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Super Turrican is an action-packed run-and-gun video game. It was developed by Factor 5 (German game developers) and published by Seika and it stands as the fifth installment in the popular Turrican series. This game made its debut on the Super Nintendo/Super Famicom in the year 1993.

This game would definitely be the underrated shooting platformer of the SNES. I was surprised that it was made by European game developers. It is a gaming genre usually dominated by Japanese developers.

Japan only Super Famicom box cover art. (Image source)

The Story

You play as a heroic Super Turrican space marine who receives an SOS call from a planet under threat from malevolent alien forces. Without hesitation, you embark on a mission to rush to the planet's aid and become its savior. The game's style and gameplay might remind players of titles like Metroid due to its alien-themed setting, as well as Contra for its action-packed, "save the day" vibe.

Box, manual and cartridge of the game. (Image source)

The Graphics and Sound

During its era, Super Turrican held its own among the top offerings on the SNES. The game featured a rich visual experience with vibrant and colorful backgrounds, as well as well-designed enemies. The characters were notably large and easily identified on the screen, although not particularly groundbreaking in this regard.

Where Super Turrican truly excelled was in its music, which is widely regarded as exceptional. The game's soundtrack stands out as one of the best on the SNES, rivaling even RPG titles. The music spans a wide range, from energetic and upbeat tunes to more somber and intense compositions, perfectly complementing the game's diverse settings and moods. In addition to the outstanding music, it also offered satisfying sound effects for the various weapons and a pleasing "1UP" voice, making the audio experience a standout feature of the game and arguably its most impressive aspect.

Gameplay video sample of Super Turrican. Watch in 360p for near TV resolution of that time.

The Gameplay

In terms of gameplay, Super Turrican bears a strong resemblance to the classic title Contra, just with a significantly lower level of difficulty. Like Contra, you find yourself in a battlefield filled with a variety of adversaries, including aliens, formidable creatures, and unique enemy mechanics. The game offers power-ups to enhance your weaponry, energy shields, and super bombs for those particularly perilous situations. It also features imposing boss battles and culminates in a final stage that closely mirrors Contra's last level, even including similar enemies. However, it's worth noting that Super Turrican's emulation of Contra is done well, making it an enjoyable homage rather than an insult.

Where Super Turrican diverges from Contra is in its level of destructiveness and overall tone. While Contra is known for its intense, "violent" scenarios and aggressive-looking enemies, Super Turrican opts for a more visually pleasing world with vibrant colors and less aggressive enemy designs. Nonetheless, the action remains intense, even though it doesn't reach the same level of difficulty as Contra.

One notable challenge in Super Turrican is its difficulty level, which, while easier compared to Contra, still presents a formidable challenge. The game's difficulty arises from the requirement to complete it in one continuous playthrough without the ability to save progress or use passwords. Furthermore, Super Turrican's length surpasses that of Contra, contributing to the overall high level of difficulty.

In terms of replayability, it does have some limitations. Once you've successfully completed the game, there's relatively little incentive to revisit it. While there are three available difficulty settings, these primarily affect your initial number of lives and don't offer unique endings or significantly altered gameplay experiences. Consequently, replaying on a higher difficulty doesn't provide a different outcome.

The game's replay value is primarily derived from optional challenges, such as collecting all the diamonds or one-ups within specific levels. While these tasks can add an extra layer of enjoyment to the game and encourage players to explore each level thoroughly, they may not be sufficient to keep everyone engaged for an extended period.

My Verdict

I would strongly recommend playing Super Turrican without hesitation. Despite not receiving extensive coverage when it was originally released and being somewhat scarce to find today, it offers a gaming experience that is both enjoyable and memorable. With its engaging gameplay, exceptional music, and homage to classic titles like Contra, Super Turrican is a hidden gem that's worth adding to your retro games collection and is sure to leave a lasting impression.

Play it on the wonderful Super Nintendo/Super Famicom or play it on a dependable emulator.

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