Frankenstein: The Monster Returns
System: NES
Release Date: July 1991
Developer: TOSE
Publisher: Bandai
Genre: Action
Be prepared to walk into a world of terror in Frankenstein: The Monster Returns! Deep from beneath the ground where the monster was buried, a bolt of lightning strikes his grave, surging his veins with life once again! The cursed criminal brain is back in action and he doesn’t waste any time in terrorizing the countryside. He has stolen the Village Elder’s daughter Emily and brought forth a horde of evil monsters to protect him. There are four stages to get through before reaching the Monster once and for all!
After naming your character and watching the story, you’re thrust into action. The hero jumps with the A Button and attacks with the B Button. You begin only equipped with your fists to beat back the doglike enemies running at you, but can snag a club from a little troll looking guy. This is more powerful and can be upgraded with a projectile effect by collecting a red orb. There are buildings you can enter which lead to treasure and peril in the sewers, as well as the village elder. Continuing on, you have a miniboss fight against Death himself. Then the first of your boss fights.
Against the Demon Horse, you can use a jump kick by pressing the A Button twice, or maneuver behind him. If you find yourself running low on health, as long as you have an L bar in the bottom right corner, pressing the Select Button will replenish your hit points. After humbling the Demon Horse, and between each level, you get a story portion that propels you forward. You acquire a sword, so you don’t have to rely on your fists. Making sure to grab red orbs will keep your projectile and allow you to stay safe.
Levels are all straightforward. Take out the bad guys, while trying to avoid their attacks. Enemies respawn when you trip their pixel and will always drop something if they’re supposed to. In the graveyard, you can get a thunder attack, which is cool, but I didn’t really use outside of on accident. The monster is constantly referred to as Frankenstein, which annoys me, and he gets increasingly frustrated with the ineptitude of his lackeys.
The monster’s lair will cut you down quickly if you’re not willing to walk away from a fight. You can collect a sling, which acts like a boomerang and though it leaves you vulnerable, seems strong. More lackeys fall to you before you reach the monster himself. Don’t get too cocky, because he has two forms. I needed all of my life potions to stop the monster, but in the end, I saved the day.
Graphics: 3.0
There are some neat cutscene graphics and even the levels look pretty detailed. I have no clue what I’m killing most of the time, though.
Sound: 3.0
I like the music, it’s pretty frantic and sets the mood.
Gameplay: 2.5
Controls are pretty tight, but hitboxes can be downright rude.
Difficulty: 2.5
Once you know what you’re doing in the levels, they aren’t long or difficult to get through… as long as you don’t make a mistake.
Fun Factor: 2.5
I liked it enough to figure it out and not pass on it after being quite dead.
Overall Rating: 2.7
Frankenstein: The Monster Returns earns a B-. I didn’t think this was going to amount to anything, but it turned out to be alright.