Sparkster

The opossum in rocket armor returns — Sparkster continues the legacy of Rocket Knight Adventures and delivers another helping of brisk action platforming from Konami's workshop on the Mega Drive.

At the core of the experience remains the rocket thruster on the hero's back: you charge up energy and then launch yourself in a chosen direction, ricochet off walls and hurtle through levels like a guided missile. This movement mechanic gives the game its characteristic rhythm, where it is not just about jumping but about the right timing of dives and the deft use of space.

As an action platformer, Sparkster bets on what suits both the genre and the platform — a brisk pace, clear action, and combat and traversal situations built around the abilities of the rocket armor. The Mega Drive was an ideal home for this type of fast, reflexive game, and Konami was among those who knew how to get a lot out of its hardware.

For fans of the previous adventure it is a sequel in the established spirit: more of what worked, set into new challenges. Anyone who took a liking to the feel of rocketing and ricocheting across the screen will find a reason to return to it.

As part of the wider family of games around Sparkster, this title represents another chapter in one of the charming, characterful brands of the nineties platforming scene.

Why play: If the feel of the rocket thruster caught you, Sparkster offers another dose of brisk action platforming in Konami's characteristic style.