To be honest, I didn't really pay much attention to the Turrican series growing up. I was vaguely aware of it from time to time; after all, the name "Turrican" just sounds so metallic and reeks of badassery. (Fun Fact: originally, the name of the series was going to be "Hurrican". That seems more in line with the audio heard from a port-o-john at a burrito festival.) Even without playing it, I had mentally associated the series with serious non-stop hardcore action. To my surprise many years later, I was right. The Turrican series is full of run'n'gun mayhem, not unlike the Contra series, but with a stronger focus on mechanized beings. Perhaps the reason why I never followed it much is because Turrican originated on the Commodore 64 instead of a console. (I was very much a DOS boy as well, so I would never have been able to touch this one.) It was eventually ported to home consoles, but I still don't remember those carts in the stores.
...which is why playing Mega Turrican was so interesting. Going toe to toe with a series that has been in the very back of my gaming mind for decades brings about a certain surge of exhilaration. As well, playing a Turrican game for the first time has made me regret not trying out the series earlier because it actually kicks total butt! Okay, it totally kicked MY butt, but that's not the point!
Mega Turrican is a strange brew, development-wise. Originally it was going to be the third Turrican game for the Amiga home computer, but seeing the rise of consoles and the slow decline of the Amiga, development was switched to the Sega Genesis. Another company, Kaiko, was brought in to not only work on Mega Turrican but also develop their own separate Turrican III for Amiga. Development on the Amiga game did not get far, and Kaiko was asked instead to port Mega Turrican to the Amiga as Turrican III: Payment Day. In a twist of fate, even though the Genesis version was finished first, the Amiga game was published first because it was apparently more difficult to get a publisher for the Genesis game. Did you catch all that?
Anyway... Mega Turrican (named so because the Sega Genesis is known elsewhere as the "Mega Drive", for those not in the know and want to be in the know, at the Town Square of Knowsville) follows the story of Bren McGuire on a peacekeeping mission, long after his first onslaught against The Machine, an android being wishing to rule the entire galaxy. Bren had defeated The Machine, and peace returned to the cosmos... at least until now. The Machine returns in full force, annihilating countless planets in his bloodlust for conquest. Bren now has to revisit the terror he thought he had left behind, hopping into the Turrican suit and preparing for another showdown.
Just when you thought giant metallic skulls couldn't be more frightening...
The game plays very similarly to Contra in that you're this seemingly unstoppable force — in a mechanized suit, mind you — faced with insurmountable odds with a gun in your hand and a goal in your heart. Turrican's going to have to survive wave after wave of creepy mutant bugs and android beasts as he explores the depths of The Machine's lair, which obviously needs a cleaning with a Brillo pad or something. He will have three different weapons at his disposal: the classic spread gun, a wild green laser, and something called a "Rebound", whose bullets mainly travel along the floor and ceiling. You'll need to pick up the right colour of power-up orb to snag each weapon, as you can only carry one at a time; typically these are found by blasting chests and revealing their contents. Collecting multiple orbs of the same colour enhances your weapon power. You can even use homing missiles! What a scoop!
Mr. Turrican has a couple of other tricks up his sleeve to make his job a little easier... or a little more difficult, depending on how you look at it. He can't double-jump and he can't use a jetpack. That's not going to get him anywhere. His only way upward is a flimsy plasma rope. This is the year "THE FUTURE", and we still need ropes for mech suits. We're supporting the wrong sciences, people!! You shoot the hook out, then swing around on it. That's swell for getting across pits and such, but you also have to use it to get to platforms above you... not exactly an easy task. Scratch that: it's a hellish task because you have to swing around, then pull off another jump. And having this skill is REQUIRED to complete the game. To make matters worse, you can't even use it while moving. It would have been great to jump and fire off the rope to connect with platforms above, but... nah. Factor 5 ain't havin' that skill.
Hailing back to the days of the original Metroid, the Turrican suit can also curl into an Energy Wheel and whip around at blinding speed, just like the Morph Ball from Samus Aran's Arsenal of Useful Things To Do. They knew how to put that blast processing to good use! You're seemingly invincible in this mode, and you can even lay mines to thwart your enemies into thinking they can stay alive. It comes with a catch: it's limited by an energy bar that, once depleted, cannot be refilled until your next life.
In making another comparison to Contra, stages are less straightforward. Turrican doesn't enter simple left-to-right running stages. Instead, he enters rather large areas that, while not labyrinthine in nature, still give you plenty of options for freedom to explore. With the combination of vertical and horizontal scrolling in place, Turrican can go all over the place and find some treasures or, more often, voracious things with intent to kill. Also scattered around are diamonds, which he can pick up to increase your high score... if that matters. After every level, you're told how many diamonds you collected and how many you missed, just to rub it in.
Just when you thought lime Jell-O desserts couldn't be more frightening...
Oh, and one other point of order: this game is HARD. The first stage may feel like a bit of a cakewalk, especially to veterans of run'n'gun games, but by the end of the game (provided you even make it that far), you'll feel like you've aged horribly in a short amount of time. You'll sweat more than a politician in a sex scandal and will become horribly dehydrated. Vicious dogs will fear you for being so manly. Interestingly, it's the stages themselves that will prove most challenging; the boss battles are surprisingly predictable, while the stage layouts and enemy placements will do their best to pummel you to a delicious frothy pulp. Just be aware that you won't finish this on your first try.
As an aside, the game does have an Easy mode, but it's only two stages long! You feel great for a little while, but then they stop and tell you to try the game on Normal mode! I hate when games do that!
The graphics are pretty impressive in Mega Turrican. The surroundings never make you feel good; you're always on edge as the sickening blend of biology and metallurgy punches you squarely in the face. Many of the bosses and even the lesser enemies lack great inspiration, though. I can only be so frightened by bugs and bulbous machines before I simply become desensitized. On the other hand, the soundtrack is solid. Composer Chris Hülsbeck, known primarily for his work on the Turrican series, gets the most out of the questionable Genesis sound chip with a variety of tunes both uplifting and harrowing. Also, as soon as you boot the game, you hear a rugged voice that says "Presented by Data East". It's magical, and I don't know why.
My first experience with the Turrican series has been an eye-opening one. The game is pretty impressive, even if it stopped constantly to spit in my face and remind me that it's sprightly and tough as hell. It certainly deserves a spot next to games like Contra and Gunstar Heroes in the trophy case of its genre. If you're looking for a ripe challenge, track this one down. It is (as of this writing) available on the original Wii's Virtual Console, so there's no reason not to download it and release your inner Turrican spirit.
