The Punisher on the NES really stands out from the other games in the LJN library. A big reason for this is that it is a good game. In this case, the developers took Marvel’s property and turned it into something fun!
This is a rail shooter where you play as The Punisher, and you shoot a bunch of random bad guys. It has problems, but as far as LJN games go, it is one of the best ones. When I first played it, I didn’t use the Light Gun, which was a big mistake.
Like some other games on the NES, it tried to combine genres. There are shooting sections as well as fighting game sections. It is something that should work better than it does. This is one of the LJN published games that is worth playing.
TLDR: A fun shooter that happens to have some questionable boss fights.
Narrative
The game alters The Punisher’s origin. In this game, he’s a former detective instead of being a US Marine. I have no idea why this was done.
The game’s story isn’t all that complicated. From what the manual says, you have to defeat the Kingpin because he’s the one who ordered the hit that killed Frank Castle’s family (Link). You have to fight your way through his henchmen before you can fight the Kingpin.
It is what I was expecting from a game like this. The story is straightforward and doesn’t take any strange turns. I’m not too familiar with the comics, but this sounds like a storyline that would appear in them.
Gameplay
The gameplay is really good for most of the game. There are two parts to each stage, and like other rail shooters, you’ll have a lot of power-ups to get. I wish there were more shooters like this on the home console. They were some of my favorite games to play in the arcades when I got a chance to play them.
As you might expect, there are a number of power-ups in this game. Here is a list of them:
- Extra Ammo
- Med Kits
- Kevlar Vests
- Bazooka
- Machine Gun
- Grenades
There are a few spots in the game where you can get them. Just about everything can be shot and destroyed, and occasionally this will give you a power-up. These will come in handy when you fight the bosses.
The game has six stages, including the final boss. There are a few of them that I recognize, and others that I’ve got no idea about because I don’t follow the comics. It is pretty cool that all of this takes place across New York City.
Instead of shooting the bosses, you get into a fist fight with them. This is where the game falls apart for me. I would’ve rather shoot them instead of what is in the game. They could’ve been popping in and out of windows or something like that.
I really like the gameplay, but I wish I could play it with the light gun. That would’ve made it much easier to shoot the bad guys, and the controls would’ve been better. Overall, I like it, but I don’t love it.
Visuals
The game looks pretty good. There is quite a bit of variety in this game. This is more of a third-person rail shooter, as you can see The Punisher at the bottom of the screen. It looks like many of the arcade rail shooters that I enjoyed on my rare trips to the arcades.
The Punisher doesn’t look as good as the arcade games, but it looks good for an NES game. The characters look decent enough. The bosses and The Punisher look good. Since you can shoot just about everything, it is easy to see what can and can’t be destroyed.
While this isn’t an amazing game from a graphics standpoint, it is a good looking game. Level design doesn’t really matter for a game like this. The screen is always moving to the right, and you have to keep your eyes open. A lot of what I would normally complain about with other games is okay with this one.
Reviews at the Time
There weren’t too many reviews I could find. MobyGames only had one review from 1991, and it wasn’t in English. I went through the Nintendo Power Archives and had to dig for the review.
So, this is what I’ve found. Nintendo Power’s February 1991 issue only listed scores for the game and didn’t say anything about it. The scores were middle of the road, roughly around a 2.6 or 2.7/5.
It seems like most publications ignored the game. Not every magazine reviewed every game. The review scores didn’t seem to change much over the years, which says something about the game.
8/10. This is a well-made light gun game that happens to have some average to below-average boss fights. If the boss fights had been better, I would’ve rated this higher.
Pros
- Good Graphics
- Fun Gameplay
- Decent Story
Cons
- A little hard to play without the Light Gun
- Boss fights are a little too random
Conclusion
The Punisher’s video games were pretty good. It is a shame that I didn’t play them when they came out. This was a comic book character I didn’t know about. I have a vague memory of him showing up in the Spider-Man cartoon, but that could’ve been something I made up.
As far as the LJN games go, this is one of the best ones. It also has a very good Game Boy port. It is a game that I didn’t know about until the 2010s. I’m glad that I played it because it is one of the better superhero games.
While this isn’t as good as the Batman or TMNT games, it is a fun one. I like it more than the Superman, Spider-Man, and X-Men games on the NES. It isn’t as good as the Genesis beat’em up, but it is a quality shooter.
If you liked this post, please check out my other reviews of LJN games. Some examples are Friday the 13th and Jaws.