a standalone release on PS4 and Switch back in July, garnering an 8/10 from ourselves. A very late release for the NES, it only made it to Scandinavia and Japan – the rest of the world believed the NES wasn’t commercially viable in 1993. Sunsoft’s plan was to make a SNES quality platformer on 8-bit hardware by utilising everything they had learned from ten years of NES development, along with a new tile swapping technique. The result is a visually impressive platformer with a bright colour palette and surprisingly large bosses.
Our squishy rotund hero attacks with a physics-enabled star projectile, which is likewise technically impressive. While it may resemble a Kirby game at first glance, the difficulty level is far more challenging. This may even be the hardest NES platformer, with a learning curve linked to mastering star throwing. This version is slightly easier than the recent standalone release, thankfully, as the PAL ROM is used – which grants a total of nine lives. It’s unquestionably a hidden gem for the NES; a game that arrived so late in the day, that word of its greatness didn’t spread until the noughties.
Arguably, Mr. Gimmick holds this collection together. Without it, the Blaster Master and its sibling would be doing a lot of heavy lifting, being the only real highlights. A couple of more games – such as Ufouria: The Saga or Trip World – could have seen this go from being a decent collection to an excellent one, boosting value for money. But then, there probably wouldn’t be enough content left for the inevitable follow-up. Until that second coming of Sunsoft, should it happen, consider this an appetiser.
Evercade Sunsoft Collection 1 is available now.