Bonk's Adventure is a must own for anyone who has the TG16. Does that make it a great game? Unfortunately, no.
When I first started playing Bonk's Adventure, I really felt like I was playing a platforming game that someone made to rip off Mario & Sonic. If this game was on the Genesis or SNES, it would be bargain bin material. But since it was on the TG16, which needed decent games, it has been looked back on with more praise than it may deserve. If a failed 16-bit console from the 90's can have a mascot, well then I guess Bonk would certainly fit the bill.
That's not to say this is a bad game in any way. It's quite fun to play and even tries to do some things different. Instead of jumping on your opponents, you have to hit them with your large head. This is annoying actually, as most people have been trained (by the many Mario games and their clones) to just jump on enemies to defeat them. You do get used to it, but it's strange at first.
Eating food will regain health, but if you find some meat......well, then you turn into rampaging, crazy Bonk. This makes you invincible for awhile. But you still spend most of your time moving to the right and trying to clear a level while dispatching enemies. Like I said, Bonk's Adventure never really does anything wrong. It just feels like we have seen most of this type of game done before and it was done better.
The game looked really good at the time it was released. The TG16 did have some power under the hood. It does have a strange color palette on some screens, but it's nothing that's detrimental to the game. And I would be remiss if I didn't give the developers credit for some excellent and addictive music. I am still humming one of the themes as I type out this review.
Bonk's Adventure is a game that is more a rip-off of better games on better systems. Even in saying that, it's still a fun ride while it lasts. If you own a TG16, then I would highly recommend this game. This was NEC's closest thing to a mascot and one of the most popular titles on the system.