Adventures of Dino Riki (1987). Play online

Summary

Adventures of Dino Riki is an overhead shooter that blends fast‑paced dodging with primitive weaponry. You pilot Dino Riki, a stone‑age hero, hurling rocks, axes, boomerangs and even torches at swarming prehistoric foes.

The game rewards smashing boulders to uncover power‑ups—speed boosts, winged flight and weapon upgrades—that can dramatically change each stage. Losing a hit drops your upgrades, and a death wipes them clean, forcing you back to a checkpoint.

A quirky mix of vertical scrolling and platform hazards (water pits and lilypads that kill instantly) keeps the action nonstop, though the steep learning curve and reliance on those power‑ups earned mixed reviews. Still, the humor and nonstop action earned it a modest cult following among NES fans.

Storyline

Adventures of Dino Riki, a Hudson Soft overhead shooter that plays like 1943: The Battle of Midway, drops you into a prehistoric world as a primitive human named Dino Riki. The game scrolls vertically as you dodge swarms of dinosaurs and other enemies while jumping and blasting rocks, axes, boomerangs or torches. Power‑ups hidden inside boulders give you speed boosts, winged flight, or weapon upgrades, letting you glide over ground hazards. Each stage ends with a boss that must be defeated before you can move on.

Collecting the right items can even transform you into Macho Riki, a tougher version that fires powerful projections of himself. The core goal is simply to survive the hazardous environments, clear the stages, and overcome the prehistoric threats standing in your way.