Super Turrican (1992). Play Free Online

Summary

I discovered Super Turrican on the NES and was instantly drawn to its European‑only release, a true solo effort by series creator Manfred Trenz.
The gameplay echoes Turrican II but adds a run button and lets you leap out of the spinning gyroscope mid‑air, turning movement into a fluid dance; the gyroscope even ricochets off enemies.
Four difficulty levels, no time limit and the absence of checkpoints mean a single death drops you back to the start of the stage, while holding fire lets you sprint for that extra burst of speed.
Its soundtrack is a rare treat – Trenz himself composed the music using a driver originally programmed by David Whittaker, and the final boss is a repurposed element from the shooter Aldynes.
Despite Trenz’s own disappointment over omitted features, European critics praised the tight controls and crisp graphics, cementing it as a hidden gem for NES run‑and‑gun fans.

Storyline

Super Turrican on the NES follows the bleak tale of the planet Landorin. Long ago, rebellious fighters smashed the tyrannical Machine and its orbiting satellite, but the evil moon’s destruction did not free the world. The Machine still dominates the surface while the native Landorins fled into the planet’s inner core, awaiting their doom. Machines and mutants now scour the abandoned ruins, hunting the hidden entrance to secret caves. In a final act of desperation the Landorins broadcast a lone radio signal across the tri‑solar system; it is picked up by the lone hero Turrican, who embarks on his most dangerous mission to rescue the surviving colonists.

Edited by Maya Carter