Konami's excellent Sparkster, spiritual successor to Rocket Knight Adventures. Gorgeous, demanding, one of the console's best platformers.
Your verdict
Category
Platformer1 player7+
Description
Sparkster battles enemies in this Japanese sequel version of Rocket Knight Adventures for Mega Drive. Published by Konami, released in Japan in September 1994. Platformer with Sparkster and his jetpack, varied levels and difficult bosses in this Japanese Rocket Knight Adventures sequel.
Sparkster - Rocket Knight Adventures 2 review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
Konami crosses the animal fable with war machinery: an armoured opossum propelled by a back-mounted rocket, set against pigs piloting steam-driven contraptions. The scenery moves from a green medieval kingdom to industrial hangars and on into space, with enormous sprites and animation of constant roundness.
Konami's sound team writes chivalric themes run through rock: heroic fanfares doubled by synthetic guitars, rhythmic breaks when the rocket bolts, a light flying motif in the airborne passages. The FM chip is worked in thick layers, with bass that carries the melody rather than trailing it.
Sparkster Rocket Knight Adventures 2 is the original Japanese edition of the Konami game, distributed by Konami in Japan with the Rocket Knight Adventures 2 subtitle specific to the local market. Its collector value comes from this extended Japanese naming and from the fact that the JP version remains the original of the Sparkster sequel, with the rare presence of the original spine card.
An underrated gem
A sequel to the valiant opossum knight, this Konami platformer takes up its predecessor's jet-powered formula while toughening the challenge and refining the staging. Released late and in the shadow of the nascent PlayStation, it stirred little buzz. Demanding and spectacular, it will delight fans of muscular platforming in search of an underrated 16-bit title.
Is Sparkster - Rocket Knight Adventures 2 still worth playing in 2026?
A direct sequel to Rocket Knight Adventures by Konami, Sparkster offers an inventive platform adventure with the return of the opossum hero and his back jetpack. The vibrant cartoon art direction, gameplay inventiveness and new aerial movements make it an excellent continuation of the Rocket Knight saga. For anyone who loved the first entry or seeking an original Konami 2D platformer, a warm recommendation still valid today on Mega Drive without any hesitation for fans truly here indeed.
