Bonanza Brothers
System: Genesis
Release Date: May 16, 1991
Developer: Sega CS
Publisher: Sega
Genre: Action
Get in and out with all the loot on your back in Bonanza Brothers! Mike and Spike are not thieves, they are private investigators. They’ve been hired to test the security systems of an anonymous millionaire. So it’s up to you (or the two of you) to go through ten levels of petty thievery.
There is always a split screen even in single player mode. The game is a pretty simple action puzzler. There’s a map that shows you where all of the items you need to steal are. So you walk around and grab them. I make it sound easier than it is, because you have to be somewhat clever in avoiding the security. You can walk in the foreground or the background and will have to in order to avoid their gaze. Pressing up against the walls will keep you hidden, but keep an eye out for bugs…
Getting hit zaps one of your lives and drops all of the items you’ve recovered up until that point. Some guards are easier to avoid than others. Losing all of your lives forces you to use a continue. This is just like losing a life, bringing you back to where you died, but your score resets back to zero. There are only three minutes on each stage for you to collect all the treasures and make the exit. If you run out of time, you have to start the level all over again.
You’re not defenseless, but instead are equipped with a stun gun. If you get a good opening, you can shoot the guards. The ones with the shields can only be hit from behind. The big ones take multiple shots to take down. I realized by the end that you can brute force your way through by changing between the foreground and background. This made the final level a lot easier, because I kept getting hit by the time limit.
Other obstacles exist, like a can that if you touch, you kick and make noise alerting the guards. There’s also a rake that you have to jump over. I liked the weights that you could drop on guards to stun them without shooting them. Some levels also feature a zip line that you can use to move across the stage quickly. Making the exit with all the treasures moves you on to the next level. Conquering all ten levels gives you an ending cinematic.
Graphics: 1.5
There aren’t a ton of colors or really anything that looks really good.
Sound: 2.0
Music and sounds aren’t offensive, but that doesn’t mean they are enjoyable.
Gameplay: 2.5
This is not an in depth title, but it’s designed well, which I appreciate.
Difficulty: 3.0
You have plenty of lives and continues to complete the ten levels.
Fun Factor: 2.0
It’s short and sweet and that’s really all you need sometimes.
Overall Rating: 2.2
Bonanza Brothers earns a C+. This is a nice, quick game. Nothing you really have to go back to play multiple times, but it’s there if you need it.