Air Zonk

Did You Know?

• Air Zonk was honored as Electronic Gaming Monthly's "Game of the Year" on the TurboGrafx-16 for 1992.
• The sequel Super Air Zonk: Rockabilly-Paradise requires the Super System Card to play on first-generation TurboGrafx-CD consoles.

Gameplay

Air Zonk reimagines the Bonk series as a scrolling shooter set in the future, with lighthearted and humorous designs for environments and characters. Across five levels, the player must effectively use shooting and bombing to complete each stage. At the start, the player chooses a companion character—such as an anthropomorphic gumball machine or a mummy with a drill on its head—to enhance Zonk's powers. Each companion can be used only once, and the player may limit their use or opt not to use them at all. The game adopts a visual style sometimes called a "cute 'em up." Three difficulty settings are available: sweet, spicy, and bitter.

Zonk can charge his shots for a more powerful attack; a longer charge drops a bomb that damages all enemies on screen. He can acquire seven types of power-ups, each chargeable for a unique special attack. Acquiring a new power-up replaces the current one. If Zonk is hit while holding a power-up, he loses it but does not die, except with the Mini-Zonk power-up, which cannot be charged and appears in both florets and random enemy drops. Zonk begins each stage alone and without power-ups. He must collect eight smiley faces—the eighth appears giant with sunglasses—to summon his friend, who acts as a Gradius-style support. Collecting another eight smiley faces merges Zonk and his friend into a hybrid form, granting a new attack and 20 seconds of invulnerability. This hybrid attack cannot be charged, and Zonk cannot drop bombs while in this form. Once invincibility expires, if Zonk is hit, he reverts to normal form and his friend leaves, but he retains any power-up held before transforming.