Bonkers
Developer(s)SIDD
Publisher(s)Sega
Platform(s)Sega Genesis
Release1994
Genre(s)Action
Mode(s)Single-player

Bonkers is a 1994 action video game developed by SIDD and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis.[1] It is based on the animated television series Bonkers, and was criticized for its gameplay.

Gameplay

Bonkers is an action game played across four mini-games,[1][2] each of them divided into 15 rounds which become increasingly difficult.[3][4] After every three rounds, a password is given and a bonus game is played for the opportunity to gain an extra life.[3][5] The game's storyline involves police officer Bonkers D. Bobcat taking part in an "officer of the month" competition, hoping to impress his partner Lucky once he returns from vacation. As Bonkers, the player is tasked with apprehending four criminals from the television series who each appear in their own mini-game,[4][5] which can be played in any order.[2]

  • Harry the Handbag and his raccoon gang break into a museum to steal items, and the player must throw donuts at them to stop their heist. Enemies take cover behind pillars and can throw Bonkers' donuts back at him.
  • The Rat is hiding at a junkyard, where the player must first deal with a garbage machine which attacks by throwing trash. The player's goal in each round is to avoid the trash while building up a brick wall, which blocks out the attacks.
  • Mr. Big is planning to blow up a warehouse, and the player must move through a maze of crates and barrels to find Bonkers' friend, Fall-Apart Rabbit, who can deactivate the bomb. The player must find the pieces needed to assemble Fall-Apart Rabbit, while either avoiding rats or knocking crates into them.
  • Ma Tow Truck and a gang of cars have taken over a freeway, and the player must run them off the road with the help of items dropped from a police helicopter.

Reception

Bonkers was criticized for its gameplay, described as simplistic and repetitive,[2][3][5][7] with little replay value.[4][7] Mark Hill, writing for Sega Pro, praised the graphics and sound. However, he concluded, "It's fun at first and unique in many ways, but Bonkers can't rate too highly simply because of the repetitive and rather limited gameplay from one round to the next".[5] Sega Power wrote, "If the engines involved in producing these sub-games had been used intelligently to create a single larger game with varied play, this might just have been a surprise hit".[3] Computer and Video Games found the number of game modes limited.[7]

In a later review for AllGame, Brett Alan Weiss wrote that each game mode "is challenging but simple in concept", and concluded, "Bonkers is not a great game, but it is a fun and harmless way to spend a few hours".[1] In a 2010 review, Jeuxvideo.com stated that Bonkers fans would be disappointed by the game, writing that it could have benefitted from adjustments and more mini-games. The website praised the graphics but noted the limited amount of scenery, and found the music repetitive.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Weiss, Brett Alan. "Disney's Bonkers - Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Bonkers". Games World: The Magazine. No. 9. United Kingdom. March 1995. p. 12.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bonkers". Sega Power. No. 64. United Kingdom. March 1995. p. 48.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Leadbetter, Richard; Guise, Tom (January 1995). "Mega Drive Review: Bonkers". Sega Magazine. No. 13. United Kingdom. pp. 100–101.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Hill, Mark (February 1995). "Bonkers". Sega Pro. No. 41. United Kingdom. pp. 50–51.
  6. ↑ "Megadrive Review: Bonkers". Consoles+ (in French). France. April 1995. p. 130.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Supershorts". Computer and Video Games. No. 159. United Kingdom. February 1995. p. 90.
  8. 1 2 "Bonkers". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). December 2, 2010. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Bonkers". Mega Fun (in German). Germany. May 1995. p. 71.
  10. ↑ "Bonkers". Player One (in French). No. 53. France. May 1995. p. 104.
  11. ↑ "Bonkers". VideoGames. No. 71. United States. December 1994. p. 130.
  12. ↑ "Bonkers". Mega. No. 28. United Kingdom. January 1995. pp. 42–43.
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