So...what do we have here?

U.S. Game Box Front

We Fly To Katakis For JUSTICE!
What Other Reason Do We Need!?

Turning Into A Ball Is Quite
Popular. Just Ask These Two.

The SNES has a lot of "Super" titles, but are they all super? Not necessarily. However, I feel that the SNES often makes good use of the word because Super Turrican is not only super, it's OUTSTANDING. If you played games like Lagoon or Legend and didn't like them, you might be wondering if you should give Super Turrican a chance. So Seika didn't publish the greatest games...but if they did anything right, it was when the company published this game. The story is very straightforward and it deals with an evil force of goons that conquer the peaceful planet of Katakis. You must stop "The Machine" before all is lost! The forces of good hear of this tomfoolery and decide that they are going to stop the losers in their tracks...IN STYLE. Donning a "Turrican" assault suit, you rush to save the planet and its inhabitants.

One thing you will notice almost immediately after starting the game is that the graphics are excellent. The stages are big, bold, and beautiful. The animation is good and the color usage is remarkable. The game is fast-paced and the bosses are big and detailed too. The weapons look nice and everything is well done. The sound is excellent too...regardless of the environment. Is it good enough to want to use "Dolby Surround"? That depends on YOU. As for me, I would if I could. While the music isn't the greatest thing in history, it's more than enough for me. The music ties in well with the action, even though the first stage tunes sounds somewhat upbeat. The sound effects are mostly good and I love when the announcer guy says "1-up!".

*Vyse dodges the attack of a giant FIST!*

The game functions like most ordinary action titles you may or may not have played before. Is this a bad thing? NO! The game has three primary weapons: Red, Blue, and Yellow. If you grab a "Red" orb (you start with this at default), you shoot a standard spread shot that expands in its attack radius when you power it up. Grabbing a "Blue" orb while give you a shot with great power, but the attack radius is relatively small and acts as a standard straight shot. Grabbing a "Yellow" orb gives you a shot that SEEMS to have a small attack radius. However, the shot bounces off of walls and flies all over the place, making it an ideal weapon in enclosed areas. It is less effective in wide-open areas. You can also acquire a temporary shield, and super bombs that have limited use.

You can also jump on the heads of certain enemies without incurring any damage and the game has an odd power for the hero to roll up into a ball! This ability was clearly inspired by "Metroid" (NES/GB/SNES/etc.), and you can also lay bombs on the ground in this state. You will also use this power to access areas that aren't reachable otherwise. Lastly, your hero has a neat "beam weapon" that paralyzes foes briefly while you fill em' full of lead. The stages of this game are very large and you can reach several hidden areas by finding hidden platforms and using various other abilities. The game is solid in all areas and the best part is that it SHOULD be one of the cheaper games in vintage game stores and pawn shops. Super Turrican 2 on the other hand...

- Written by Vyse the determined -