9.6 /10 1 Votes
4.8/5 eBay Initial release date January 1992 Mode Single-player video game | 4.7/5 Emuparadise Composer(s) Tomoko Sumiyama Developer Konami | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Release date(s) NA: January 1992
JP: January 31, 1992
EU: February 18, 1993 Platform Nintendo Entertainment System Publishers Konami, Palcom Software Ltd. Genres Action game, Platform game Similar Darkwing Duck, Castlequest, Journey to Silius, Contra Force, Blaster Master | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bucky O'Hare (バッキー オヘア, Bakkī Ohea) is a 1992 action platformer video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System based on the comic book series of the same name. The game was developed and published by Konami, and was released in North America in January 1992, in Japan on January 31, 1992 and in Europe on February 18, 1993.
Contents
The game required Bucky to rescue each of his crew members (except Bruiser, who is not featured in the game) on a series of planets. As each character was rescued, the player gained the ability to switch between them and Bucky on the fly to deal with different problems. Immediately after regaining his entire crew, they are once again captured and imprisoned on the Toad mother ship. Bucky and Blinky, sharing the same cell, break out and must rescue the remaining members. Afterwards, you continue through the ship.
An arcade game by Konami was also released which allowed players to control Bucky, Jenny, Willy, Deadeye, or Blinky in a format similar to the arcade games based on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or The Simpsons. This also featured the original voice cast from the TV series.
Gameplay
Bucky O'Hare at its core is very similar to the Mega Man series of games. Initially you can select from 1 of 4 themed planets (fire, ice, jungle, mechanical) wherein you rescue one of 4 crew members and use their powers to rescue the others. Their individual abilities are:
- Bucky (a green rabbit) has a straight-shot (like Mega Man) and can also charge up for an extra high jump.
- Blinky (a robot) shoots an arc shot that can break ice and stone blocks and can hover for a short time after charging up.
- Jenny (a cat) has a fast moving attack and can charge a hovering, controllable shot that can attack enemies at a range.
- Deadeye (a duck) has a short range spread shot and when charged can climb walls for a period.
- Willy (a nerd) has a strong gun that can be charged up to be very strong shot.
Once a character has been unlocked, players can switch between them in real time.
Plot
Bucky O'Hare and his crew have been attacked by the evil toads and his crew has been captured and are being held on four color-coded planets. It is up to you, Captain Bucky O'Hare, to rescue your crew and use their unique abilities to rescue the others and take down the toad menace. Let's croak us some toads!
Music
The music in this game was composed by Tomoko Sumiyama (credited as T. Sumiyama). The Escape theme was later included in the Dōjin CD soundtrack Level Up! which was released March 2009 in Japan.
Reception
The Game received mixed to positive reviews from critics. The game was praised for its side scrolling content and it was inspired by Mega Man, while criticized for its strong difficulty. It was Ranked #2 on the Top 10 Obscure NES Gems by Mike Matei video by Cinemassacre on YouTube, with "Guardian Legend" being #1.