Bonk is a video game character from NEC's
TurboGrafx-16The TurboGrafx-16 , known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
consoleA video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or electronic device that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
. Known in Japan as "
PC-Genjin" (ＰＣ原人, PC-
CavemanA caveman or troglodyte is a popular stock character based upon popular concepts of the way in which early prehistoric humans or homininans may have looked and behaved. The archetype of "cavemen" originates with the discovery of Neanderthal remains...
, a
punA pun, or paronomasia, is a form of word play that deliberately exploits ambiguity between similar-sounding words for humorous or rhetorical effect...
on "PC Engine") and as "
BC Kid" in PAL territories, Bonk was a
mascotThe term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
for NEC's console, though some Bonk games eventually saw releases on other consoles as well. A large-headed, bald
cavemanA caveman or troglodyte is a popular stock character based upon popular concepts of the way in which early prehistoric humans or homininans may have looked and behaved. The archetype of "cavemen" originates with the discovery of Neanderthal remains...
, his favored form of attack was the
headbuttA headbutt is a strike with the head, typically involving the use of robust parts of the cranium as areas of impact. Effective headbutting revolves around striking a sensitive area with a less sensitive area, such as striking the nose of an opponent with the forehead...
. The "PC" part of his Japanese name stands for "Pithecanthropus
ComputerA computer is a machine that manipulates data according to a set of instructions.Although mechanical examples of computers have existed through much of recorded human history, the first electronic computers were developed in the mid-20th century . These were the size of a large room, consuming as...
urus", a fictitious
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
name for Bonk.
As stated on Hudson Soft's website, in their "The Definitive Bonk" article, Bonk was originally created as a comic character, PC Genjin, in a magazine for the PC Engine.
Bonk is a video game character from NEC's
TurboGrafx-16The TurboGrafx-16 , known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
consoleA video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or electronic device that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
. Known in Japan as "
PC-Genjin" (ＰＣ原人, PC-
CavemanA caveman or troglodyte is a popular stock character based upon popular concepts of the way in which early prehistoric humans or homininans may have looked and behaved. The archetype of "cavemen" originates with the discovery of Neanderthal remains...
, a
punA pun, or paronomasia, is a form of word play that deliberately exploits ambiguity between similar-sounding words for humorous or rhetorical effect...
on "PC Engine") and as "
BC Kid" in PAL territories, Bonk was a
mascotThe term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
for NEC's console, though some Bonk games eventually saw releases on other consoles as well. A large-headed, bald
cavemanA caveman or troglodyte is a popular stock character based upon popular concepts of the way in which early prehistoric humans or homininans may have looked and behaved. The archetype of "cavemen" originates with the discovery of Neanderthal remains...
, his favored form of attack was the
headbuttA headbutt is a strike with the head, typically involving the use of robust parts of the cranium as areas of impact. Effective headbutting revolves around striking a sensitive area with a less sensitive area, such as striking the nose of an opponent with the forehead...
. The "PC" part of his Japanese name stands for "Pithecanthropus
ComputerA computer is a machine that manipulates data according to a set of instructions.Although mechanical examples of computers have existed through much of recorded human history, the first electronic computers were developed in the mid-20th century . These were the size of a large room, consuming as...
urus", a fictitious
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
name for Bonk.
Origin
As stated on Hudson Soft's website, in their "The Definitive Bonk" article, Bonk was originally created as a comic character, PC Genjin, in a magazine for the PC Engine. So many people liked the character that there were talks held on giving him a game of his own. In addition to this, many people even mistook him for an upcoming game character even before his game was in development, due to the fact that the magazine frequently featured comics of upcoming games. Some reputable sources confirm that this character was based on an individual named Tasos; specifically due to the large nature of his head in comparison to the rest of his body.
Games
Bonk's AdventureBonk's Adventure is a 2D platform video game developed by Red Company and Atlus and released in 1990 for the TurboGrafx-16. In Japan it was known as PC Genjin, a play on the Japanese name for the system, PC Engine...
was the first game starring Bonk and was released for the
TurboGrafx-16The TurboGrafx-16 , known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
and a variation of the original on the
NESThe Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe and Australia in . In most of Asia, including Japan , China, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines, it was released as the , commonly abbreviated as the...
. Another variation of Bonk's Adventure was released for the
AmigaThe Amiga was a family of personal computers originally developed by Amiga Corporation. Development on the Amiga began in 1982 with Jay Miner as the principal hardware designer. Commodore International bought Amiga Corporation and introduced the machine to the market in 1985...
and was called
BC Kid. A complete new game, with 2 player co-op, was released for the
arcadesAn arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, typically installed in businesses such as restaurants, public houses, video arcades, and Family Entertainment Centers...
, while another new game going under the same name was released for the
Game BoyThe is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America on , and in Europe on . In Southern Asia, it is known as the "Tata Game Boy" It is the first handheld console in the Game Boy line...
. A remake of the original was released in Japan on the
PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony. The PS2 console is the sequel to the original PlayStation console. The successor to the PlayStation, and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation 2 forms part of the PlayStation series of video game...
and the
Nintendo GameCubeThe is Nintendo's fourth home video game console with Wii being fifth, and is part of the sixth generation console era. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 and predecessor to Nintendo's Wii....
.
Bonk's RevengeBonk's Revenge is a 2D platformer originally for the TurboGrafx 16 console, created in 1991 by the Red Company for Hudson and Turbo Technologies, and licensed by NEC. The game was ported to the Game Boy, whereas the original version was re-released for Virtual Console...
was released for the
TurboGrafx-16The TurboGrafx-16 , known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
, while a completely new game under the same name made it to the
Game BoyThe is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America on , and in Europe on . In Southern Asia, it is known as the "Tata Game Boy" It is the first handheld console in the Game Boy line...
.
Bonk 3: Bonk's Big Adventureis an action video game developed by Red Company and published for the TurboGrafx-16 and TurboDuo in 1993, in the Bonk video game series. It was released for the Wii Virtual Console in Europe on August 31, 2007 and in North America on September 3, 2007....
was released for the TurboGrafx-16 as 2 versions, a cartridge version, & a CD version.
Super Bonk, which was vaguely similar to Bonk 3, was released for the
Super NESThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
around 1994 or 1995.
Chō Genjin 2 (translated as "Super Bonk 2") was the sequel to Super Bonk for the
Super FamicomThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
, and was released only in Japan.
GB Genjin Land: Viva! Chikkun Kingdom was a collection of mini games starring Bonk, released for the
Game BoyThe is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America on , and in Europe on . In Southern Asia, it is known as the "Tata Game Boy" It is the first handheld console in the Game Boy line...
Genjin Collection, a collection of the 3 Game Boy titles, was released for the
Game BoyThe is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America on , and in Europe on . In Southern Asia, it is known as the "Tata Game Boy" It is the first handheld console in the Game Boy line...
.
RPG Genjin was planned for the PC Engine, but was never released.
Bonk's Return, a Bonk game released for Mobile phones, plays a lot like the first two Bonk games but offers very little diversity in the level design.
The TurboGrafx-16 version of
Bonk's Adventure was released for the
Virtual ConsoleA virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
service at its launch on November 21, 2006.
Bonk's Revenge was released on April 16, 2007 and
Bonk 3: Bonk's Big Adventure was released on September 3, 2007 in the United States.
A new Bonk game,
Bonk Brink of Extinction, has been announced for the PSN, XBLA, and WiiWare. The title is expected to arrive sometime in 2010 and will include cooperative play.
History
His first game, Bonk's Adventure, was released in 1990, published by
Hudson Softis a electronic entertainment publisher headquartered in Japan. It was founded on May 18 1973. Initially, Hudson dealt with personal computer products, but has expanded to the development and publishing of video games, mobile content, and video game peripherals. As of 2003, the company employs...
in Japan and by
NEC Electronics, a Japanese multinational IT company, has its headquarters in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. NEC, part of the Sumitomo Group, provides information technology and network solutions to business enterprises, communications services providers and government....
in the United States , and developed by
Atlus Softwareis a Japanese computer and video game developer, publisher, and distributor headquarted in Tokyo, Japan. It is known for developing the role-playing series Shin Megami Tensei which, counting spin-offs, has dozens of installments. The first Megami Tensei was an NES game published by Namco based on...
and
Red Companyis a video game developer based in Japan. Formerly known as since is foundation in 1976, it was reorganized under its current moniker on December 4 2000...
. The game was a
side-scrolling platformerPlatform game, or platformer, is a video game genre characterized by jumping to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles. It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
, a genre that was very popular at the time, especially for mascots (
Sonic The Hedgehog, trademarked Sonic The Hedgehog, is a video game character and the protagonist of the eponymous video game series released by Sega, as well as in numerous spin-off comics, cartoons and books. The first game in the franchise was released on June 23, 1991, in order to provide Sega with a mascot to...
and
Mariois a fictional character in his eponymous video game series, created by video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
both vaulted to mascot status via this genre). Bonk's Adventure was very well received by critics outside of Japan, winning several awards in 1990: "Turbografx-16 Game of the Year" by Game Player’s Magazine, "Most Exciting New Theme of 1990" by
Electronic Gaming MonthlyElectronic Gaming Monthly is an American video game magazine being re-launched by EGM Media, LLC. It was previously published by Ziff Davis as part of the 1UP Network and released 12 issues a year Electronic Gaming Monthly (often abbreviated to EGM) is an American video game magazine being...
Magazine, "Special Achievement Award" from OMNI Magazine, and "Best Action Video Game of 1990" by Video Games & Computer Entertainment Magazine. Despite this, the TurboGrafx suffered from poor sales, and the Bonk mascot was eventually retired in 1992 (with the launch of TTi's new TurboDuo console), replaced by
Air ZonkAir Zonk is a side-scrolling shooter released for the PC Engine/TurboGrafx 16 video game consoles in 1992 and was developed by Red Company and published by Hudson Soft...
(the official mascot of the DUO). Not surprisingly, Zonk—a "future descendant of Bonk", according to the mythos—bears a strong likeness to his predecessor, Bonk. In recent years,
Johnny TurboJohnny Turbo is a fictional superhero character created to advertise the Turbo Duo, a hybrid of the Turbografx-16 console and its add-on, the TurboGrafx CD, in North America. The character was conceived by Turbo Technologies Inc...
, who starred in three isolated advertisements for the TurboDuo, has gained a cult following and is sometimes mistaken as a mascot for the console. In fact, Johnny Turbo was never a mascot—not even an unofficial one. Zonk, who was featured prominently in all of TTi's branding efforts, was the only mascot for the TurboDuo.
When NEC's
TurboDuoThe TurboDuo is a video game console released in the United States on October 10, 1992 by Turbo Technologies Incorporated, a Los Angeles-based corporation consisting of NEC and Hudson Soft employees, established to market NEC consoles in North America after NEC Home Electronics USA failed to...
console was sold in 1992, it included a
CD-ROMCD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback, the 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data. CD-ROMs are popularly used to...
containing Bonk's Adventure, Bonk's Revenge and Gate of Thunder, packaged with merely a slipcover and manuals.
Kaneko published an
arcadeAn arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, typically installed in businesses such as restaurants, public houses, video arcades, and Family Entertainment Centers...
version of
Bonk's Adventure (released as
B.C. Kid in Europe) in 1994. This version offered more enemies per screen than the standard Bonk game and included a variety of other strange tasks for the player to accomplish. Other unique features included two-player simultaneous play and the only female Bonk in the series.
Bonk also appeared in the Sega Saturn game "Saturn Bomberman" as a playable character in multiplayer mode. This was his only appearance ever on a SEGA console.
Regional Differences
In the original game, the second power-up stage turns Bonk into a caveman, but in the Japanese versions of the second and third games, he becomes a cavewoman.
http://www.pcengine.co.uk/HTML_Games/PC_Kid_3.htm The caveman transformation was re-used for the western entries in the series, as the gender transformation may have been considered inappropriate for the target demographic outside Japan.
In the Japanese version of the second game, the ending sequence opens with karaoke-style theme song subtitles. This song was completely absent from foreign releases. Also, the drawing of Bonk during the credits is completely different between both versions.
External links
- The Bonk Compendium (Covering all games and references to Bonk)
- The Definitive Bonk, an article at Hudson Entertainment
is a electronic entertainment publisher headquartered in Japan. It was founded on May 18 1973. Initially, Hudson dealt with personal computer products, but has expanded to the development and publishing of video games, mobile content, and video game peripherals. As of 2003, the company employs...
on the history of Bonk and his various appearances, spin-offs, and names.
- Planet-PCengine
- Hudson Selection Vol. 3: PC Genjin (Bonk's Adventure remake for Nintendo GameCube and Sony PlayStation 2)