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Turrican

Available Platform: Amiga

Turrican is one of the most popular games of the '90s. It was designed and programmed by Manfred Trenz initially for the Commodore 64.

Year1990
GenreShooter
Rating4.5

87/100 based on 9 Editorial reviews. Add your vote

PublisherRainbow Arts
DeveloperRainbow Arts
OS supportedWin7 64 bit, Win8 64bit, Windows 10, MacOS 10.6+
Updated18 February 2021

Game Review

Turrican is one of the most popular games of the '90s. It was designed and programmed by Manfred Trenz initially for the Commodore 64. The game is a sci-fi platformer, where a mutant warrior, Turrican, has to jump and fight across five worlds and 13 levels.

When the game was released in 1990, it demonstrated a graphics quality that many did not believe to be possible on a C64. The Amiga version, developed by Factor 5, was even better, featuring a soundtrack composed by Chris Huelsbeck, still appreciated and performed by musicians and orchestras.

GamesNostalgia is offering the original Amiga version, packed with the proper emulator.

Users Reviews

"Welcome to Turrican, raaaaa ha ha ha ha!!"

If I could only keep one Amiga game, then without question, it would be Turrican. It is as brilliant in every aspect today as it was when it came out. Glorious graphics, perfect gameplay, oodles of originality and a soundtrack so good, Chris Hüelsbeck finally bowed to fans demands a few years ago, and re-recorded the whole lot for a special release! The music of Turrican is still as renowned as the game itself.

it's a big game, with lots to explore. But if like me, you've committed almost every level to memory all those years ago, it all comes flooding back. Turrican is 40 minutes or so of absolute platform pleasure. The Turrican himself is a great design – you’ve got a multi-function blaster, a decent energy level, superb jumping ability, bombs, surround lasers and the ability to transform into a gyroscope in order to whizz through levels or fit down narrow tunnels to find goodies. Another unique thing about the game is all the hidden bonus boxes and secret rooms that you unexpectedly come across as you roam the landscapes. Extra lives are also plentiful, once you know where to look.

The graphics are superb throughout, and the levels range from a rocky outpost, to aquatic underground labyrinths, skeletal mazes and finally Morgul’s tower. In between all of that, you have two flying levels, where Turrican dons a jetpack for some shoot-em-up action. What’s most rewarding, is that once you’ve blasted off each of Morgul’s three faces, Mr. Turrican hops in his conveniently-parked ship and flies off into the sunset as the tower explodes. At the time, this felt like a proper cinematic ending!

Turrican remains my #1 game on the Amiga. It was a game changer at the time - fantastic graphics, amazing music, huge levels and multi-functional playability like no other. While there were many great things about its sequels, I'll always return to the original and best. Turrican on the Amiga really demonstrated the machine's capabilities, and it's a game that literally has everything - atmosphere, enjoyment, creativity and for me as a platform it remains unparalleled. It's perfect. I still get emotional thinking about Turrican 30 years on; that combination of Manfred Trenz and Chris Hüelsbeck, et al, was a real winner.

Review by: theLightDreams
Published: 4 November 2020 3:09 pm

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Latest Comments

  • Maurizio Petta - 2022-07-25 - Reply

    And this would be the famous "Turrican"?
    Bah! A single enemy that touches us and almost all the energy drops. Actually, in the 80s / 90s, I had the Commodore 64/128 and then the Amiga. My favorite games were simulations (Project Stealth Fighter; Red Storm Rising; M1 Tank Platoon). Or the strategic ones, (Conflict Korea; Conflict in the Middle East; Civilization; Colonization; Ashes of Empire and so on ...). Or even the R.P.G. (all the Ultima series). So, with a few rare exceptions (Superfrog) I wasn't particularly attracted to games like "Beat 'em up" ... "Platform" or "Puzzlers". However I have heard a lot about games like this "Turrican" anyway. I've always set out to play this game, but for one reason or another, I've never done it. Which instead happened tonight ... Well! I must confess that if this is the much vaunted game, it seems to me that it was mostly "usurped" fame. Very difficult right from the start ... Ready to go ... and a group of enemies sets out to attack and we already lose a life.

    Our character, to face the situation decent, should move at a very different speed, instead he is very "cumbersome", awkward, while the enemies seem to have a jet engine! I wonder what programmers with similar programs could ever hope for, who could ever find fun in such boredom.

    The graphics don't seem to be very accurate either, with the sound certainly not anything special.

    I really don't know why, at the time of its release, this game was so successful.