by Konami has always been top tier when it comes to making third party games for the NES. They knew how to make the most of NES hardware to make great games with impressive gameplay, graphics, and music whether that was with their own IPs, or with licensed properties. Today’s entry is in the latter category with Bucky O’Hare.
Collectors might be more aware of this game but newcomers to retro gaming have likely never heard of it. It is based on the animated series Bucky O’Hare and the Toad Wars which aired in 1992 (in Canada and the UK it was known as Bucky O’Hare and the Toad Menace).
The show ended with only 13 episodes as the toys weren’t particularly successful. You’d think with the help of Hasbro and Marvel Productions (which did the animated shows for Marvel Comics) it might have had a better chance at success. I think it is a shame that it was so overlooked, I rather enjoyed the franchise. I still have my Deadeye Duck figure around here somewhere.
Anyway, enough trivia, let’s get on to the review.
Learning from the Competition
Konami was clearly taking notes from Capcom, in particular their Mega Man series. All of the trappings you’d expect from a Mega Man-like game are here. Multiple levels to choose from, you can hold the B button to charge a special ability. When you complete a level, you get new abilities in the form of crew members. Heck, even the health bar is similar, but instead of being vertical on the left side of the screen, it is horizontal on the bottom next to the charge meter for your abilities.
There are some differences to set it apart from Mega Man. You have 4 levels instead of the classic 8. Instead of taking a weapon from a boss, you rescue a kidnapped crew member of the Righteous Indignation (the game omits the latter part of the ship’s name) that has their own unique abilities and weapons. You can increase your health easily by picking up little heart power-ups and you can permanently increase the power of your charge abilities by picking up P powerups.
Graphics, Music, and Gameplay
The graphics look pretty good for the NES. They decided to go with somewhat larger sprites to add more detail. This is both good and bad. The characters look more like their animated counterparts than many licensed games, but you are a bigger target which can make some fights rather difficult. I give the graphics an 8.5/10.
The music is solid and pretty catchy. It’s not on the level of Mega Man 2’s Doctor Wily Stage or Batman’s Streets of Desolation, but it does the job and doesn’t grate on the ears like many games from that era. I give the music a 7/10.
The gameplay is good, if a bit frustrating at times. A jumps, B is for attacking and you hold it to activate special abilities, Start pauses the game and Select cycles through the available characters. Here are the abilities for each character. Bucky has an aimable pistol and a high jump, Deadeye has a spread shot and the ability to climb walls, Blinky has an arcing projectile and a jetpack, Willy has a powerful laser that can be charged for more damage, and Jenny shoots a psychic beam and has a ball of psychic energy you can control.
The controls and platforming are precise and responsive. It is very much pick up and play when it comes to the basics. I wish there was more a bit enemy variety, but that is partially a problem with the source material. You will fight a lot of toads, but there are enough other enemies to keep things fresh. I give the gameplay an 8/10.
The story is pretty basic, like most games of this type from the era. Bucky’s crew has been captured by the Toads, and you have to get them back. I give the story a 5/10. I don’t consider story important for a game like this, so it won’t factor into my overall score.
Difficulty
The game’s difficulty is a bit deceptive at first, sometimes it is very lenient and other times very punishing.
Most attacks early on do 1 point of damage, but this ramps up over time. You have 3 lives and infinite continues, which you will need for the game’s more difficult areas. On top of having infinite continues, you continue at the most recent screen transition, or as the game calls them “Acts”. This allows you to jump back in very quickly. However, when you continue, the increased max health you get from healing pickups will be lost if you do so, which can lead to problems with tougher bosses. There is also a password system, which is fortunately only 5 characters long.
There are many instant death traps, not all of which are clearly instant death. Most bosses have them if you merely touch them. The mouths of snakes that act as platforms are instant death as are stalactites that hang from several caves. The latter looks like it could be merely decorative.
One of the more obvious instant death traps is lava on Red Planet that flows as you go from the top to the bottom, making the level feel much like Quick Man’s lasers.
Final Verdict
Bucky O’Hare is a very solid game at an 8/10. It can be frustrating at times, but it is very rewarding to complete. It’s fairly short, especially if you are used to games with this kind of difficulty. I fully recommend playing it if you enjoy Mega Man. Just keep in mind that it is somewhat rare and currently rather expensive if you want a physical copy given that it is about $200 loose.
