Rocket Knight Adventures

Take a charming opossum, dress him in rocket armor and let him ricochet off walls like a living projectile — and you have Rocket Knight Adventures, one of the cleverest and most underrated platformers from Konami.

The hero Sparkster carries a rocket thruster on his back that can be charged up and then fired off in any direction. He crashes into walls and bounces off them, hurtles through levels and attacks — this movement mechanic is the core of the whole game and gives it an unmistakable rhythm. Mastering the timing of the dives is a joy that other platformers of the era did not offer.

The level design is brisk and inventive, full of moments that cleverly exploit the rocket-thruster mechanic. Added to this is beautiful graphics and excellent music — in the mid-nineties Konami was simply among the elite, and it shows in every detail.

Despite its quality, Rocket Knight Adventures remained more of a connoisseurs' secret tip than a big commercial hit. But for platformer fans it is one of those games recommended onward with enthusiasm.

Sparkster later received a sequel and his adventures returned in a modern form as well, but the original Mega Drive installment remains for many the best.

Why play: A brisk, clever and beautiful platformer from Konami with a unique rocket-thruster mechanic — an underrated gem that deserves to be discovered.