The game: Hurricane
Flashback Genre: Action, adventure system: Nintendo Switch (also PS4)
Developer|Publisher : Factor 5, Ratalaika Games | Games ININ
Age Classification : EU 7+ | US Teenage
Price : US $29.99 | UK £24.99 | EU €29.99 |
Release date : 29. January 2021
Visualization code largely provided by PR Hound
Return of the hurricane
The Hurricane series was pretty important when I was young and growing up in the good old days of gaming, the 90s. I still have the original Turbouragan for the Mega Drive, even though the cardboard box it’s stored in looks a bit dilapidated these days. While many retro series have been re-released on modern consoles, Turricane has been left in a retro game vacuum, waiting for its moment. It’s about time! Turrican Flashback is a collection of four classic retro games from Turrican, ready for old and new fans on modern systems. The Switch in particular seems like a great place to enjoy this classic.
The evil is back
What’s a hurricane?
The hurricane is a difficult but very enjoyable 2D side-scrolling shooter. If you’re new to this series, I’ll give you a quick recap. Basically, you play a guy who looks like a robot with a big gun who goes after the big bad guy. This is Retro 101. What sets Turgan apart from the crowd of then and now controversial games is the fact that the games have an excellent soundtrack, tight shot controls and plenty of challenges.
Like your gun, you have many special moves at your disposal. There is a kind of ray gun that you can use to destroy the environment and inflict significant damage on enemies. A familiar shapeshifting orb that deals damage to any enemy crazy enough to touch you. You can also use mines in this form. There are also many weapons to discover and power-ups to find. They are usually hidden in blocks that project some bonuses when you shoot or jump from below (like Mario). Since this is a shooting game, you can expect lots of enemies and big boss fights. It is very beautiful and the unique metal design gives it a unique look.
(Hurricane) I don’t know if I want to shake hands.
Special games
In the Turrican Flashback collection, there are two Amiga games: Mega Drive and Super Nintendo.
Starting with the collection, we have a Hurricane version of the Amiga. As with all newcomers to the intellectual property field, franchising has made its mark here. Shooting is fun, but you die super fast in this game. Items like your morphing ball were also pretty limited, so you had to use your skills sparingly and at the right time. I always remember this title better as a hurricane game with a giant metal fist of the boss. At the time, the game’s bosses were as ridiculous as they were entertaining.
Turrican 2 is also an Amiga game and the title will probably look familiar to most players. It is similar to the first game, but with many more improvements in game mechanics. The levels are still huge and encourage you to explore to find your way around. The abilities are less limited, and the game just seems to go better. Some might say that the series had peaked at that point.
(Hurricane 2) Use the ray gun to destroy the area.
Mega Hurricane is Mega Drive. This version of the game was designed specifically for the console to make it more linear. Newcomers to the series may find it easier to start with this title. It was easily one of the best Mega Drive games for the entire system. The action is dense and fast-paced, with little room to get lost in levels like the Amiga entrances. You also have a grapple in this game that allows you to jump to higher platforms using a clunky swing mechanism.
(Mega Hurricane) This game is metal in many ways.
Super Turrican is a Super Nintendo game that was also developed specifically for the system. This is said to be the most beautiful entrance of all time. And I understand that this will make Amiga fans very upset. It’s a more linear experience, and for some strange reason your ray gun has been replaced with an ice ray that just doesn’t have the punch of the previous entries.
If there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s that none of the games in the collection seem weak or worth ignoring. It was easy for me to get lost in each volume of this wonderful series. My only criticism is that this collection doesn’t include all the Hurricane games from the series, but that seems to be the norm with retro collections these days.
Flashback (Hurricane 2) I feel like I won the lottery.
Additional functions
The Turrican Flashback collection adds many new features to each game. You can adjust various display settings and filters, and if you want to keep the old CRT scan lines, you can. You can choose whether to use it on the TV or in manual mode. There are also multiple saves per game and a handy rewind feature, which seems to be becoming the gold standard for retro game ports these days. Are you dying too soon? You can press the shoulder button and watch the action quickly rewind to fix your mistake. Yes, retro game purists will laugh at this feature, but it’s great for people looking for a less stressful experience. In the main menu of each game there is a small screen where you can find out a little more about the history of that game. Too bad there are no more videos or menus, so you can only enjoy the soundtracks.
(Super Hurricane) This is not Metroid. It’s a hurricane!
Back to retro days
Turrican Flashback is a great way to enjoy four fantastic retro games. The extra features, different playback and rewind options are all welcome, and every game works perfectly on the Nintendo Switch. Some titles are sadly missing from this collection, but what is there is solid.
Whether you’re a novice or a regular visitor to the Turrican series, this is a great place to browse rather than look for original copies of games and equipment.
Because where Turry can… You can do it!
Last sentence: liked it very much.
nuts
One of the problems with the Turrican Flashback collection is that it can be confusing for players who have also heard of the Turrican Anthology 1 and 2 collections announced last year. The latest collection contains a total of 8 Hurricane games and appears to be limited to a physical release. While the Turrican Flashback collection examined here releases both physical and digital versions. It’s strange how we seem to be returning to physical media to get exclusive games. So much for the digital future. It is sad to note that some Hurricane games are only available in an exclusive and expensive physical version for players, rather than being accessible to everyone. But I guess that’s how it is now. This is not a criticism of Turrican Flashback, but rather a criticism of the game industry that confuses the public and people who like to spend money on digital purchases.
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