These underrated 16-bit classics just got new life on Nintendo Switch

There is no shortage of all-time greats to choose from when seeking out a new 16-bit platformer to play. SNES and Sega Genesis classics like Super Mario World, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Mega Man X are probably the first things to come to mind. During that same era, Contra and Castlevania developer Konami released a series of platformers that rivaled those greats but didn’t get as much recognition as they deserved. Now, these titles are getting a new lease on life thanks to a collection that launched earlier this month on PC, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch.

I’m talking about Rocket Knight Adventures, a 1993 release on the Sega Genesis, as well as its follow-ups on Genesis and SNES, separate titles both named Sparkster. These 2D platformers put players in control of an opossum named Sparkster, who wears a suit of armor with a rocket strapped to its back. These games aren’t as widely remembered as many of their peers but are well worth the time of any platformer fan, so they are definitely worth checking out now through Limited Run Games and Konami’s Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked, which came out right in the middle of Summer Game Fest this year.

The Rocket Knight games don’t reinvent the platformer but stand out as some of the best from their era because of how creative they are. The basics of these games are the same as most 2D platformers, but because players have a rocket strapped to their back, it’s possible to charge it up and burst forward in any direction. This means that they cazn deftly switch between more precise platforming moments and bursts of excitement that temporarily rival that of Sonic as players charge their rocket and start bouncing between the walls of a stage. Using a control stick rather than a D-pad makes it a bit easier to aim at angles, too.

That’s a fun central gameplay conceit that makes these Konami games enjoyable, but what elevates them to forgotten classic status is how polished and cinematic they feel. Within just the first