Mega Turrican is a Megadrive/Genesis-exclusive remake of the famous run-and-gun shooter which was popularised on the Commodore 64 by Rainbow Arts and later ported to other systems. This version was developed by Factor 5 (as were all of the later ports) and published by Data East in North America and Sony Imagesoft in Europe in 1994.

Mega Turrican, like all the games in the Turrican series, is a side-scrolling shoot ’em up where you take control of Bren McGuire – a soldier of the future who wears a Turrican assault suit – on a mission to destroy the forces of “The Machine“. When inside the suit Bren is simply known as “The Turrican” and has a variety of different abilities at his disposal, such as ‘wheel mode’ which allows him to roll up into a ball and squeeze through small spaces (and become near invincible). Another ability the Turrican has – which is a major new addition to the series – is the grapple hook, which allows him to attach himself to parts of the scenery and swing from platform to platform, much like in the classic arcade game Bionic Commando.

As is standard in the series, The Turrican can also pick up various weapons power-ups as he progresses, which upgrade his capabilities.

Mega Turrican features elements such as rotating platforms, underwater sections, and a variety of secrets that can be found by exploring. And of course a variety of large-scale boss battles. Each level is timed, but the limit is usually generous enough to give you enough time to search and find all the secrets. Some areas can only be reached by using the grappling hook, as well as jumping.

If you like run-and-gun, Metroidvania-style shooters then Mega Turrican will undoubtedly appeal to you. The graphics are impressive, as is the music, by Chris Hülsbeck, and the gameplay is well-constructed and finely-balanced.

More: Mega Turrican on Wikipedia