Mighty Bomb Jack / Rygar

NES Catalog #048-49

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Mighty Bomb Jack

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PUBLISHER/DEVELOPER: Tecmo

RELEASE DATE: April 24th, 1986 (JP), July 1987 (US), June 6th, 1992 (EU)

ALSO AVAILABLE ON: Arcade, Amiga, Commodore 64, PC, Atari ST, Virtual Console (Wii, 3DS, Wii U), Nintendo Switch Online

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Mighty Bomb Jack is that special kind of NES game, a devious action platformer that plays by its own irritating rules.

You control Jack, a hero charged with rescuing King Pamera from the demon, Bezelbut. Jack’s not like other heroes, though. He has no direct attack to combat Bezelbut’s army of ghouls. Instead, Jack jumps, drifts, and floats his way out of danger. A hero without a weapon, a conscientious objector even in the face of pure evil. Not sure where the “Mighty” comes into his name, but there you have it.

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So many bombs, so little purpose.

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Jack’s stuck in a pyramid, sixteen levels worth. Each level contains a side-scrolling passageway, littered with bombs, treasure chests and enemies, and a single-screen Palace Room, where you must collect all the bombs to move to the next stage. Bombs give you points and are easily collected, while treasure chests uncover helpful items, but can only be opened when Jack uses Mighty Coins.